Testimony
The sister giving the opening prayer for Relief Society began, "We thank thee for the blessing of coming together to feast at the table of thy love." Our teacher and many others in the room opened our hearts to share what our testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith mean in our lives.
Why a "simple farm boy?" Why not? My mind always goes to the prophet Samuel. He was taken to live and serve in the temple as a very young child, and was still a child--age not given--when he was called by the voice of the Lord and responded, as directed by Eli, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." John the Baptist was ordained by an angel when eight days old for his mission (Doctrine & Covenants 84:28), and Jesus the Messiah was born in a stable, not to the king of Judea. Seems to me that God has a pattern of placing his most remarkable servants in simple places.
I thought about his age. Joseph Smith grew up as part of a strong family who knew the Bible and took its promises to heart, who sought and trusted in a direct relationship with God. In one account (1832) he said:
At about the age of twelve years my mind became seriously impressed with regard to the all important concerns for the welfare of my immortal Soul which led me to Searching the Scriptures believing as I was taught, that they contained the word of God, thus applying myself to them and my intimate acquaintance with those of different denominations led me to marvel exceedingly, for I discovered that ... instead of adorning their profession by a holy walk and Godly conversation agreeable to what I found contained in that Sacred depository this was a grief to my Soul thus from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart ... and I felt to mourn for my own Sins and for the Sins of the world for I learned in the Scriptures that God was the same yesterday to day and forever that he was no respecter to persons for he was God ... therefore I cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go.... and the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I Saw the Lord and he Spake unto me, Saying Joseph my Son thy Sins are forgiven thee. go thy way, walk in my Statutes and keep my commandments; behold I am the Lord of glory, I was crucified for the world that all those who believe on my name may have Eternal life ....and my Soul was filled with love and for many days I could rejoice with great joy and the Lord was with me but could find none that would believe the heavenly vision, nevertheless I pondered these things in my heart.... (spelling corrected)
Some teenaged boys are light-minded and unreliable, but some are very thoughtful and probing. Some few do have the soberness of desire that Joseph had. He began to seek an understanding at the age of twelve, and was wrestling with his acceptability to God and with where he should go, amongst the sectarian world around him, to worship and to learn. The idea that he needed to do both was axiomatic to him. No longer a child, he was old enough to be grappling seriously with his sense of place in the world, but not old enough yet to turn to worldly pleasures in place of what was right. It strikes me that he was just the right age, to be ready to be taught: he had a strong foundation of faith, he had the readiness and confidence that he would find the Lord's promise fulfilled--in other words that he would have an unmistakeable answer, however it was manifest--and he had not yet been ruined, that is, set in erroneous patterns, by the philosophies of the world or the dogma of the sects preaching around him.
At the age of 14, one of the sisters pointed out, in that place, he was doing nearly the work of a man. Responsibilities were a fact of life. On a farm, everyone had to work hard. Most teenagers today do not have the burdens of helping provide a livelihood. He was functioning as an older person than fourteen year olds do today, and his family did not have much but they pulled together and got by. It was a pretty good training ground. God plans well, can any of us doubt that?
Taught that God's word was true, returning over and over to the scripture (James 1:5) which called to his soul, believing that he would be heard and answered, Joseph went to a grove of trees where he knew he would be alone, and offered up the desires of his heart to God. Seeking guidance for his one life, he opened the heavens again for the final work of this earth before the Savior comes again in glory. It was remarkable to me, here in this west coast town, how many of the sisters had been in that New York grove. I have been in that grove, though it has been many years, and felt the profound, still, reverent spirit of joy and meaning which cannot be ignored. We don't know the exact spot where that vision opened, but we know the place where on that day the whole world changed. All of the sisters who had been there shared their witness that the Holy Ghost testified to them there. I share my witness that his account was true and his experience was real, that they appeared. God introduced his Son and they gave Joseph counsel and called his life into the work for which he had been prepared before he was ever born. Are we answering the calls for which we were prepared? I hope so. We don't have to have any prominence in the world to be miraculous in our accomplishing. His example is that you just need to open your heart with faith and then go forward.
Why a "simple farm boy?" Why not? My mind always goes to the prophet Samuel. He was taken to live and serve in the temple as a very young child, and was still a child--age not given--when he was called by the voice of the Lord and responded, as directed by Eli, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." John the Baptist was ordained by an angel when eight days old for his mission (Doctrine & Covenants 84:28), and Jesus the Messiah was born in a stable, not to the king of Judea. Seems to me that God has a pattern of placing his most remarkable servants in simple places.
I thought about his age. Joseph Smith grew up as part of a strong family who knew the Bible and took its promises to heart, who sought and trusted in a direct relationship with God. In one account (1832) he said:
At about the age of twelve years my mind became seriously impressed with regard to the all important concerns for the welfare of my immortal Soul which led me to Searching the Scriptures believing as I was taught, that they contained the word of God, thus applying myself to them and my intimate acquaintance with those of different denominations led me to marvel exceedingly, for I discovered that ... instead of adorning their profession by a holy walk and Godly conversation agreeable to what I found contained in that Sacred depository this was a grief to my Soul thus from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart ... and I felt to mourn for my own Sins and for the Sins of the world for I learned in the Scriptures that God was the same yesterday to day and forever that he was no respecter to persons for he was God ... therefore I cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go.... and the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I Saw the Lord and he Spake unto me, Saying Joseph my Son thy Sins are forgiven thee. go thy way, walk in my Statutes and keep my commandments; behold I am the Lord of glory, I was crucified for the world that all those who believe on my name may have Eternal life ....and my Soul was filled with love and for many days I could rejoice with great joy and the Lord was with me but could find none that would believe the heavenly vision, nevertheless I pondered these things in my heart.... (spelling corrected)
Some teenaged boys are light-minded and unreliable, but some are very thoughtful and probing. Some few do have the soberness of desire that Joseph had. He began to seek an understanding at the age of twelve, and was wrestling with his acceptability to God and with where he should go, amongst the sectarian world around him, to worship and to learn. The idea that he needed to do both was axiomatic to him. No longer a child, he was old enough to be grappling seriously with his sense of place in the world, but not old enough yet to turn to worldly pleasures in place of what was right. It strikes me that he was just the right age, to be ready to be taught: he had a strong foundation of faith, he had the readiness and confidence that he would find the Lord's promise fulfilled--in other words that he would have an unmistakeable answer, however it was manifest--and he had not yet been ruined, that is, set in erroneous patterns, by the philosophies of the world or the dogma of the sects preaching around him.
At the age of 14, one of the sisters pointed out, in that place, he was doing nearly the work of a man. Responsibilities were a fact of life. On a farm, everyone had to work hard. Most teenagers today do not have the burdens of helping provide a livelihood. He was functioning as an older person than fourteen year olds do today, and his family did not have much but they pulled together and got by. It was a pretty good training ground. God plans well, can any of us doubt that?
Taught that God's word was true, returning over and over to the scripture (James 1:5) which called to his soul, believing that he would be heard and answered, Joseph went to a grove of trees where he knew he would be alone, and offered up the desires of his heart to God. Seeking guidance for his one life, he opened the heavens again for the final work of this earth before the Savior comes again in glory. It was remarkable to me, here in this west coast town, how many of the sisters had been in that New York grove. I have been in that grove, though it has been many years, and felt the profound, still, reverent spirit of joy and meaning which cannot be ignored. We don't know the exact spot where that vision opened, but we know the place where on that day the whole world changed. All of the sisters who had been there shared their witness that the Holy Ghost testified to them there. I share my witness that his account was true and his experience was real, that they appeared. God introduced his Son and they gave Joseph counsel and called his life into the work for which he had been prepared before he was ever born. Are we answering the calls for which we were prepared? I hope so. We don't have to have any prominence in the world to be miraculous in our accomplishing. His example is that you just need to open your heart with faith and then go forward.
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