As of late, I have begun to aspire to be called the Lioness of the Lord. I am a fierce defender of Jesus Christ, this is probably very evident by all the posts I’ve written on this site thus far. However, I digress, let me just show you why I admire Brigham Young so much.
About the Plan of Salvation he said:
This life that you and I possess is for eternity. Contemplate the idea of beings endowed with all the powers and faculties which we possess, becoming annihilated, passing out of existence, ceasing to be, and then try to reconcile it with our feelings and with our present lives. No intelligent person can do it. Yet it is only by the Spirit of revelation that we can understand these things [see 1 Corinthians 2:11]. By the revelations of the Lord Jesus we understand things as they were, that have been made known unto us; things that are in the life which we now enjoy, and things as they will be [see D&C 93:24], not to the fullest extent, but all that the Lord designs that we should understand, to make it profitable to us, in order to give us the experience necessary in this life to prepare us to enjoy eternal life hereafter (Discourses of Brigham Young, 47.) (The Teachings of the Presidents: Brigham Young, Chapter 7, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1997)
Sadly, last night I was forced to read a book full of professorial double speak, add to the fact that it was political professorial doublespeak and you can guess how big my headache was at the end of the evening. And so today, as I read the words of Brigham Young I have a new appreciation for the straightforwardness of his speaking. Brigham simply told it like it was. He taught the word of God with a plainness that made the precepts and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ evident to those with the simplest of understanding. He condescended to no one, he ridiculed no one and lived to shout the gospel to the world.
So many questions have come to me of late as to why we are here and what is the purpose of life. Brigham Young said,
I have heard that the celebrated Mr. [Henry Ward] Beecher, of Brooklyn, once said that the greatest misfortune that could ever happen to man was to be born; but I say that the greatest good fortune that ever happened or can happen to human beings is to be born on this earth, for then life and salvation are before them; then they have the privilege of overcoming death, and of treading sin and iniquity under their feet, of incorporating into their daily lives every principle of life and salvation and of dwelling eternally with the Gods (Discourses of Brigham Young, 51.)(The Teachings of the Presidents: Brigham Young, Chapter 7, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1997.)
Can there be any more powerful words than these pertaining to our births into this glorious world and what awaits our futures if we triumph over this life.
Brigham Young fought hard to carve a future out of the rugged American West for the saints. He followed the admonitions of the Lord and without fail, always taught of Christ with great love and reverence.
Once, as the ill-fated journey of the Martin Handcart Company stalled in Wyoming, Brigham halted General Conference as soon as word reached him of the suffering saints on the bitter, snow drifted plains of Wyoming. He sent the men out with food and warm clothing to rescue those beleaguered and stranded saints.
After Brigham passed away and joined his beloved Savior, Jesus Christ and prophet, friend and brother, Joseph Smith, Jr., it was said of him:
Perhaps the leadership given by President Young has been best described by the Apostles who were serving at the time of his death: “During the thirty three years that he has presided over the Church, since the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph, his knees have never trembled, his hands have never shook; he has never faltered or quailed. However threatening the surroundings or prospects may have been, he has never been dismayed; but at those times he has exhibited such serene confidence and faith, and uttered such words of encouragement, as to comfort and sustain all the people, and to call forth their love and admiration. The Lord, however, not only blessed him with valor, but He endowed him with great wisdom. His counsels, when obeyed, have been attended with salvation, and as an organizer and administrator he has no superior. …
“His labors the Lord has crowned with most remarkable success, his words he has honored and fulfilled, and those who have obeyed his counsel he has blessed and upheld. The time will yet come when his presidency over the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be pointed to as an epoch of wonderful events” (MFP, 2:298.) (The Teachings of the Presidents: Brigham Young, Chapter 7, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1997.)
And indeed, his presidency was exactly that, “an epoch of wonderful events.”
I will never be prophet, nor would I hasten to urge the Lord to grant me that office. I am content as a daughter of God so treasured and valued that my Father trusted me to come to this earth, to learn and grow, and testify with all that is in me of the divinity and power of His Son, Jesus Christ. I, too, long to shout to the world of the fire that burns within me about all that the Lord is doing in this day. His gospel has spread to the four corners of the earth. His name is shouted from the rooftops.
In 2 Nephi 25:26 it says, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”
