“All that is not eternal [is] too short, [and] all that is not infinite [is] too small.”
| Inscription on the east transept wall of Stanford University Memorial Church
“To me, that is Joseph Smith’s significance for our time. He stood on the contested ground where the Enlightenment and Christianity confronted one another, and his life posed the question, Do you believe God speaks? Joseph was swept aside, of course, in the rush of ensuing intellectual battles and was disregarded by the champions of both great systems, but his mission was to hold out for the reality of divine revelation and establish one small outpost where that principle survived. Joseph’s revelatory principle is not a single revelation serving for all time, as the Christians of his day believed regarding the incarnation of Christ, nor a mild sort of inspiration seeping into the minds of all good people, but specific, ongoing directions from God to his people. At a time when the origins of Christianity were under assault by the forces of Enlightenment rationality, Joseph Smith returned modern Christianity to its origins in revelation.”
| “A Joseph Smith for the Twenty-First Century”
I never had any question that the Church was true and that the gospel was how I wanted to live my life, so I continued going to church. I wanted Heavenly Father to know that I loved Him and that I was so sorry for my actions. I went to church every week, even though it was very hard. The ward was uncomfortable with my being there, and only a few people talked to me. However, one special young woman with Down syndrome named Holly was particularly loving. Every Sunday as I would walk into the chapel, she would run up to me, throw her arms around me, give me a big hug, and say, “It’s so good to see you! I love you!” I felt as if she were acting for the Savior, letting me know that He was happy I was there.
“In the 20 years since, I have sometimes felt a sense of deep guilt wash over me and cause me great unhappiness and worry. I wondered if I had done enough to repent and whether I was truly forgiven. As recently as just a few years ago, my feelings matched those of Alma the Younger, described in Alma 36:12–13… One day I knelt down in prayer and asked, ‘Father, have I done enough? I will do whatever I need to, to have this taken from me.’ Then I waited and listened with my heart.
The answer came very clearly: ‘You have done enough.’ I was overcome with pure joy. I couldn’t stop smiling, and happy tears flowed. All that day I found myself giddy with joy. All the shame and guilt were gone for good.”
“On a cruise ship I had met a businessman who told me that if I ever changed careers, he wanted me to work for him. I called him. After he wired me some money, I cleaned myself up, bought a suit and a used car, drove to his office in another state, and went to work. In less than a year I was vice president of sales. Other jobs followed, but renewed financial success during the next few years did little to ease the spiritual void I felt since my excommunication.
Even though I had numbed my spirit by rejecting all I had held sacred, I could not forget the peace I had once enjoyed through the companionship of the Holy Ghost, the fellowship of the Saints, and the service I had rendered as a priesthood holder.
My longing to have the gospel back in my life grew, but I needed strength and faith to repent. Most of all, I needed Heavenly Father’s help to make my way back to the Church. The first steps required that I regain my self-respect through renewed obedience. Once I showed my Heavenly Father that I was serious and determined, I was sure he would guide me.”
“Motherhood is the one thing in all the world which most truly exemplifies the God-given virtues of creating and sacrificing. The mother who, in compliance with eternal law, brings into the world an immortal spirit occupies first rank in the realm of creation.”
“A Husband can love his wife best when he loves God first.”
“God and a good wife are the two best things a man can have.”
“Love is when you give someone else the power to destroy you, and you trust them not to do it.”
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