Examples of Righteousness

This morning I was listening to this talk that was given by President Monson in the April 2008 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is particularly powerful to hear descriptions of those who have been examples of righteousness, and I love this story that President Monson shared of one such person:

Many years ago I spoke of one who took his example from the Savior, one who stood firm and true, strong and worthy through the storms of life. He courageously magnified his priesthood callings. He provides an example to each of us. His name was Thomas Michael Wilson, the son of Willie and Julia Wilson of Lafayette, Alabama.

When he was but a teenager and he and his family were not yet members of the Church, he was stricken with cancer, followed by painful radiation therapy, and then blessed remission. This illness caused his family to realize that not only is life precious but that it can also be short. They began to look to religion to help them through this time of tribulation. Subsequently, they were introduced to the Church, and eventually all but the father were baptized. After accepting the gospel, young Brother Wilson yearned for the opportunity of being a missionary, even though he was older than most young men when they begin their missionary service. At the age of 23, he received a mission call to serve in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.Many years ago I spoke of one who took his example from the Savior, one who stood firm and true, strong and worthy through the storms of life. He courageously magnified his priesthood callings. He provides an example to each of us. His name was Thomas Michael Wilson, the son of Willie and Julia Wilson of Lafayette, Alabama.

Elder Wilson’s missionary companions described his faith as unquestioning, undeviating, and unyielding. He was an example to all. However, after 11 months of missionary service, illness returned. Bone cancer now required the amputation of his arm and shoulder. Yet he persisted in his missionary labors.

Elder Wilson’s courage and consuming desire to remain on his mission so touched his nonmember father that he investigated the teachings of the Church and also became a member.

I learned that an investigator whom Elder Wilson had taught was baptized but then wanted to be confirmed by Elder Wilson, whom she respected so much. She, with a few others, journeyed to Elder Wilson’s bedside in the hospital. There, with his remaining hand resting upon her head, Elder Wilson confirmed her a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder Wilson continued month after month his precious but painful service as a missionary. Blessings were given; prayers were offered. Because of his example of dedication, his fellow missionaries lived closer to God.

Elder Wilson’s physical condition deteriorated. The end drew near, and he was to return home. He asked to serve but one additional month, and his request was granted. He put his faith in God, and He whom Thomas Michael Wilson silently trusted opened the windows of heaven and abundantly blessed him. His parents, Willie and Julia Wilson, and his brother Tony came to Salt Lake City to help their son and brother home to Alabama. However, there was yet a prayed-for, a yearned-for blessing to be bestowed. The family invited me to come with them to the Jordan River temple, where those sacred ordinances which bind families for eternity, as well as for time, were performed.

I said good-bye to the Wilson family. I can see Elder Wilson yet as he thanked me for being with him and his loved ones. He said, “It doesn’t matter what happens to us in this life as long as we have the gospel of Jesus Christ and live it. It doesn’t matter whether I teach the gospel on this or the other side of the veil, so long as I can teach it.” What courage. What confidence. What love. The Wilson family made the long trek home to Lafayette, where Elder Thomas Michael Wilson slipped from here to eternity. He was buried there with his missionary tag in place.

I hope that I can stay true and faithful as he did no matter what my circumstances are. In Alma 46:9, Mormon makes a comment on the actions of Amalickiah, a very wicked man who had a terrible influence on many people: "Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men." I firmly believe that the opposite of this statement is just as true - we can see the great righteousness one very righteous man can cause to take place among the children of men.

In fact, if we continue in that same chapter from The Book of Mormon and the subsequent chapters, we find a description of one of my favorite people in the scriptures - Captain Moroni. If you click here, you can read an amazing description of Captain Moroni, particularly in verses 7-17. Verse 17 gives us all a vision of how great we can truly be: "Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

That is my goal, and my challenge to all of you. Let us live our lives righteously at all times, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. Friends, let us shake the powers of hell! The scriptures tell us that we can, and I know it's possible if we follow our Savior's example in all things.

What a Sacred Gift

It has struck me at various times throughout my life that our physical bodies are a precious gift from God. I am in awe at the complexity of the human body, as well as how many things our bodies are constantly doing that we never even realize. I feel that is the way that our relationship with God is sometimes too. There are so many things God constantly does for us, but we hardly ever realize what most of them are.

Anyway, back to the topic of that sacred gift God has given us of our bodies. The scriptures teach us how we should think of our bodies and what our attitude toward them should be. "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). What do you think of when you picture a temple? God considers your body to be a temple, and expects you to respect it as such.

In the LDS Church, we are encouraged to be modest in the way we dress. This is a very important way of showing our respect for our bodies. We are taught to be virtuous in our thoughts and actions, and any time that we don't dress modestly we are not encouraging those virtuous thoughts and actions for those of the opposite gender.

I don't mean to get off on a personal tangent here, but I will for just a moment. PLEASE do not take offense at what I say here about how we dress. Even here at BYU where LDS teachings are incorporated into every subject that is taught, it seems that a lot of people don't quite get it. The BYU Honor Code, which we each sign in order to be a student here, requires modesty from men and women all the time. Yet I often see girls who are more than likely BYU students jogging around Provo in shorts that hardly go past their butt and shirts that reveal far too much. There are also many who don't seem to understand how much of a difference it makes to wear a one-piece swimsuit instead of a bikini. Modesty is not a standard that gets removed when you go jogging, dancing, swimming, to the gym, or doing anything else. Honestly, seeing that is a big turn-off when I consider what I'm looking for in a girl. A question I think we should all consider - Once you go to the temple and covenant with God to wear your temple garments, are you going to need to buy a whole new wardrobe in order to do so? Will you be looking for excuses to take them off for activities you do, or will you be wearing them always? Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of people who understand why it is important to be modest at all times, and they never compromise. I respect those people profoundly. I plead with those who may not always follow that standard to do so. You don't need to show excessive skin to get attention, and that's probably not the attention you really want anyway! Girls, I can tell how beautiful you are without you showing me more of you than I should be seeing.

What an incredible gift God has given us. Our bodies are amazing! They are truly a wonderful, beautiful creation. The more I learn about how they function, the more I realize that there is no way we came into existence by accident. Accident cannot produce such perfection. I hope each of us can show God our love by showing respect and appreciation for the gifts He has given us, including our bodies.