Sister Cindy Johnson was conducting today. Sister Cunningham had an announcement/request for Visiting Teachers. It is requested that when reporting our Visiting Teaching results for each month, we also note any service or other concerns we may have noticed or that have been voiced by our sisters. By adding this information to our monthly reports, items of concern and opportunities to render more service will be brought to the attention of our leaders and there will be more joy in the Kingdom!
Sister Shery Curren was our teacher for today's lesson. This was an exciting event for all since Sister Curren has been occupied in other auxiliaries for a long time and has now been called as a Relief Society teacher. Our lesson was from Chapter 11 of the manual on the Life of Howard W. Hunter.
President Hunter taught that true greatness comes not from worldly success, but from "thousands of little deeds . . . of service and sacrifice that constitute the giving, or losing, of one's life for others and for the Lord." Throughout his own life, President Hunter lived according to his own teachings. Most of the daily deeds of service and sacrifice he performed went unnoticed by others because he did not announce his actions nor seek the spotlight.
Sister Curren reviewed many of the attributes possessed by President Hunter that would qualify him for true greatness. He was a willing, hard worker from his youth, he succeeded in many diverse areas: music, law, business, international relations, carpenter and . . . being a 'good and faithful servant' of the Lord. Even after failing in some of his endeavors, he did not wallow in self pity, he would try again. It was little known to most people that President Hunter was the primary caregiver to his wife, Claire, when she became debilitated by a series of small strokes in the early 1970s. Later, when she began to need constant care, President Hunter did as much as he could for her while still fulfilling his responsibilities as an Apostle and he arranged for others to care for her during the day, but he always cared for her at night.
A sweet remembrance in the lesson manual was that, after Claire suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 1981 and was confined to a wheelchair, President Hunter sometimes helped her out of her chair and held her tightly so they could dance as they had in years past.
As a youth, a young father, a bishop and an Apostle, President Hunter always gave his best effort in following the example of the Savior.
In a biography printed in the April 1995 Ensign, Elder James E. Faust of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of President Hunter following his death. He said that President Hunter "was in so many ways the personification of the counsel of Alma:
"And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive" (Alma 7:23).
Elder Faust also mentioned how devoted President Hunter was to the Savior. He went many times to Jerusalem in the Holy Land because he had an almost insatiable desire to be where the Savior walked and taught. He was inspired to establish the Jerusalem Center of Brigham Young University and lead in acquiring the land and building the Center. He loved all of Galilee, but he especially loved to go to the Garden Tomb where he would sit and meditate as though he were "piercing the veil between himself and the Savior."
He experienced much sadness and sorrow throughout his life, but this aspect of his life and how he conducted himself may have endeared him even more to the members of the Church. Perhaps we can identify more closely with a prophet who has also suffered as a mortal man and still answered the call to serve the Lord.
The world's definition of greatness is often misleading and can prompt damaging comparisons.
Although many of us are happy and enjoying the opportunities that come our way, President Hunter expressed concern for those who are unhappy, who feel that they are falling short of expected ideals, or who have lived a righteous life, but do not feel they have achieved, either in the world or in the Church, what others have achieved. In those cases, many may feel that they have failed. President Hunter goes on to say that each of us desires to achieve a measure of greatness. He mentions a quotation by an unnamed author that, ". . .there is within each of us a giant struggling with celestial homesickness."
In defining what true greatness is and what it is that makes a person great, President Hunter remarks that each generation seems to honor its own kind of greatness and produce its own kind of heroes. A survey among young people, ages 18 to 24, revealed that they prefer the "strong, go-it-alone, conquer-against-all-odds" individuals. They seek to pattern their lives after the glamorous and boundlessly rich. During the 1950s heroes included people like Winston Churchill, Albert Schweitzer, President Harry Truman, Queen Elizabeth II and Helen Keller. These figures had helped shape history or were noted for having led inspiring lives. Historically, we can see that great people made sacrifices for their work and their causes. Today, many of the top heroes are movie stars, entertainers and sports figures. They do not seem to possess the characteristics that will last.
We are generally taught to strive for perfection and are constantly exposed to the world's definition of greatness. Naturally, we tend to make comparisons between what we are and what others are, or seem to be; what we have vs what others have. These feelings can lead us into error and failure while we ignore other aspects of our lives that may contain elements of true greatness. Inflated expectations of the world can alter our own definition of greatness.
Sister Curren used her husband, Paul, as an example of how we can accomplish great things even though they may not be what we envisioned at the beginning. She explained that Paul always wanted to be an engineer and to accomplish a great work that he could look back on, in later life, to prove his abilities. Perhaps design and build a big bridge or some other amazing structure. As life happened, he and Shery married, had children and his dream career began to change. He decided to focus on pavement in the engineering concept. There was no "big bridge", and as Shery joked, life has been mostly 'in the gutter' dealing with the variances of pavement and asphalt. But, Paul became an expert in the field of pavement engineering, one of the best in his field. He has accomplished his own level of greatness while raising his family, serving his clients and serving the Lord through his many callings in the Church and in scouting.
Another story Sister Curren reminded us of was that President Hunter was a very talented musician from his high school days. He organized and established his own band and became a very popular choice for dances and other entertainment. However, on the eve of his impending marriage, he gave up his music in favor of what would be best for his family and his personal progression. He experienced true greatness in his callings and in the service he rendered and he never regretted his decision.
Giving consistent effort in little things in day-to-day life leads to true greatness.
President Joseph F. Smith remarked about true greatness:
"Those things which we call extraordinary, remarkable, or unusual may make history, but they do not make real life.
"After all, to do well those things which God ordained to be the common lot of all mankind, is the truest greatness. To be a successful father or a successful mother is greater than to be a successful general or a successful statesman." (Juvenile Instructor, 15 Dec. 1950, p 752)
President Hunter maintains that ". . . Giving consistent effort in the little things in day-to-day life leads to true greatness. Specifically, it is the thousands of little deeds and tasks of service and sacrifice that constitute the giving, or losing of one's life for others and for the Lord. They include gaining a knowledge of our Father in Heaven and the gospel. They also include bringing others into the faith and fellowship of the kingdom. These things do not usually receive the attention or the adulation of the world."
The Prophet Joseph was concerned with the daily tasks of service and caring for others.
We generally remember Joseph Smith, not by the temporal titles of general, mayor, architect, editor, etc. that he bore in this life, but as the prophet of the Restoration, a man "committed to the love of God and the furthering of His work." We read that the Prophet Joseph was an everyday Christian, concerned about the small things, the daily tasks of service and caring for others. The story is told of a teenage boy, Lyman O. Littlefield, who accompanied the camp of Zion. All the difficulties of the trail and persecutions they had endured caused this young boy ". . . to lapse one day into a state of melancholy". As the rest of the camp was making ready to leave for the day, he continued to sit tired and brooding along the roadside. He wrote that the Prophet was the busiest man in the camp, but when he turned and saw the dejected boy, he came to him, ". . . Placing his hand upon my head, he said, 'Is there no place for you my boy? If not, we must make one." This event left a lasting impression on Lyman and he never forgot the Prophet's concern for him amidst all the hustle and bustle of the busy camp.
Elder George Q. Cannon wrote that the Prophet did not hesitate to help with mercantile and industrial pursuits when needed. ". . . the gospel which he preached was one of temporal salvation as well as spiritual exaltation and he was willing to perform his share of they physical labor. This he did with no thought of personal gain."
The Prophet Joseph himself wrote that, "I love to wait upon the Saints and to be a servant to all, hoping that I may be exalted in due time of the Lord."
"But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." (Matt. 23:11)
True greatness comes from persevering in the difficulties of life and from serving in ways that are often unnoticed.
President Hunter has said that "to do one's best in the face of the commonplace struggles of life - and possibly in the face of failure - and to continue to endure and to persevere in the ongoing difficulties of life when those struggles and tasks contributed to others' progress and happiness an done's own eternal salvation - this is true greatness."
He encourages us to achieve and at the same time remember who we are, not to lose our souls to temptation. True greatness is to remain true.
True greatness requires consistent, small and sometimes ordinary steps over a long period of time.
President Hunter tells us "The achievement of true greatness is a long-term process." We may have occasional setbacks and the end result may not always be visible, but by regular, consistent, small and 'sometimes ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time', we will achieve that which we seek to accomplish.
True greatness is not the result of a chance occurrence or a one-time effort. We must develop character and make many correct decisions every day between good and evil in order to reach our goals.
Commonplace tasks often have the greatest positive effect on others.
We are all different and we each operate under different challenges. As we assess our lives, we need to take these things into consideration as well as the conditions that existed during our achievements and what effect our efforts have had on others.
Doing the things that God has ordained to be important will lead to true greatness.
President Joseph F. Smith has said, "Let us not be trying to substitute an artificial life for the true one." If we do those things that God has ordained to be 'important and needful and necessary, even if the world may view them as unimportant and insignificant' we will be lead to true greatness.
As we further the work of the Lord in many quiet but significant ways we will have opportunities to seek counsel from the Lord, in prayer, to make sure we are working and heading in the right direction. As we continue on, doing our simple, but necessary daily tasks, we should remember that we cannot change the past, but we can overcome and learn from the lessons of our mistakes.
"Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." (Doc. & Cov. 64.33)
We must always do our best in our lives and in our callings to not become discouraged or to feel insignificant. Remember that the Lord does not judge us by the accomplishments of others. As we continue to go about our own daily tasks, President Hunter urges us to not be discouraged by accomplishing these small things our God has ordained to be "the common lot of man."
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
"While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:17-18)
Your bloggess,
Karen
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