I want to recognize the passing of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, who passed away early Monday, November 1st. He was an apostle (a leader) in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a wonderful man. I always looked forward to hearing him speak in General Conference. His talks were never flashy or overly emotional and often appeared fairly simple. But the more you read and pondered his talks, you realized how deep and enriching they were. His remarks reflected a deeply kind and loving heart - someone who clearly lived the higher law taught by Jesus Christ, someone who loved God and loved his brothers and sisters. I have a few memories of Elder Wirthlin I would like to share. One of the most touching General Conference moments I have ever seen was during the October 2007 session when Elder Wirthlin gave his marvelous talk, "The Great Commandment." He was not feeling well and started to shake quite severely, making it very difficult to deliver his message. Elder Russell M. Nelson stood up to support sweet Elder Wirthlin so he could finish delivering his remarks, and at that point I couldn't help it - I started crying. I don't think I have every openly cried during a General Conference talk before. You could just feel the love and genuine kindness oozing out of him, even as he could barely finish giving his talk. This may sound weird, but watching Elders Wirthlin and Nelson made me want to be a better person. I will always remember that moment. The other fond memory I have of Elder Wirthlin is a talk he gave in 2002 entitled "Follow Me." He spoke of the importance of casting aside our nets, as the apostles of old, and following the Savior. Simple as that analogy may be, it has stayed with me for many years.During my teenage years and early 20's, the LDS Church had no turnover in the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve. This was a very formative time period for me, as I was gaining my own testimony in the troublesome teenage years, learning how to be an adult in my college years, striving to be a diligent missionary, and going through so many other changes. I grew to deeply love and respect those men and that group of leaders will always have a very special place in my heart. It has been difficult to see so many of them pass away over the past few years. However, I am so grateful for their service. They have all, including Elder Wirthlin, left a deep mark on my spiritual development and for that, I thank them.
I have put a link below to some of my favorite Elder Wirthlin talks.
"True love lasts forever. It is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes, and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father bears for us.
We all yearn to experience love like this. Even when we make mistakes, we hope others will love us in spite of our shortcomings—even if we don’t deserve it.
Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will.
We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities."
- Elder Wirthlin, October 2007 General Conference
2 comments:
Beautiful post! What a remarkable man, just like those who serve around him. I remember that conference when he needed the help, and I think everyone else does too. What an example they both are.
I really loved Elder Wirthlin too, I quote his talk on charity to the young women like every sunday!! :-) That thought about the human family being like an orchestra and we need everyone to sound good....that's the one. :-)
Post a Comment