Never Give Up on AnyoneElder William R. Walker
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I am grateful for the opportunity to address you in
this important conference. I know
something of the faith and devotion of those who support and encourage this
wonderful organization, and I am honored to have been given the opportunity to
speak to you this morning. I express
appreciation to the officers and supporters of Evergreen International, and
commend you for the important work in which you are engaged. I have given much thought and prayer to what I might
say to you this morning, and I hope that the Spirit will guide me in my words. At the same time, it is my fervent prayer
that my message might be a blessing to some who are here. As you can appreciate, one of the most wonderful
aspects of serving as a General Authority of the church is the opportunity to
have close association with the Prophet and to frequently hear his words and
his testimony, as well as his expressions of love and faith. President Thomas S. Monson has had a remarkable life
of service in the Lord’s Kingdom. He was
called as an Apostle in 1963, 45 years ago. He is renowned,
in and out of the church, for his wonderful and inspiring stories. President Monson’s practice of teaching is
much like that of the Savior, who often taught using stories and parables. Imbedded in every President Monson story are
important messages and fundamental Gospel principles that will bless the lives
of those who have ears to hear. One General Authority suggested that we need to listen
carefully to Thomas S. Monson stories so that we don’t just hear a nice story –
but rather, we learn lessons applicable to our own lives as we strive to fully
live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In August, President Thomas S. Monson celebrated his
81st Birthday. At a small birthday celebration, President Dieter F.
Uchtdorf and President Henry B. Eyring gave touching tributes to our prophet.
In a few words, each expressed his love and support and made a few observations
about President Monson. The thing that
stood out for me was the statement that “He focuses on the one.” He focuses
on the individual—one at a time. One of Jesus’ most memorable parables taught us to
focus on the one. We all know Luke’s
account of the Parable of the Shepherd leaving the ninety and nine and going to
find the one (Luke 15). That principle
has become a fundamental part of Christian belief and practice. I want to begin my message with a story told by
President Monson: This happened years ago when he was a Mission
President in Toronto. One of the missionaries called on the phone and said:
“President, I smoked a pack of cigarettes, so send me home”. “Let’s talk about the cigarettes ….. tomorrow. I want you to come to the mission home and
get a good night’s rest and then we can talk tomorrow.” President Monson brought him to the mission
home, treated him like part of the family, fed him, made sure he was treated
well and got a good night’s sleep. He
didn’t talk about the incident that evening.
When the missionary persisted, President Monson said: “We’ll take care
of that tomorrow.” The next morning Sister Monson fed him a good breakfast
and he was involved in the other things going on at the mission home. President Monson put off talking about the problem
until well through the day. He
said: “By afternoon we were talking
about what he needed to do to stay in the mission field and be a good
missionary.” He kept him. He
stayed and completed his mission. A life
was changed. A life was saved. Was the Mission President disappointed in the behavior
of this missionary? I’m sure he
was. I don’t know exactly how he
expressed that disappointment. However
it was handled, it was eclipsed by the obvious expressions of confidence and
love that enabled the missionary to overcome his challenges and to go forward
and complete his mission successfully.
Clearly, the missionary must have had some desire to stay, but so much of what happened here was because
of the love, understanding, forgiveness, and encouragement of this great
mission president. Some may say, “Well, he handled it perfectly because
he was a great man, who became a great Apostle and Prophet. I can’t be expected to handle difficult
situations so well.” He didn’t call the Church travel office and arrange
for a return flight for the missionary so that travel plans would be ready when
he arrived at the mission home. He
didn’t give up on that missionary. Do
you suppose that President Monson ever told him he couldn’t be smoking
cigarettes and be a missionary? I’m sure
that he did. But that came after a rich
outpouring of love. He deliberately put
off addressing the problem until he had plenty of time to manifest his love and
do it in a warm and very engaging way. Some of us like the scriptural direction to “reprove
betimes with sharpness” and then follow-up “with showing forth an increase of
love.” President Monson’s approach seemed
to be to show forth an increase of love before ever reproving. Then whatever reproving took place was
followed up again with an increase of love.
It seems like this missionary was sandwiched by love. Surely the inappropriate behavior was clearly
labeled as such by the Mission President.
But the important message to me is that the prelude and the postlude
were strains of love and support. For
that missionary, it made all the difference in the world. We may not handle challenges with such wisdom, grace
and finesse, but we can learn from his example and his experience. I don’t recall President Monson saying much about how
this missionary got along after this incident.
He may have struggled from time to time, but he stayed, and he completed
his mission. Regardless of how serene or
how turbulent our lives might be, I think there are important lessons for each
of us in this wonderful story. I’ve heard President
Monson say many times: “I like to focus on an individual.” He’ll often ask
others to help. He likes to say to them: “Would
you like to paint a bright spot on your soul today?” Then he solicits their
help. On another occasion,
President Monson told me of an experience he had with a man he met many years
ago. I won’t share details, as President
Monson is still seeking to bless the life of this individual, so I won’t say
enough that anyone could discern who he was speaking about. This is an amazing
story to me: The relationship began
many years ago. This man was married and
was not a very active Latter-day Saint.
He never had taken his wife to the temple. President Monson had
occasion to meet and speak with him and learned of his circumstances. The man was not wealthy, or famous, nor did
he occupy a high position in society, government or church. He was just a good man and President Monson
knew that. President Monson shared an
interest with him. When President Monson learned that he had not taken his wife
to the temple to be sealed, he offered to officiate as the sealer when that day
came and told the man he would look forward to that opportunity. President Monson has perpetuated the
friendship and made periodic contact, even though the man never responded to
his challenge and never accepted his invitation. “When you take your wife to
the temple, you let me know. I’d be
happy to officiate at the sealing.” That hasn’t
happened. Thomas S. Monson told me: “I
still keep in contact with him and I continue to remind him of my desire for
him and his wife.” I suspect that they
enjoy the friendship with this great man and great leader of our church. I imagine there have been many prayers from
many people concerning this matter. As
President Monson told me of this relationship he showed very little
disappointment in the fact that his efforts have not born the fruit he hoped
for. He wasn’t discouraged as he told me
the story. He remains positive and
hopeful and said something profound to me.
He said: “I never give up on
anybody. I will never give up trying to
help them.” What an example! Some might say: That man had his chance. He has had an Apostle reach out to him for
decades and hasn’t responded. President
Monson should now reach out to someone else.
However, Thomas S. Monson hasn’t looked at it that way – rather – his
attitude has been, and I quote: “I never give up on anyone. I’ll reach out to him and encourage him as
long as I’m able.” I love the children’s song “Follow the Prophet.” You
know the words to the chorus:
The 9th Verse is particularly poignant:
To gain perspective on the times in which we find
ourselves and the challenges that are before us, I share with you a 1998 quote
from President Gordon B. Hinckley: “Never
before, at least not in our generation, have the forces of evil been so
blatant, so brazen, so aggressive as they are today. Things we
dared not speak about in earlier times are now constantly projected into our
living rooms. All sensitivity is cast
aside as reporters and pundits speak with a disgusting plainness of things that
can only stir curiosity and lead to evil.” (Quote GBH Ensign, Nov 1998, p 98, 99) This coarsening of our society and our culture has led
to many distortions of truth and has left much of society confused. In this environment, we have the great blessing of
being led by prophets, seers and revelators. I would like to speak a little about “The Family: A
Proclamation to the World.” This
inspired and wonderful document gives us understanding and perspective that are
invaluable to us in these latter days. I want to quote from President Hinckley’s message
given at the General Relief Society Meeting in October of 1995, where President
Hinckley first introduced the proclamation on the family. I think the fact that the President of the
Church chose to introduce this historic and inspired document first to the
women of the Church in a Relief Society Broadcast, rather than General
Conference, is truly remarkable. I think
it was a manifestation by the leadership of the Church that they hold women in
the highest esteem and recognize their all-important contribution to the
strength of families and therefore to the strength of the Church. Prior to reading the proclamation, President Hinckley
made this profound introduction: “With so much of sophistry that is passed off as
truth, with so much of deception concerning standards and values, with so much
of allurement and enticement to take on the slow stain of the world, we have
felt to warn and forewarn. In
furtherance to this we the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve
Apostles now issue a proclamation to the Church and to the world as a
declaration and a reaffirmation of standards, doctrines, and practices relative
to the family which the prophets, seers, and revelators of this Church have
repeatedly stated throughout its history.”
(Ensign, Nov 1995, p.98) I now quote from “The
Family: A Proclamation to the World” “WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the
Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly
proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that
the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His
children. ALL HUMAN BEINGS–male and female–are created in the
image of God. Each is a beloved spirit
son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and
destiny. Gender is an essential
characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and
purpose. IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew
and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His
children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress
toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir
of eternal life. The divine plan of
happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in
holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God
and for families to be united eternally. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve
pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His
children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded
that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and
woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.” “THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential
to His eternal plan. Children are entitled
to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a
mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be
achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The messages and truths contained in the proclamation
are so important because we live in a world filled with counterfeit messages.
We are bombarded with false and evil messages.
Consider the popular advertising slogan:
“What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.” Selfishness abounds and is cultivated by the
world and the media. “It’s all about
me”. This scripture from the New Testament seems
appropriate for our time: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8). In a world where counterfeit messages abound, it makes
it much more important that we know the will of God. As He has in the past, God has blessed us
with a prophet on the earth today to guide us in times of turmoil and
deception. We need prophets and we are
blessed to have their guidance. Like the
words to the children’s song: “We can
get direction all along the way – if we heed the prophets, follow what they
say.” Many years ago, I was serving as a Bishop. A member of my ward, a recent convert, came
to me for advice. She was a sweet and
wonderful person, but concluded that she wouldn’t be able to live the law of
Chastity. With tears of anguish and
deep disappointment in herself, she said to me: “Bishop, What the Church
expects is too much!” My response to her was: “It is
not what the Church expects; it is what the Lord expects.” Too often, on a
variety of subjects, we hear people say that the Church expects too much, but
the important thing to remember is – the Law of Chastity is the will of the
Lord. These are the commandments of a loving God, a loving
Father. He expects a lot of us because
He loves us and He knows best. He has
taught us that wickedness is never happiness.
He understands every one of us, and He understands our
struggles, our challenges, and He knows our hearts. Like any loving parent, He wants us to be
happy and He has provided a plan for us that leads to happiness – if we follow
it. Elder M. Russell Ballard said: “One cannot look at suffering, regardless of
its causes or origins, without feeling pain and compassion. I can understand why someone who lacks an
eternal perspective might see the horrifying news footage and starving children
and man’s inhumanity to man and shake a fist at the heavens and cry, “If there
is a God, how could he allow such things to happen?’ The answer is not easy, but it isn’t that complicated, either. God has put His plan in motion. It proceeds through natural laws that are, in
fact, God’s laws. Since they are His, He
is bound by them, as are we.” (Ensign, May 1995, 22) As we teach and understand that wickedness does not
produce happiness, we need to focus on the way the Savior taught us to deal
with those who have sinned. One of the most powerful messages in the New
Testament is contained in John Chapter 8: “Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.” “And early in the morning he came again into the
temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. “And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a
woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, “They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in
adultery, in the very act. “Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should
be stoned; but what sayest thou? “This they said, tempting him, that they might have to
accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and
with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up
himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first
cast a stone at her. “And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. “ And they which heard it, being convicted by their
own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the
last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. “When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but
the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man
condemned thee? “She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn
thee: go, and sin no more” (John
8:1-11). We do not know if there were other expressions of love
and encouragement, but we do know: He did not condemn her. How do you think she felt towards him? He truly loved her and He saved her. Did she follow His counsel to go and sin no more? We don’t know. Would it have changed His attitude if she had? Or if she hadn’t? If He encountered her again, would He have said “I
can’t believe you didn’t do what I told you?” I am confident that Jesus would continue to show forth
love towards her and not CONDEMN her, while still identifying the sin as such. Like President Monson said, I’m sure the Lord would
say: “I don’t give up on anyone.” Would
a Savior give up on someone? Would a
Redeemer give up on anyone? The 64th Section of the Doctrine and
Covenants teaches us the Lord’s position on forgiveness: “I the Lord will
forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men” (D&C 64:10). Returning to the life of the Savior, we read a
remarkable illustration of love and forgiveness in Luke Chapter 7: “And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would
eat with him. And he went into the
Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. “And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner,
when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an
alabaster box of ointment, “And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began
to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and
kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. “Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he
spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known
who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. “And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have
somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith,
Master, say on. “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors;
the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. “And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave
them both. Tell me therefore, which of
them will love him most? “Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom
he forgave most. And he said unto him,
Thou hast rightly judged. “And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon,
Seest thou this woman? I entered into
thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet
with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. “Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time
I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. “My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this
woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many,
are forgiven; for she loved much: but to
whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. “And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. “And they that sat at meat with him began to say
within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? “And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee;
go in peace” (Luke 7:36-50). President Spencer W. Kimball taught about
judgment: “The Lord can judge men by
their thoughts as well as by what they say and do, for He knows even the
intents of their hearts; but this is not true of humans. We hear what people say, we see what they do,
but being unable to discern what they
think or intend, we often judge wrongfully if we try to fathom the meaning and
motives behind their actions and place on them our own interpretation…. The
Lord will do the judging in the final analysis” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 2006, p
89-101). Having established the need for love and forgiveness,
I turn to the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. It is the Atonement that activates and
energizes the love we have discussed. It is the Atonement that nurtures and enables the
sinner on his path back into the glow of approbation and approval of a loving
and kind God. It is the Atonement that is the soothing balm that
comforts the troubled and aching heart, and gives hope to the parent, the
sibling, the friend, the spouse, or the child of the one who has let go of the
iron rod. In 2002, soon after I was called to be a General
Authority, I had the great blessing of being assigned to be companion to Elder
Neal A. Maxwell at a stake conference.
He was still functioning well, but was struggling with the ravages of
leukemia, as was well known by the members of the church. I was amazed at his kindness and compassion, and his
ability to focus on individuals. More
people than I could count came to shake his hand and told him that they
personally were suffering from cancer, or they had a family member or loved one
that was suffering from cancer or some other malady. In every case, Elder Maxwell was kind and
considerate and interested in the individual.
He would usually say, write down your name and address on a piece of
paper and give it to me. Later he told
me that when he would return to his office he would write many letters
expressing love and encouragement to those who looked to him for counsel and
direction. I learned a lot about
compassion as I watched a Disciple of Christ reach out to others with loving
kindness. Elder Maxwell told me that he always used two
scriptures when trying to give comfort and perspective to those who were
suffering from disease or pain of some other kind. Elder Maxwell said, “These scriptures give me
comfort and understanding and I want to share with them what I know.” The first scripture is from the Book of 1st
Nephi: “I know that he (God) loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know
the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:17). The second one is from the Book of Alma. It is a beautiful statement on the Atonement:
“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of
every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take
upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people” (Alma 7:11). Pain covers not only physical injury or illness, but
the pain from heartache, anguish, remorse.
The Atonement covers the pain from sin and it can cover the anguish and
anxiety that come from a lack of understanding. Elder Bruce C. Hafen said: “Each of us will taste the bitter ashes of
life, from sin and neglect to sorrow and disappointment. But the Atonement of Christ can lift us up in
beauty from our ashes on the wings of a sure promise of immortality and eternal
life. He will thus lift us up, not only
at the end of life, but in each day of our lives. ‘Hast thou not heard, that
the everlasting God giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might,
he increaseth strength…They that wait upon the Lord shall . mount up with wings
as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31). (Bruce C. Hafen, Ensign,
April 1990, 7) Doctrine & Covenants, Section 123 states: “Therefore,
dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power;
and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of
God, and for his arm to be revealed” (D&C 123:17). I have said very little on how to resist
temptation. I share a few quotes that I
love and which seem appropriate: “We will not make a serious mistake without first
having ignored the prompting not to do it.”
(Boyd K. Packer) We need to
cultivate the influence of the Spirit in our lives. “Every temptation yields to immersion in the
scriptures.” (James E. Faust) We must have the constant
blessings and the marvelous influence
that comes to each of us from the study of the scriptures. When temptations are stronger, we must turn
to the scriptures for fortification and turn to the Lord in prayer. I repeat President Faust’s statement, “Every
temptation yields to immersion in the scriptures.” “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their
weakness. I give unto men weakness that
they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble
themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith
in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27). “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he
is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). President Boyd K. Packer loves Hymn #114 “Come unto Him.” He loves the hymn because of the wonderful message
contained in the text. I’ve heard him say, “If you know what this hymn
teaches, then you know all that I know. (Psalms 55: 16-17, 22; Matthew
11:28-30) Part of my testimony is that “We believe in being
honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men,
indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul – We believe all
things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to
endure all things. If there is anything
virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these
things.” In conclusion, I bear witness that we have a loving
Father in Heaven. He is a loving
Father. He has provided a Plan of
Happiness for us. He has given us a
Savior, His son – Jesus Christ. I bear
witness that Jesus Christ lives and that He is our Savior and our Redeemer. I pray that we will Follow the Prophet, and that we will Never Give Up On Anyone. As a servant of the Lord, I invoke the blessings of
Heaven upon you, and I express my love to you.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. |
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