I always enjoyed Elder Neal A. Maxwells talks at General Conference. I was definitely a fan. I still am. He could weave the most beautiful explanations of doctrinal inspiring points of any one I'd ever heard. A true wordsmith. You would think he'd have volumes of journals but he did not keep a journal! not even one! In later years, as his cancer progressed in its devastation, he was encouraged to let his biography be published albeit reluctantly. I enjoyed every word of that book and learned so much about him and details of the Gospel. I pulled the book down and looked for the place, heavily red-penciled, where I learned that each member of the 12 has their own "...private ministry of some kind...". Elder Oaks mentioned Elder Maxwell's "...incredible pastoral outreach to people who have suffered...".
Well, back to the point at hand. In February 2000 Elder Maxwell gave a Fireside for the CES workers and it was published a year later in the Ensign. Jesus, the perfect Mentor. As I read through this, I thought of you, and thought you would enjoy every word. I am giving you a little taste of what awaits, the actual reading of the book, in these few paragraphs. (You can thank me later!)
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The emancipation that can come with forgiveness is clearly part of the lubricant of love that the Lord wants to be pervasive in His Church. How long has it been since you may have forgiven someone—perhaps of something small—to emancipate them? How long has it been since someone emancipated you for some small misstep or miswording of a communication?
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The current Brethren have a saying, “How many tellings does it take?” It is a saying that is used in a kindly way, sometimes wistfully. Most of us shouldn’t be surprised if some of life’s hardest lessons require repetition. We recognize that we have taken the course before, and here we go again! It is a function of the long-suffering and the mercy of the Lord—until we get it right.
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Much more often, we too can give others “the garment of praise” (Isa. 61:3). There are so many people with no such clothing in their wardrobes—or only a T-shirt. They shiver for want of a little praise. Meanwhile, each of us has far more opportunities for bestowing deserved praise than we ever use! How long since you’ve done that? Perhaps today for many of you. Maybe too long for some of you.
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So it is with the little sectors of our lives. The sea may be roiling at times with waves of emotion, such as when one is offended, or by billows of anger, or, more commonly, by self-pity that threatens to swallow us up. Then, for us too, the calming of the Master becomes crucial. Remember how it was: after Christ and Peter came back “into the ship, the wind ceased” (Matt. 14:32). He can do that for us if we will let Him. It doesn’t matter how small our Galilee may seem; the boisterousness and the tempest will at times rage, but the remedy is still the same.
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How wonderful it is (and we have all had these experiences) when we can gather in circles of friendship large or small with shared gospel values. Sharing is like gathering around conversational bonfires that grow warm and bright against the horizon. You will find the memories of these bonfires will achieve a lastingness—not of what you wore or of what the menu was, but rather because of the shared expressions of love and testimony. Especially helpful are the memories of those individuals and friends who are exemplars for you and me by the manner in which they strive so steadily and unapologetically to wear the whole armor of God.
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These special moments—one-on-one, in small groups, in corridors, hallways, or wherever—do something so subtle that we are scarcely aware that it is happening. Yet these help to further define our relationships with the Lord and with each other. It is often the one-liners that come from these special moments which have such a long shelf life and which help us long after the dispersal of those friends has occurred.
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