Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
When we give thanks in all things, we see hardships and adversities in the
context of the purpose of life.
In
one of the times of spiritual and temporal adversity recorded in the Book
of Mormon, when the people of God were “suffering all manner of afflictions,”
the Lord commanded them to “give thanks in all things” (Mosiah
26:38–39).
I wish to apply that teaching to our time.
I.
The children of God have always been commanded
to give thanks. There are examples throughout the Old and New Testaments.
The Apostle Paul
wrote, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you” (1
Thessalonians 5:18). The prophet Alma taught, “When
thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God” (Alma
37:37). And in modern revelation the Lord declared that “he who receiveth
all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this
earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold” (D&C 78:19).
II.
We have so much for which to give thanks. First
and foremost, we are thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ. Under the plan
of the Father,
He created the world. Through His prophets, He revealed the plan of salvation
with its accompanying commandments and ordinances. He came into mortality
to teach and show us the way. He suffered and paid the price for our sins
if we would repent. He gave up His life, and He conquered death and rose
from
the grave that we all will live again. He is the Light and Life of the World.
As King Benjamin taught, if we “should render all the thanks and praise which
[our] whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created [us], and
has kept and preserved [us], and . . . should serve him with all [our] whole
souls yet [we] would be unprofitable servants” (Mosiah
2:20–21).
We give thanks for the revealed truths that provide
a standard against which to measure all things. As the Bible teaches, the
Lord gave us
apostles and prophets “for the perfecting of the saints” (see Ephesians
4:11–12).
We use the revealed truth they give us, “that we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight
of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians
4:14). Those who view every calamity and measure every new assertion or discovery
against the standard of revealed truth need not be “tossed to and fro” but
can be steady and at peace. God is in His heavens, and His promises are sure.
“Be not troubled,” He has said to us concerning the destructions that will
precede the end of the world, “for, when all these things shall come to pass,
ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled”
(D&C 45:35). What an anchor to the soul in these troubled times!
We give thanks for commandments. They are directions away
from pitfalls, and they are invitations to blessings. Commandments mark the
path and show us the way to happiness in this life and eternal life in the
world to come.
III.
In the past eight months in the Philippines, I have heard
many testimonies of the blessings of the gospel. Speaking at the dedication
of his ward chapel, a Filipino bishop expressed his gratitude for the gospel
message that came into his life about 10 years ago. He described how it rescued
him from a life of selfishness, excess, and abusive practices and made him
a good husband and father. He testified of the blessings that had come to
him from paying his tithing.
Speaking at a leadership meeting, a counselor
in a stake presidency who is a lawyer and community leader said: “I can declare to the whole world
without mental reservation that the greatest thing that ever happened in my
life is my becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It . . . made a great difference in my life and that
of my family, even if I feel there is more that I should learn and apply
in my life. The Church
is indeed a marvelous work and a wonder.”
You do not have to travel to the Philippines to experience
such testimonies. They are evident wherever the gospel message is received
and lived. But Sister Oaks and I are profoundly grateful for our opportunity
to live and serve in the Philippines, where we have met thousands of wonderful
members in new surroundings and seen the gospel in a new light.
In the developing world we learn the importance
of establishing the Church—not just teaching and baptizing, but retaining the new members
by loving, by calling and ordaining, and by nourishing with the good word
of God. We have learned the importance of challenging members to abandon cultural
traditions that are contrary to gospel commandments and covenants and to live
so that they and their posterity “are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; . . . built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
chief corner stone” (Ephesians
2:19–20).
People who do this become part of the worldwide
gospel culture of commandments and covenants and ordinances and blessings.
Such people experience “a mighty change” in their hearts, “that [they] have no more disposition to
do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah
5:2). The image of God is “engraven
upon [their] countenances” (Alma
5:19). Such followers of Christ are
found in every land where the gospel and the Church have been established.
We have
many of them in the Philippines, and we are working to encourage more of
them. We do this by growing from centers of strength, concentrating our teaching
where there are sufficiently large groups of committed members to provide
the friendshipping, the teachings, the role models, and the needed assistance
to the struggling newly born members who are just learning what the gospel
asks of us and gives to us.
IV.
The revelations, for which we are grateful, show
that we should even give thanks for our afflictions because they turn our
hearts to God and
give us opportunities to prepare for what God would have us become. The Lord
taught the prophet Moroni, “I give unto men weakness that they may be humble,”
and then promised that “if they humble themselves . . . and have faith in
me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether
12:27). In
the midst of the persecutions the Latter-day Saints were suffering in Missouri,
the Lord gave a similar teaching and promise: “Verily I say unto you my friends,
fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything
give thanks; . . . and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall
work together for your good” (D&C 98:1, 3). And to Joseph Smith in the
afflictions of Liberty Jail, the Lord said, “Know thou, my son, that all these
things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good” (D&C 122:7).
Brigham Young understood. Said he, “There is not a single condition of life
[or] one hour’s experience but what is beneficial to all those who make it
their study, and aim to improve upon the experience they gain” (Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 179).
As someone has said, there is a big difference
between 20 years’ experience and 1 year’s experience repeated 20 times. If we understand
the Lord’s teachings and promises, we will learn and grow from our adversities.
Many of the inspired teachings of our modern prophets are
compiled in Teachings of Presidents of the Church, our course of study
for Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society. The timeless doctrines and
principles included in these books are fountains of divine wisdom and guidance.
Wise teachers in wards and branches will not substitute their own subjects
and wisdom but focus on these inspired teachings and their application to
current circumstances and challenges.
For example, in the current volume we read these
words of President John Taylor on the subject of gratitude for suffering: “We have
learned many things through suffering. We call it suffering. I call it a school
of experience. . . . I have never looked at these things in any other light
than trials for the purpose of purifying the Saints of God that they may be,
as the scriptures say, as gold that has been seven times purified by the fire” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor [2001],
203). Pioneers like President John Taylor, who witnessed the murder of their
prophet and
experienced prolonged persecution and incredible hardships for their faith,
praised God and thanked Him. Through their challenges and the courageous
and
inspired actions they took to meet them, they grew in faith and in spiritual
stature. Through their afflictions they became what God desired them to become,
and they laid the foundation of the great work that blesses our lives today.
Like the pioneers, we should thank God for our adversities
and pray for guidance in meeting them. Through that attitude and through our
faith and obedience, we will realize the promises God has given us. It is
all part of the plan.
I love the musical and motion picture Fiddler on the Roof. There
a wonderful Jewish father sings “If I Were a Rich Man.” His memorable
prayer concludes with this pleading question:
Lord, who made the lion and the lamb,
You decreed I should be what I am;
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan,
If I were a wealthy man?
(lyrics by Sheldon Harnick [1964])
Yes, Tevye, it might. Let us give thanks for what we are and
for the circumstances God has given us for our personal journey through mortality.
In ancient times the prophet Lehi taught this truth to his
son Jacob:
“In thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions
and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.
“Nevertheless, Jacob, my first-born in the wilderness, thou
knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for
thy gain” (2 Nephi 2:1–2).
My mother loved that scripture and lived its
principle. The greatest affliction of her life was the death of her husband,
our father,
after only 11 years of marriage. This changed her life and imposed great
hardships as she proceeded to earn a living and raise her three little
children alone.
Nevertheless, I often heard her say that the Lord consecrated that affliction
for her gain because her husband’s death compelled her to develop her talents
and serve and become something that she could never have become without that
seeming tragedy. Our mother was a spiritual giant, strong and fully worthy
of the loving tribute her three children inscribed on her headstone: “Her
Faith Strengthened All.”
The blessings of adversity extend to others. I know it was
a blessing to be raised by a widowed mother whose children had to learn how
to work, early and hard. I know that relative poverty and hard work are not
greater adversities than affluence and abundant free time. I also know that
strength is forged in adversity and that faith is developed in a setting where
we cannot see ahead.
V.
When we give thanks in all things, we see hardships and adversities
in the context of the purpose of life. We are sent here to be tested. There
must be opposition in all things. We are meant to learn and grow through
that opposition, through meeting our challenges, and through teaching others
to do the same. Our beloved colleague Elder Neal A. Maxwell has given us a
noble example of this. His courage, his submissive attitude in accepting his
affliction with cancer, and his stalwart continued service have ministered
comfort to thousands and taught eternal principles to millions. His example
shows that the Lord will not only consecrate our afflictions for our gain,
but He will use them to bless the lives of countless others.
Jesus taught this lesson when He and His disciples
met a man who was born blind. “Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born
blind?” the disciples asked. “Neither,” Jesus answered. The man was born blind
“that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John
9:2–3).
If we see life through the lens of spirituality, we can see
many examples of the works of God being furthered through the adversities
of His children. I often visit the American War Memorial in Manila. To me,
that is a sacred place. It is the burial place of over 17,000 soldiers, sailors,
and airmen who lost their lives in World War II battles in the Pacific. The
memorial also honors over 36,000 other servicemen who also lost their lives
but whose bodies were never recovered. As I walk past the beautiful walls
where are inscribed their names and the state of their origin, I see many
that I suppose were faithful Latter-day Saints.
Reflecting on the wartime deaths of so many worthy
and wonderful members and how much suffering this has caused their loved
ones, I have thought
of President Joseph F. Smith’s great vision recorded in the 138th section
of the Doctrine and Covenants. He saw “an innumerable company” of righteous
spirits, “who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived
in mortality” (v. 12). They were organized and appointed as messengers, “clothed
with power and authority, and commissioned . . . to go forth and carry the
light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, . . . and thus was the
gospel preached to the dead” (v. 30). Reflecting on this revelation and remembering
the millions who have fallen in war, I rejoice in the Lord’s plan, in which
the adversity of the deaths of many righteous individuals is turned into
the
blessing of righteous messengers to preach the gospel to their countless
comrades-in-arms.
When we understand this principle, that God offers
us opportunities for blessings and blesses us through our own adversities
and the adversities
of others, we can understand why He has commanded us again and again to “thank
the Lord thy God in all things” (D&C 59:7).
I pray that we will be blessed to understand the truth and
purpose of the doctrines and commandments I have described and that we will
be faithful enough and strong enough to give thanks in all things. I testify
of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer and Creator, for whom we give thanks,
in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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