PERSPECTIVE

A friend is in Iraq and has made the following paraphrased comments:

I am assigned, for the second time, to the Persian Gulf area and have, under my command, about 40 men. It is a daunting responsibility to hold in my hands the lives of these individuals and I struggle to make those decisions that will best protect them in such dangerous circumstances. The weather has been unbearably hot, often exceeding 110 degrees in the afternoon; keeping hydrated is paramount. We work out of base camps and toil with forces from other units and countries. It is exhausting and often depressing labor and requires vigilance to stay positive. Morale is a key factor in avoiding mistakes and proves very difficult to maintain. Supplies are not always available and trying to “make do” can often leave us vulnerable.

We had discovered some enemy ordinance and followed designated procedures in exploding it safely, away from harm. One particular ordinance piece, however, was only half exploded and required removal to another location to be exploded safely. It required that I pick up the device, load it into a Humvee and bring it to another area for demolition. Disposing of a bomb always has a certain degree of risk and I must admit that I was extremely nervous, picking up the device and transporting it. I remember saying in my mind over and over, “don’t explode, don’t explode.” I thought of my family and friends back home praying for me and it somehow strengthened me for the task. After what seemed forever, I was able to properly dispose of the device.

We often imagine ourselves in control of our lives, but in situations like this, we realize that all we can do, after all we can do, is put our lives into the hand of God and pray that He will watch over us.

TWO SIDES OF A COIN

It is my honor to serve at a nearby Mormon Temple and I work around many noble men and women who have had many leadership positions both in and out of the Church. I would like to relate the stories of one of those people and I will call him Mark, although that is not his real name. What follows is a paraphrasing of what he told me:

“Let me tell you the stories of two different people. One had power and influence, and had been a member of the Church all his life, while the other was a professed atheist. I was employed as a corporate attorney by a large company. If I mentioned their name, it would be familiar to the average citizen. I represented the Board of Directors and the stockholders as a liaison between them and the CEO, who was also a personal acquaintance. This man, who I will call David, had been upright in character for a time, but, through a series of bad choices, had been unfaithful to his wife and children. She had divorced him and he remarried, only to be unfaithful to his second wife as well. The one thing a large corporation does not need is scandal. As a result of David’s inappropriate lifestyle, I was assigned to talk to him about changing his ways or else another CEO would be chosen to replace him.

Unfortunately, David was an inactive Mormon, who obviously was not living the standards of the Church. To make it even more awkward, I was David’s ecclesiastical leader, better known as a stake president. As such, I was responsible for the nurturing of about 2,000 Mormon members living in my area. After several private discussions with David, he was finally persuaded to alter his behavior, although he may have only kept it hidden. He had been such a stalwart example of a good family man but he let the temptations of money and power distract him. The more he strayed, the more miserable he became. Although he remained as CEO for a time, he seldom appeared as happy as when he was living higher standards.

David’s behavior reminded me of the years previous when I had been serving as a full time missionary in Michigan. People seemed happiest when they were doing what was right. Years ago, there was only one stake and one district in Michigan. About 40 full time missionaries served the entire area. We were spread pretty thin. It was announced that the Apostle LeGrande Richards was to visit our area. We rented a high school auditorium and began to invite our Church investigators to hear this great leader and powerful speaker.

Many hearts were touched that night but I remember most a humble female investigator, that I will call Mary. She had taken all the missionary discussions and after Elder Richards had finished speaking I invited her to go up and shake his hand. It was a common practice to greet the speaker and there was a long line forming already. She declined saying she was tired and “besides,” she said, “I am an atheist.” “Why would an atheist take all those discussions?” I countered.

She kept making excuses and finally I gave her a choice, half in jest. “Mary, you can either walk up to shake his hand on your own power or my missionary companion and I will carry you up there.” She finally agreed to meet the Apostle and in a very short time, we were standing in front of him.

He had shaken many hands and smiled but when he shook Mary’s hand he held onto it and put his other hand over hers and said, “You are not a member of this Church, are you?” She blushed and shook her head, “no.” “What is your name?” “Mary,” she said. “Mary, I know there is a God,” he said.

He then paused, looked her deeply in the eyes and said, “And so do you, Mary. You will be baptized in two weeks. Here is my address. Write me after your baptism and tell me how it made you feel.” Sure enough, two weeks later, she was baptized and told Elder Richards how joyful it made her feel. Mary continued to keep the commandments and it changed her life for the better. The more she did what was right, the happier she became. Two very different stories, but the same principle."