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The following is taken from Elder Wirthlin’s talk “The Abundant Life” – and it shows why he is my favorite apostle of all time: Quote:“The third quality of those who live abundant lives is that they, with the help of their Heavenly Father, create a masterpiece of their lives.
No matter our age, circumstances, or abilities, each one of us can create something remarkable of his life.”
Notice that he does not mention “The Church” in this quote in ANY way. This idea of creating a masterpiece life is centered on personal revelation and my relationship with God. My life at church is just a manifestion of a part of my masterpiece – not the masterpiece itself.
That is REALLY good Ray. And your point about him not saying anything about CHURCH in this, is significant because it shows that we are the captians of our ship and what we become. Even for those who do not believe in God, you still decide what kind of a person you ultimately want to be. I went to two churches today. One was the non-denominational Christian Church my husband wants to attend with me and the other was Relief Society meeting. Both had good parts and parts that annoyed me. The non-lds church was emphazing what Rick Warren does in his book, “The Purpose Driven Life.” That it’s all about you God, not about us. Man is nothing, only you matter God. That did not feel right to me as all Jesus did, had to do with helping us. We are important! It is about us! It is also about our neighbors and brothers and sisters. Feed my sheep was the thing Jesus always told his disciples when asked what he wanted of them. I could try to prove my point to others and show where they are wrong, but it would destroy our friendships. Part of creating a masterpiece of our lives comes from serving and love others. It develops our Christ-like characters. The church can be a tool to develop ourselves, but is not the only tool.
Ray, I heard this talk and nothing you shared here even registered at the time. If I had to guess it had to do with my attention span and his deteriorating delivery–neither good excuses. Your insight is similar to various kingdom theologies that find their roots all the way back to Augustine’s
City of God.I shared in an earlier post that I have recently learned to articulate that my membership in the restored Church does not preclude my membership in the historic/traditional church. Such words came to mind only after years of serving my brothers and sisters of all faiths and realizing the blessing wasthe service. I can’t help but think Elder Wirthlin’s wisdom is derived from personal experience. It also echoes Mr. Keating’s challenge to his budding, adolescent students: “make your lives extraordinary . . . and what will your contribution be?” The Dead Poet’s Society(Pardon the nostalgia.) I found that Elder Wirthlin became my favorite apostle of all time only when I started reading his talks after he had given them. His delivery was not professional in any way, but when I read one of his talks the wisdom and beauty jumped out of the page and hit me like a ton of bricks. I then started really paying attention to the words while he was speaking – and I have to say that he floored me over and over and over again. (and, as an aside, he was a die-hard Democrat – unlike I, who am a confirmed Independent) I was fortunate that this realization hit me before he gave the best GC talk I have ever heard – the talk that is referenced in the introduction to this forum: “Concern for the One”. If that man wasn’t a prophet and apostle, there never has been one in the history of this world, imo.
Anyway, I digress.
Bumping up this thread, since I really, really love the quote by Elder Wirthlin.
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