“Follow the Prophets” by President Thomas S. Monson
I served in the United States Navy toward the end of World
War II. I was a seaman, the lowest possible rank in the navy. Then I
qualified to be Seaman First Class, after which I qualified to be Yeoman Third
Class.
World
War II ended, and I was later discharged. But I made a decision that if
ever I went back into the military, I wanted to serve as a commissioned
officer. I thought, “No more mess kitchens for me, no more scrubbing the decks,
if I can avoid it.”
After I
was discharged, I joined the United States Naval Reserve. I went to drill every
Monday night. I studied hard that I might qualify academically. I took every
kind of examination imaginable: mental, physical, and emotional. Finally, there
came the beautiful news: “You have been accepted to receive the commission of
an ensign in the United States Naval Reserve.”
I
gleefully showed it to my wife, Frances, and said, “I made it! I made it!” She
hugged me and said, “You’ve worked hard enough to achieve it.”
But
then something happened. I was called to be a counselor in my ward bishopric.
The bishop’s council meeting was on the same evening as my navy drill meeting.
I knew there was a terrible conflict. I knew that I didn’t have the time to
pursue the Naval Reserve and my bishopric duties.
What was I to do? A decision had to be made.
I
prayed about it. Then I went to see the man who was my stake president when I
was a boy, Elder Harold B. Lee (1899–1973), then of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles. I sat down across the table from him. I told him how much I
valued that commission. In fact, I showed him the copy of the letter of
appointment I had received. After pondering the matter for a moment, he said to
me, “Here’s what you should do, Brother Monson. You write a letter to the
Bureau of Naval Affairs and tell them that because of your call as a member of
the bishopric, you can’t accept that commission in the United States Naval
Reserve.”
My heart sank. He added, “Then write to the commandant of the
Twelfth Naval District in San Francisco indicating that you would like to be
discharged from the reserve.”
I said,
“Elder Lee, you don’t understand the military. Of course they will decline to
give me that commission if I refuse to accept it, but the Twelfth Naval
District isn’t going to let me off. With a war brewing in Korea, a
noncommissioned officer will surely be called up. If called back, I would rather
go back as a commissioned officer, but I won’t if I don’t accept this
commission. Are you sure this is the counsel you want me to receive?”
Elder
Lee put his hand on my shoulder and in a fatherly way said, “Brother Monson,
have more faith. The military is not for you.”
I went
home. I placed a tear-stained commission back in its envelope with its
accompanying letter and declined to accept it. Then I wrote a letter to the
Twelfth Naval District and requested a discharge from the Naval Reserve.
My
discharge from the Naval Reserve was in the last group processed before the
outbreak of the Korean War. My headquarters outfit was activated. Six weeks
after I was called to be a counselor in the bishopric, I was called to be the
bishop of my ward.
I would
not hold the position in the Church I hold today had I not followed the counsel
of a prophet, had I not prayed about that decision, had I not come to an
appreciation of an important truth: the wisdom of God oft times appears as
foolishness to men.1 But the greatest single lesson we can learn
in mortality is that when God speaks and His children obey, they will always be
right.
It has
been said that history turns on small hinges, and so do our lives. Decisions
determine destiny. But we are not left unaided in our decisions.
If you
want to see the light of heaven, if you want to feel the inspiration of
Almighty God, if you want to have that feeling within your bosom that your
Heavenly Father is guiding you, then follow the prophets of God. When you follow
the prophets, you will be in safe territory.
Teaching from This Message
Not many members of the Church will receive one-on-one counsel
from an Apostle, as President Monson did. But we can still be blessed as we
follow the teachings of prophets and apostles. Consider reading President
Monson’s addresses from the last general conference (remember his opening and
closing remarks too). Look for specific directions or calls to action. You
could discuss what you learn with those you visit and consider ways to apply
President Monson’s counsel.
For
ideas on how to teach this message to youth and children, see page 6.
Youth
Counsel
for Hard Choices
President Henry B. Eyring,
First Counselor in the First Presidency, told about a time when he followed
prophetic counsel. During one general conference, President Ezra Taft Benson
(1899–1994) urged members to get out of debt—specifically mortgage debt.
President
Eyring said: “I turned to my wife after the meeting and asked, ‘Do you think
there is any way we could do that?’ At first we couldn’t.” But by that evening
he thought of a property they had unsuccessfully tried to sell for years. “We
trusted God and … His servant’s message, [so] we placed a phone call. … I heard
an answer that to this day strengthens my trust in God and His servants.” That
same day a man had placed an offer on the Eyrings’ property for an amount just
greater than their mortgage. The Eyrings soon became free of debt (see “Trust
in God, Then Go and Do,” Liahona, Nov. 2010, 72–73).
You may
not have a mortgage to pay, but prophetic counsel can guide you here and now
through difficult decisions regarding work, education, a mission, and dating.
Discuss with your family or
peers about how you can follow the prophet when you have to make decisions.
Children
Find
Your Way
We have
to make a lot of choices to get back to our Heavenly Father. We can make the
best choices when we follow the prophet.
Find
your way through the maze. When you come to a decision, look to the prophet’s
counsel!
Read
the scriptures
Go
right
Pray
Go down
and then right
Share
your testimony
Go
right
Help
others
“Setting Goals”
cji
1/1/16
Priorities long term
determine the short
term
thus obedience to
Father
all Commandments
follow
thus we must obey
Prophets
those from the
Scriptures
and those alive in
our time
for there is a living
Prophet
as the Church
restored
Prophets proclaimed
this
and thus it has
occurred
seek within prayer to
know
not of the world to
find
but of the Father in
heaven
and His Beloved Son
sent
to atone for each of
us
born into mortal
probation
long term goals are
thus:
Return to the Father
return to the Son
beside him
keep all of the
Commandments
follow the Prophets
one and all
all of the time –
always – forever
the short term goal
obedience
leads to the journey
eternal!
Copyright © 2015 –
cji
No comments:
Post a Comment