Perspective

When I have some spare time I have been watching a group of videos on my IPAD called The Joseph Smith Papers. Taken from the writings of or about the first prophet of our modern dispensation, it talks about his life and revelations from an early age until his death. What is most apparent is the immediate and bitter persecution he endured from the time he began to relate his experiences and visions. Through time it grew worse and worse. The treatment of him and those who followed him, including some of my ancestors, in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois appalled me. Some were murdered others lost their property as they were driven repeatedly from their homes in the dead of winter. Joseph was imprisoned and falsely accused on several occasions. They found no one not even the President of the United States from whom they could receive support or redress for the crimes committed against them. It seemed so unreasonable and un-American. Even when Joseph knew he would be killed, he remained dedicated to building the Kingdom of God on earth, striving with every action to obey our Father in Heaven. He could have easily saved his life by stopping.

What strikes me about what happened to Joseph Smith as a modern day prophet is how similar it is to many stories in the Old and New Testaments, when prophets were rejected, persecuted and murdered. In almost every case, many of the words and works of those ancient prophets endured despite efforts to destroy them. Jesus Christ himself suffered severe and unending persecution seemingly for the great good he did, just as his servants, the prophets, had before him and as his servants would after him. Why are human beings so prone to hatred and bigotry? My feeling is that it is a terrible testimony of Satan his power over the hearts and minds of men.

Because of the dedication, suffering, and sacrifices that Joseph Smith and prophets before him willingly endured, I am here in Mexico on a mission. They prepared the way and opened the doors. Because of them my own life has been blessed. Through them I found enduring happiness. In my own lifetime I have seen the growth of the Kingdom of God on earth from a few million to nearly fifteen million. We serve the same God who brought Israel out of Egypt and who sacrificed himself as a willing lamb at the meridian of time. His hand has never slackened. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.