On May 5, 2013 Elder Walker of the Quorum of the Seventy
spoke in Rexburg during a CES Fireside.
During his talk he spoke of 5 ways individuals can follow the Savior by
following the teachings of President Monson.
“President Monson has taught us
the way to live our lives with his wonderful and inspiring messages at general
conference,” he said. “He ahs taught us
how to be followers of Jesus Christ by his remarkable and wonderful personal
example. Truly, the Lord has given
us a pattern in all things, and one of
the patterns that we should seek to follow is that of our beloved prophet.” Elder Walker
1. We can be positive, and we
can be happy.
“We can choose to have a positive attitude. We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust
the sails. In other words, we can choose
to be happy and positive, regardless of what comes our way,” President Monson
Remembering
a time he was sitting outside the First Presidency’s boardroom waiting for a
meeting he was invited to attend, Elder Walker recalled hearing a whistle
coming from an unknown source around the corner.
“I
thought to myself, ‘Someone doesn’t understand proper protocol. You don’t go
walking around whistling outside the office of the President of the Church,’”
he recalled.
A
moment later, he saw the whistler walk around the corner; it was President
Monson.
“He
was happy, and he was positive,” he said. “He greeted me warmly. … Even
with the weight of the whole Church on his shoulders, he is an example of
happiness and he always has a positive attitude. We should be that way.”
2. Like President Monson, we
can be kind and loving toward children.
Sharing
his experiences of traveling with President Monson to different temple
dedications, Elder Walker said that the prophet loves to include children in
cornerstone ceremonies.
“He
makes it fun for them,” he said. “He makes it memorable for them. He always has
a big smile for them. He encourages and commends them. … His warm greetings to
the children include high fives, wiggling of his ears, and encouragement to
serve missions and marry in the temple. He really enjoys life—and shouldn’t we
all.”
Christ set
the perfect example of loving little children, and President Monson follows
that supreme example by loving little children.
3. We can follow the promptings
of the Spirit, like President Monson.
“The sweetest experience I now in life is to feel a
promptings and act upon it, and later find out that it was the fulfillment of
someone’s prayer or someone’s need. And
I always want the Lord to know that if He needs an errand run, Tom Monson will
run that errand for Him. That is a
pattern that each of us should want to follow” President Monson
4. We can love the temple, as
President Monson loves the temple.
“May each of us live worthy lives, with clean hands
and pure hearts, so that the temple may touch our lives and our families.” President Monson
“I’ve
heard President Monson tell young people who were too young to enter the temple
to go up and touch the wall of the temple and then ‘let the temple touch you,’”
Elder Walker said. President Monson has
promised that as Church members love and attend the temple, their lives will
reflect their faith and they will be able to bear every trial and overcome each
temptation.
“Let
us follow the pattern that the prophet has set for us in loving the temple,”
Elder Walker said.
5. We can be kind and considerate and love
others, as President Monson does.
“President Monson is a wonderful example of
loving others,” Elder Walker said. “His entire ministry has been filled with
visits to homes, placing his hands on heads and giving blessings, making
unexpected phone calls to comfort and encourage, sending letters of
commendation and appreciation, visits to hospitals and care centers, and
finding the time to go to funerals and viewings despite a very busy schedule.”
Just
as the Savior would do, President Monson has gone about doing good, blessing
and loving others as if that has been the driving force in his life, Elder
Walker said.
