As I have grown older and hopefully wiser I have learned many things about myself such as what my strengths are and what my weaknesses are. One of the most surprising things that I have learned about myself is that I am extraordinarily ordinary.
Let me explain by sharing some data with you. The engineer in me would prefer the data to be proven statistically valid, however, I feel they are close enough to illustrate my point regarding the extent of my claim to be extraordinarily ordinary, so I will forego validation in the pursuit of practical application. The average or ordinary US male is 5 feet 10.2 inches tall, weighs 160 lbs. and has a shoe size of 10 and a half. Check. The average American says he is in good health, eats at least two snacks a day, owns a computer, a cell phone, and has used the Internet today. Check as well. The average American owns at least one pet, is married, has two or more children and recycles. Check. By the age of 40 the average man experiences some hair loss. Definitely check. The average male is far-sighted.[1] Again check, and I could continue, but this should suffice.
Although I am extraordinarily ordinary, my Heavenly Father has given me extraordinary blessings, including a testimony of Joseph Smith as a prophet of God and the restorer of His true church. May I remind you that no matter how ordinary or extraordinary you may think you are, this knowledge is available to you as well. For the Lord has said, "...all flesh is mine, and I am no respecter of persons."[2]
Furthermore, we have these words from Nephi:
Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price. Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.[3]
I believe that one of the important elements of a testimony is to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that through him the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored, and that he translated the Book of Mormon through the gift and power of God. President George Q. Cannon in his biography on the Prophet Joseph stated, "We declare unto all to whom these words shall come that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God...this holy revelation is the gift, exclusively, to no man and no class of men. It is free to all who will seek for it in obedience and sincere humility."[4]
In February of 1992, a symposium on Joseph Smith was held at Brigham Young University. President Gordon B. Hinckley, then First Counselor in the First Presidency gave the keynote address at the symposium. His address was titled, "As One Who Loves the Prophet." For my remarks today I would like to borrow his title and speak, being one who is extraordinarily ordinary, as another who also loves the Prophet Joseph Smith. I have followed the promise given in Doctrine and Covenants 4:7, "Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you," desiring to come to know Brother Joseph and to gain a testimony that he is a Prophet of the living God; and I truly have received and it has been opened up unto me to receive this knowledge.
Volumes have been written about this most remarkable man, and his name is truly, "had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues."[5] Time will only permit me to discuss a few select reasons why I love this astounding man. My prayers have been in your behalf that through our time together today you will come to know Brother Joseph better, your interest in seeking to know more about him will increase, and most importantly, your testimony of Joseph Smith as a Prophet of God will be strengthened.
I find that the more I study and try to come to know Brother Joseph better, the more amazed I become. Here is a man who was mayor of one of the most populous cities in the state of Illinois. He founded a university. He was Lieutenant General, the chief commanding and reviewing officer of the Nauvoo Legion with an estimated 5000 members. He was a candidate for President of the United States. He published a book that has exceeded 150 million printed copies. He founded a worldwide church that now numbers over 14 million members. He established one of the largest women's organizations in the world. He was said to have been subject to at least forty-six criminal cases, but was never found guilty in any of them. He accomplished all of this and much, much more eventually suffering a martyr's fate all before the age of forty! Joseph is indeed a very extraordinary individual.
Truman G. Madsen summed up this same idea more eloquently than I could. He said:
A feeling constantly recurs as one studies the life of Joseph Smith. You never quite get to the bottom. There is always more. You can be so impressed and overcome with glimpses that you say, 'Nothing good that I could learn of him would be surprising.' And then you become surprised. There is always more. It takes deep to comprehend deep, and I often wonder if any of us have the depth to fully comprehend this man.[6]
As illustrations and reasons why I love the Prophet Joseph Smith, I have selected several events from his life. I have chosen, where possible, to use the direct statements from the individuals involved rather than make a weak attempt to paraphrase or summarize these events in order to preserve the feelings and sentiments of the direct participants.
I love the Prophet Joseph because of his great capacity to forgive others, especially those that had grievously wronged him and caused him great suffering. Of this characteristic B. H. Roberts wrote:
The Prophet's frank forgiveness of his erring brother...exhibits a broad-mindedness and generosity that can come only from a great soul, influenced by the spirit of charity enjoined upon his disciples by the teachings of the Son of God. One of the surest evidences of Joseph Smith's greatness of mind and of the inspiration of God upon him is to be seen in his treatment of those who had fallen but were willing to and did repent of their sins.[7]
One such individual was William Wines Phelps. You may recognize this name from our church hymnal. W. W. Phelps, as he is commonly known, wrote many of our popular hymns including, "The Spirit of God", "Now Let us Rejoice", and "Praise to the Man." In 1838, he became disaffected with the church and turned against Joseph. He signed an affidavit that was instrumental in Joseph's eventual imprisonment in Liberty Jail. After suffering spiritual and temporal reversals, W. W. Phelps wrote a letter to Joseph seeking forgiveness desiring to be reunited with the church. The magnitude of Joseph's character is shown in his response:
It is true, that we have suffered much in consequence of your behavior - the cup of gall, already full enough for mortals to drink, was indeed filled to overflowing when you turned against us...had it been an enemy, we could have borne it. However, the cup has been drunk, the will of our Father has been done, and we are yet alive, for which we thank the Lord...Believing your confession to be real, and your repentance genuine, I shall be happy once again to give you the right hand of fellowship and rejoice over the returning prodigal.
Joseph closed the letter with the following:
Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, For friends at first, are friends again at last.[8]
I stand in awe of the Christ-like love and charity that were required by Joseph in this particular instance and so many others.
I love the Prophet Joseph because he possessed the childlike qualities of humility and submissiveness. These qualities are manifest in the events associated with the loss of the 116 pages of manuscript translated from the first part of the Book of Mormon. Recall that in Section 3 of the Doctrine and Covenants Joseph was strongly rebuked by the Lord. In my life, when I have made mistakes I have tried to correct them as best I could, learn from them and move on hoping that time will dull both my memory and the memories of others regarding my faults. Yet, in this section we have recorded the Lord's dealing with Joseph for generations now and in the future to read. I must admit that I do not possess the strength of character that must have been required by Joseph to have his mistakes, "spoken upon the housetops."[9] Listen to these words directed to Joseph:
And behold, how oft you have transgressed the commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men. For, behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words-Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble...For thou hast suffered the counsel of thy director to be trampled upon from the beginning.[10]
We know that Joseph did repent, that his gift was restored, and that he was still chosen and again called to the work.[11] I love him and thank him for being humble and penitent.
I love and honor him for his phenomenal capacity to show courage over and over in so very many difficult circumstances in which he found himself. It was his nature to always come to the defense of his friends even if that meant putting himself in the way of danger. One little known event, as told by President John Taylor, serves as an additional example of this courageous man.
I am reminded of a circumstance that occurred in Missouri, which I will mention to show the kind of feeling that Joseph Smith was possessed of. Some 25 years ago, in Far West, a mob - one of those semi-occasional occurrences - had come against us with evil intent, placing themselves in position to give us battle; and there were not more than about 200 of us in the place. We had one fellow who was taken with a fit of trembling in the knees, and he ordered our people to retreat. As soon as Joseph heard this sound, he exclaimed, "Retreat! where in the name of God shall we retreat to?" He then led us out to the prairie facing the mob and placed us in position; and the first thing we knew a flag of truce was seen coming towards us...Joseph Smith, our leader, then sent word back by this messenger, said he, "Tell your general to withdraw his troops or I will send them to hell." I thought that was a pretty bold stand to take as we only numbered about 200 to their 3,500; but they thought we were more numerous than we really were; it may be that our numbers were magnified in their eyes; but they took the hint and left; and we were not sorry.[12]
Courageous? Indeed!
I love the Prophet Joseph because he possessed and expressed tremendous faith in Jesus Christ. An example of this faith comes from the Joseph Smith--History where he discusses the visitation of the prophet Moroni. He states in verse 29 that as he prayed for forgiveness and a manifestation of his current state that he, "had full confidence in obtaining a divine manifestation, as I previously had one." Equally impressive to me is Joseph's ability to exhibit that same level of faith in seemingly inconsequential events. Consider the following: John Lyman Smith the brother of President George Albert Smith related this incident that took place when he was a young boy.
In my early years I used to often eat at the table with Joseph the Prophet. At one time he was called to dinner. I being at play in the room with his son Joseph, he called us to him, and we stood one each side of him. After he had looked over the table he said, 'Lord, we thank thee for this Johnny Cake, and ask Thee to send us something better. Amen.' The corn bread was cut and I received a piece from his hand.
Before the bread was all eaten, a man came to the door and asked if the Prophet Joseph was home. Joseph replied he was, whereupon the visitor said, 'I have brought you some flour and a ham.' Joseph arose and took the gift, and blessed the man in the name of the Lord. Turning to his wife, Emma, he said, 'I knew the Lord would answer my prayer.'[13]
As another example of his complete faith and trust Joseph stated, "The Lord once told me that what I asked for I should have. I have been afraid to ask God to kill my enemies, lest some of them should, peradventure, repent."[14]
I love Brother Joseph because he was an honorable man. Sarah M. Pomeroy tells of a time when she was a young girl and the Prophet came to the home of her family trying to raise money to pay the lawyer fees to defend his friend Porter Rockwell. She states:
Joseph requested my father to lend him $100.00 to pay the lawyer who defended Porter Rockwell. He explained the situation, and father freely counted out the money. 'This shall be returned in three days, if I am alive,' said the Prophet, and departed.
My aunt, father's sister, who was camped with us, was quite wrathy, and called my father very foolish and unwise.
'Don't you know Thomas,' said she, 'you will never see a cent of that money again. Here are your family without a home, and you throw your money away.'
'Don't worry Katie,' father replied, 'if he cannot pay it, he is welcome to it.'
This conversation was held before us children, and I thought seriously about it. Would he pay it, or would he not? But I had strong faith that he would.
The day came when it was to be paid. A cold, wet, rainy day. The day passed. Night came; 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock, and we all retired for the night. Shortly after there was a knock at the door. Father arose and went to it, and there in the driving rain stood the Prophet Joseph.
'Here, Brother Thomas, is the money.' A light was struck, and seated at the table, he counted out the $100.00 in gold.He said, 'Brother Thomas, I have been trying all day to raise this sum, for my honor was at stake. God bless you.'...My testimony is that Joseph Smith was truly a Prophet of God."[15]
I love the Prophet Joseph because he personified charity and kindness in all aspects of his life. Stories abound of the kind acts performed by him which included rescuing little children stuck in the mud, giving his walking cane to an elderly friend whom he encountered walking down the street, taking in complete strangers and feeding and caring for them, casting bundles of debt obligations, owed by many of the saints who had been driven from Missouri, into the stove to burn them and forgive them, feeding and housing thousands sometimes at the expense of leaving no room or food for his own family, and countless other kind acts that were never recorded. This story as told by Mary Frost Adams provides an additional example:
While he was acting as mayor of the city, a colored man called Anthony was arrested for selling liquor on Sunday, contrary to law. He pleaded that the reason he had done so was that he might raise the money to purchase the freedom of a dear child held as a slave in a Southern State. He had been able to purchase the liberty of himself and wife and now wished to bring his little child to their new home. Joseph said, 'I am sorry, Anthony, the law must be observed, and we will have to impose a fine.'
The next day Brother Joseph presented Anthony with a fine horse, directing him to sell it, and use the money obtained for the purchase of the child.[16]
I love and admire the prophet for his ability to maintain a positive outlook amidst trials, tribulation, and persecution. In the early fall of 1842, Joseph was forced into hiding in order to avoid his enemies that were trying to seize him and carry him back to Missouri. Before leaving Nauvoo he wrote a letter to the saints, which has now become section 127 in the Doctrine and Covenants. In verse 2, Joseph provides us a glimpse into his feelings;
And as for the perils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me, as the envy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life...But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation...for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it.
Five days later, while still in hiding and staying at the house of Edward Hunter he wrote another letter to the saints, which was to become section 128 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Among other items of instruction and counsel he wrote:
Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceeding glad. Let the earth break forth into singing.[17]
He is said to have told his cousin George A. Smith:
Never be discouraged, if I were sunk in the lowest pit of Nova Scotia, with the Rocky Mountains piled on me, I would hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage, and I would come out on top.[18]
Finally, of himself he stated:
I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women - all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty, who will give me dominion over all and every one of them.[19]
Another reason I love the Prophet Joseph is because the Lord loves him. Listen to these tender words recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants where the Lord refers to the Prophet Joseph as His son:
Thus saith the Lord, verily, verily I say unto you my son, thy sins are forgiven thee, according to thy petition, for thy prayers and the prayers of thy brethren have come up into my ears. [20]
Also speaking of Joseph the Lord said:
For I am the Lord thy God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world and through all eternity; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father... Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and will forgive all your sins; I have seen your sacrifices in obedience to that which I have told you.[21]
Perhaps the greatest demonstration of this love came while the Prophet was a prisoner in Liberty Jail where the Lord responded to his plea, "O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?"[22] with the comfort that comes only from a God, "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."[23] Additionally, the Lord told Joseph, "...thy God shall stand by thee forever and ever."[24]
After recounting trials and tribulations that Joseph had suffered or might be called upon to suffer, the Lord provided loving counsel and reassurance with these words, "know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. Therefore, hold on thy way...Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."[25]
I love the Prophet for being "willing to submit to all things,"[26] as he demonstrated in laying down his life alongside his brother Hyrum at Carthage. Six days before heading for Carthage and a martyrs fate, Joseph stood in full uniform and addressed his beloved Nauvoo Legion, his "boys" as he called them, from the frame of a building for the last time. He told the Legion:
I do not regard my own life. I am ready to be offered a sacrifice for this people; for what can our enemies do? Only kill the body, and their power is at an end...God has tried you. You are a good people; therefore I love you with all my heart. Greater love hath no man than that he should lay down his life for his friends. You have stood by me in the hour of trouble, and I am willing to sacrifice my life for your preservation.[27]
And so he did, sealing his testimony with his blood. In section 135 of the Doctrine and Covenants Elder John Taylor wrote:
Hyrum Smith was forty-four years old in February, 1844, and Joseph Smith was thirty-eight in December, 1843; and henceforward their names will be classed among the martyrs of religion; and the reader in every nation will be reminded that the Book of Mormon, and this book of Doctrine and Covenants of the church, cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring them forth for the salvation of a ruined world... They lived for glory; they died for glory; and glory is their eternal reward. From age to age shall their names go down to posterity as gems for the sanctified.[28]
The Lord himself validated this statement in the revelation given to Brigham Young at Winter Quarters, approximately two and a half years after the martyrdom, which is now found in section 136 of the Doctrine and Covenants. In this revelation the Lord told the church and the world that Joseph's death was not the just recompense of a fallen prophet, but rather, the righteous completion of a divinely appointed mission. The Lord said, speaking of Joseph:
Whom I did call upon by mine angels, my ministering servants, and by mine own voice out of the heavens, to bring forth my work; Which foundation he did lay, and was faithful; and I took him to myself. Many have marveled because of his death; but it was needful that he should seal his testimony with his blood, that he might be honored and the wicked might be condemned.[29]
While I love and admire the Prophet for the qualities he possessed and his strength of character, I love him all the more for the things he did in his role as Prophet, Seer, and Revelator.
I love and honor him because through him we have knowledge of the true nature of God, for he saw God the Father and His son Jesus Christ in the Sacred Grove.
I love and honor the Prophet Joseph because through him we know that we can be redeemed through the atonement of Jesus Christ and obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.[30]
I love and honor the Prophet Joseph because through him we have the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Joseph's words that "... a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book,"[31] have been fulfilled in my life. I love the Book of Mormon and I know it to be true.
I love and honor the Prophet Joseph because through him we have answers for the age-old questions: Where did we come from? What is the purpose of life? What happens when we die? We have a true understanding of the great plan of happiness.
I love and honor the Prophet Joseph because through him the keys of the Priesthood of God have been restored to the earth never to be taken away again.
I love and honor the Prophet Joseph because through him the sealing power was restored to bind families together forever. How very grateful I am to be sealed to my sweetheart Stacy and our four beautiful children. This is one of the singular blessings in my life.
We do not worship Joseph Smith; we worship God our Eternal Father and His son Jesus Christ. However, we revere and honor him for fulfilling his divinely appointed mission as a dispensation head.
I close with these words from Parley P. Pratt that he wrote as a declaration published in the March 1845 edition of the Millenial Star speaking of Joseph:
He has organized the kingdom of God. - We will extend its dominion.
He has restored the fullness of the gospel. - We will spread it abroad.
He has laid the foundation of Nauvoo. - We will build it up.
He has laid the foundation of the Temple. - We will bring up the top-stone with shouting.
He has kindled a fire. - We will fan the flame.
He has kindled up the dawn of a day of glory. - We will bring it to its meridian splendour.
He was a "little one," and became a thousand. We are a small one, and will become a strong nation.
In short, he quarried the stone from the mountain; we will cause it to become a great mountain and fill the whole earth.[32]
I add my witness that Joseph Smith was the Lord's prophet and seer chosen to restore the keys of the kingdom and the true gospel of Jesus Christ in this, the final dispensation. I am grateful that this knowledge is freely available to all, including the extraordinarily ordinary, and I am grateful to be counted, with you, as one of the millions that, "shall know Brother Joseph again."[33]
Notes
[1] http://nrmarketwatch.com/2011/09/14/the-average-american-facts-you-didnt-know/
[2] Doctrine and Covenants 38:16
[3] 2 Nephi 26:25,28
[4] George Q. Cannon, Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet, 1886, 360
[5] Joseph Smith History, 1:33
[6] Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet, 1989, 19
[7] B. H. Roberts, History of the Church, Volume 4, 163
[8] B. H. Roberts, History of the Church, Volume 4, 163-164
[9] Doctrine and Covenants, 1:3
[10] Doctrine and Covenants 3:6-8,15
[11] Doctrine and Covenants 3:10
[12] Journal of Discourses, Volume 23, 37
[13] Juvenile Instructor, Volume 27, Number 6, 172
[14] George Q. Cannon, Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet, 1886, 528
[15] Young Women's Journal, Volume 17, Number 12, 539
[16] Mary Frost Adams, Young Women's Journal, Volume 17, Number 12, 538
[17] Doctrine and Covenants 128:22
[18] John Henry Evans, Joseph Smith an American Prophet, 1933, 9
[19] Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1976, 304
[20] Doctrine and Covenants 90:1
[21] Doctrine and Covenants 132:49-50
[22] Doctrine and Covenants 121:1
[23] Doctrine and Covenants 121: 7-8
[24] Doctrine and Covenants 122:4
[25] Doctrine and Covenants 122:7, 9
[26] Mosiah 3:192
[27] B. H. Roberts, History of the Church, Volume 6, 500
[28] Doctrine and Covenants 135:6
[29] Doctrine and Covenants 136:37-39
[30] Article of Faith 1:3
[31] Book of Mormon, Introduction
[32] Millenial Star, Volume 5,151-152
[33] "Praise to the Man," Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 27