🌸 Finding Joy and Peace in a World of Contention
🌸 Finding Joy and Peace in a World of Contention
I’ve been part of my ward family for many years.
In that time, I’ve met some of the best people on the face of the earth — kind, generous, faithful souls who quietly bless the lives of everyone around them.
What I’m about to share is adapted from a talk I will give in sacrament meeting.
Some of it may be hard to hear — but please know it comes from a place of love. Love for my ward family, love for the gospel, love for the Savior, and love for my dear wife.
💐 My Unusual Calling
Before I begin… I should probably explain my unusual church calling.
I’m the Assistant Relief Society President.
Now, that’s not in the handbook.
And it’s certainly not a typical calling for a man.
But after a lifetime of marriage to my wife — and years of seeing the Relief Society in action — I think I’ve earned at least an honorary spot. And you sisters… we all know you really do keep the ward going.
💖 Honoring My Wife
I want to honor my wife before I share anything else.
She’s one of the most selfless, hardworking women I’ve ever met.
Even while battling cancer, she has never stopped serving, never stopped giving, never stopped loving.
Her quiet faith and tireless service have been a source of strength for me.
I am a better man because of her.
🤔 A Moment That Got Me Thinking
Not long ago, she said something that really surprised me.
She told me, “I know Joseph Smith never had any wives other than Emma. Brigham Young started polygamy.” She doesn't know what the church really teaches!
That stopped me in my tracks — not because I’m here to settle the history today, (you can learn about that from other posts) but because it reminded me of something vital:
Every single one of us needs to go to the Lord personally for truth.
Not secondhand.
Not on borrowed light.
Not because the manual said it, or because a leader said it — but because the Holy Ghost confirmed it to our hearts.
🌱 Three Types of Members
In my experience, there are three main types of members:
Those who leave after learning history — They find contradictions and feel betrayed. They read the official Church essays or historical accounts and find things that shake their faith — like the Church teaching Joseph Smith had 30+ wives, while some earlier members insist he had only Emma. These conflicts cause some to walk away.
True Blues — Handbook followers who live by “follow the prophet” as their guiding principle. Their hearts are sincere, but they sometimes mistake following Church leadership for following the Savior.
Those who love the Church, but love the Savior most — They see the Church as a tool, not the source. The source is Jesus Christ Himself. They measure every teaching — even from leaders — against the word of the Lord to them personally.
📜 Why “Follow the Prophet” Is a Misnomer
This is important.
The phrase “follow the prophet” was never given as a blanket command by Joseph Smith. In fact, he made it clear:
“A prophet is only a prophet when he is acting as such.”
In the early days of the Restoration, the pattern was simple: follow Jesus Christ.
Prophets, apostles, and leaders were meant to point you to Him — not replace Him as the object of your trust.
So where did “follow the prophet” come from?
It emerged long after Joseph’s death.
As the Church grew under later leadership, especially in the mid-20th century, correlation programs standardized every aspect of Church teaching. Handbooks and centralized instructions became the rulebook for every ward.
Somewhere along the way, “follow the prophet” became a cultural slogan — even a primary song — and for many Saints, it began to replace “follow the Savior” in their hearts.
The result? Too many now live on borrowed light — leaning on leaders instead of learning to hear Him directly.
📜 The Lord’s Warning
In Doctrine and Covenants 84:54–57, the Lord gave a sobering warning:
“The whole church is under condemnation… and shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon… not only to say, but to do.”
That condemnation was never lifted.
President Ezra Taft Benson said so in 1986, and no prophet since has declared it gone.
And what does condemnation do?
It darkens our minds. It robs us of joy. It makes us vulnerable to the spirit of contention that rages in the world today.
And how do we know this condemnation still rests upon us?
Because we are not living in Zion. If we were, the world — and the Church — would look very different.
🌳 Lehi’s Dream – The Way Back to Joy
The Book of Mormon doesn’t just tell us we’re under condemnation — it shows the cure.
In 1 Nephi 8, Lehi’s dream begins with a man in a white robe — glorious in appearance — who leads him into darkness.
Not every impressive, spiritual-looking guide is from God.
The only way to the tree of life — the fullness of joy — was to cling to the iron rod (1 Nephi 11:25).
And the rod is the word of God — not just scripture on paper, but the living voice of Jesus Christ to you personally.
🔥 Moses – Borrowed Light Leads to Wandering
In Exodus, Moses came down from the mountain with a higher law — the fullness God wanted for His people.
But the people refused. They said, “Moses, you speak to God for us.”
So God gave them the Ten Commandments — the lower law — and they wandered for forty years.
When we let someone else be our connection to God, we wander too.
That’s borrowed light — and borrowed light fades fast in a dark world.
🕊️ The Modern Test
President Nelson has warned:
“In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”
Heber C. Kimball saw it in vision over 150 years ago:
In the last days, every Latter-day Saint would be tested to choose between the Church and the Savior.
That’s the choice before us now.
And the choice that leads to joy is always the Savior.
✨ The Doctrine of Christ – Heaven’s Formula for Joy
Nephi lays it out simply in 2 Nephi 31–32:
Faith in Christ
Repentance
Baptism
Receiving the Holy Ghost
And “receiving” the Holy Ghost means learning to hear, recognize, and obey the Spirit’s whisperings.
That’s how we cling to the rod.
That’s how we keep our peace in a contentious world.
🌷 Start Small
Hearing Him begins with little things:
Help your spouse with the dishes.
Pick up the socks without being asked.
Call a friend you’ve been thinking about.
If we are faithful in the small promptings, the Lord will trust us with greater ones.
🌺 The Invitation
Let’s be a people who love the Church, but love the Savior most.
Let’s repent, remember, and live the Book of Mormon — not just read it.
Let’s seek our own light, not live on borrowed light.
Then the contention of the world won’t steal our joy.
📖 Scriptures to Study:
Doctrine and Covenants 84:54–57
1 Nephi 8, 1 Nephi 11:25
2 Nephi 31–32
Exodus 20, Exodus 34
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