President David O. McKay once said, “There is one responsibility which no man can evade and that responsibility is personal influence.” At the beginning of Chapter 22, Teaching the Gospel, there is a story from the life of Howard W. Hunter which emphasizes this point perfectly. This is what he shared in April 1972 general conference:
“It was on a summer day early in the morning. I was standing near the window. The curtains obstructed me from two little creatures out on the lawn. One was a large bird and the other a little bird, obviously just out of the nest. I saw the larger bird hop out on the lawn, then thump his feet and cock his head. He drew a big fat worm out of the lawn and came hopping back. The little bird opened its bill wide, but the big bird swallowed the worm.
“Then I saw the big bird fly up into a tree. He pecked at the bark for a little while and came back with a big bug in his mouth. The little bird opened his beak wide, but the big bird swallowed the bug. There was squawking in protest.
“The big bird flew away, and I didn’t see it again, but I watched the little bird. After a while, the little bird hopped out on the lawn, thumped its feet, cocked its head, and pulled a big worm out of the lawn.”
While President Hunter’s remarks were directed at teachers, as is much of the lesson, what this story reminds us is that our examples can have a powerful effect on those who watch us. I had another thought as well. For anyone who has flown on an airplane, we are all familiar with the instructions we receive just before takeoff. We are instructed that if there is a loss of air pressure, an oxygen mask will automatically deploy which will, if secured properly, supply us with the needed oxygen. If we are travelling with young children, we are instructed to secure our own mask before helping them. Unless we are spiritually secure, we will not be able to help others. Only when we are spiritually strong can we be the righteous examples our Heavenly Father wants and needs us to be.
With that perspective in mind, instead of discussing what President Hunter wants students to learn from their teachers, let’s turn the table and make it personal. There were several specifics President Hunter talked about – developing confidence in the scriptures, having the Spirit, seeking Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, experiencing a change of heart. Let’s consider them in question form. For me, this is when the lesson changed.
- Do I have confidence in the strength and truths of the scriptures?
- Do I have confidence that Heavenly Father is really speaking to me through the scriptures?
- Do I have confidence that I can turn to the scriptures and find answers to my problems and my prayers?
- Am I doing everything possible to feel the sweet, reassuring presence of the Spirit of the Lord?
- Am I learning gospel truths and having spiritual experiences?
- Am I pointed toward God the Father and His Only Begotten Son?
- Am I pointed toward the leadership of the true Church?
- Is my testimony strong enough to carry me through when I have to stand alone?
- Have I experienced a mighty change of heart?
That is quite a list! Interestingly, my personal study the other day included Alma 5. There is a very similar list found there! Some pretty soul-searching questions are asked, starting in verse 14. Then in verse 35 the Savior gives us an invitation to “come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness.”1 Isn’t that really what President Hunter is asking of us? He taught, “It is so needful for us to set the proper example, to be diligent and vigilant in our own lives. Example carries with it an influence much more forceful than precept. He who would persuade others to do right should do right himself.”
In October 2015 LDS General Conference Russell M. Nelson reminded us of something President Spencer W. Kimball said in 1979, “Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world … will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world.”2 President Nelson then said, “The day that President Kimball foresaw is today. You are the women he foresaw!” He then gave us quite an impressive list of things that will be needed from the women of the Church:
“We need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world. We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly.
“We need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin-resistant generation. We need women who can detect deception in all of its forms. We need women who know how to access the power that God makes available to covenant keepers and who express their beliefs with confidence and charity. We need women who have the courage and vision of our Mother Eve.
“Nothing is more crucial to your eternal life than your own conversion. It is converted, covenant-keeping women whose righteous lives will increasingly stand out in a deteriorating world and who will thus be seen as different and distinct in the happiest of ways.”3
Let’s go back to the questions above. As we honestly answer these questions and consider where we can improve, we can become the women President Nelson reminds us are needed today. The cause of righteousness is moving forward, with or without us. I don’t know why we wouldn’t do everything possible to be part of that great cause! Ours is the great privilege to teach the gospel, sometimes with our words and always with our actions.
In the lesson, President Hunter pleads with us to “labor unceasingly in righteousness and holiness before the Lord.” When prophets and apostles plead with us, we should do all in our power to listen and heed. We are always blessed when we do! So I conclude with a tender pleading and powerful promise from Russell M. Nelson:
“So today I plead with my sisters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to step forward! Take your rightful and needful place in your home, in your community, and in the kingdom of God—more than you ever have before. I plead with you to fulfill President Kimball’s prophecy. And I promise you in the name of Jesus Christ that as you do so, the Holy Ghost will magnify your influence in an unprecedented way!”3
References:
1. Alma Chapter 5 – Book of Mormon
2. The Role of Righteous Women – Spencer W. Kimball
3. A Plea to My Sisters – Russell M. Nelson