Then, as in so many other conferences where I heard his voice, I marveled at the ridiculous deception that makes him and his fellow associates out to be oppressive, power-hungry ringleaders of blind sheep. That would be a very well-cloaked evil indeed, masked by constant pleadings to be more loving, kinder, respectful, mindful of those around us, renewed in hope and doing good. And, with each message, comes the never-failing witness of the Spirit that this man speaks with Christ, and for Christ, the great Exemplar which the prophet so clearly emulated.
The adversary will do all in his power to sow seeds of doubt, even in the face of reason, to prevent us from hearing the prophet of the Lord, and accepting His prophet's call to simply humbly come unto Christ and be healed. Our enemy seeks to make us take offense when we are asked to set aside selfishness for service. But the prophet speaks truth: that true healing from pain, disappointment, despair or confusion doesn't come from licking my wounds in a circular path dedicated to self-discovery.
Which brings me to the area where I felt the strongest influence from Gordon B. Hinckley. The story is now well known. When young Elder Hinckley was encountering illness, rejection, prejudice and despair early in his mission, his complaints written home were answered with a short letter from his father: “Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: Forget yourself and go to work.”
Hinckley recalls, "Earlier that morning in our scripture class my companion and I had read these words of the Lord: 'Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it' (Mark 8:35).
"Those words of the Master, followed by my father’s letter with his counsel to forget myself and go to work, went into my very being" (from Ensign, July 1987, 7). In describing what happened next, he said: “I got on my knees in that little bedroom … and made a pledge that I would try to give myself unto the Lord.
“The whole world changed. The fog lifted. The sun began to shine in my life. I had a new interest. I saw the beauty of this land. I saw the greatness of the people. … Everything that has happened to me since that’s been good I can trace to that decision made in that little house” (Church News, Sept. 9, 1995, 4).
President Hinckley continued by saying: “You want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause, and bend your efforts to helping people” (in Church News, Sept. 9, 1995, 4).
He said more recently: "The best antidote for worry is work. The best medicine for despair is service. The best cure for weariness is to help someone even more tired."
I was at a recent sacrament meeting in Utah where the speaker explained that when we lose ourselves in the service of Christ, it is easier to find our true self, as there will be more of us to find. This losing myself and forgetting myself in service to Christ is not frantically busying myself with family church duties while secretly holding out for expected payback in the form of my own needed blessings, equal returned attention, or even instant personal fulfillment from a given act of service. It is taking the gospel of Jesus Christ "down, deep into our hearts" as Henry B. Eyring emphasized in the funeral. It is seeking to feel and hold within me the love of my Savior for me through communion with the Father in constant prayer and study. I have then felt this love so naturally translate into a similar love for my fellow travelers in this often hard, sometimes joyous journey.
Each time I review this story of President Hinckley's mission, I am reminded of a phrase in my own patriarchal blessing, which after discussing some talents and blessings I would have from the Lord, follows with the charge: "You should make use of them to further the work of the Lord." The Lord understood I would be tempted to use any abilities for better standing in the world, and reminds me that by losing myself in His work I will, in the end, rejoice that I was not distracted from my true mission on this earth by seeking my own comforts. It would be like being sent on an important business trip, only to miss the purpose of my trip as I stayed in my hotel room, fluffing pillows and making sure the accommodations were comfortable enough. I want to return Home without regrets.
After WWII, when Hinckley decided to end a promising career with the railroad in Denver to return to the employ of the church, he told a friend, "This is the Lord's work, and I feel I would make my best contribution in life, by doing my humble part, to further the cause." This is a sentiment I wish to echo. I would like my tribute to Gordon B. Hinckley's life to be my own covenant with the Lord to try to forget myself and go to work, and to lose myself in Christ and in building his kingdom. Instead of finding myself, to let Him find, shape and transform me.
My self is a hard thing to forget, as it is has become accustomed to so much attention, and I know it will take practice. But I always find when I am serving Jesus Christ, that I have access to much greater ability than my own. As Elder Eyring said at the funeral, "His optimism was justified, not by confidence in his own powers to work things out, but in his great faith that God's powers were in place. "
Thank you, dear President Hinckley, for showing me what is possible when one person simply forgets himself and goes to work for Jesus Christ, and inspiring me to do the same.
"'Til we meet at Jesus' feet."
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