We stand in awe of Joseph Smith because he did so much with so little. As John Taylor wrote in his eulogy of Joseph Smith:
“Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain.” (D&C 135:3)
This impressive resume is made even more impressive when we consider that he had the bare rudiments of education and was martyred at age thirty-eight.
Personally, I keep asking myself “How did he do it? How could one young man do so much? How could he found a world-wide church (the Mormon Church) of thirteen million members? How do we go from square one as an obscure farm boy to being a significant figure in American history?”
I think the key was that he thought big, but worked small. On one hand, he had a clear vision of what he was supposed to accomplish:
“I calculate to be one of the instruments of setting up the kingdom of Daniel by the word of the Lord, and I intend to lay a foundation that will revolutionize the whole world.” (“Chapter 44: The Restoration of All Things: The Dispensation of the Fulness of Times,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007],507–16.)
This was his vision statement: to revolutionize the world. This revolution, however, was to be something different. Joseph Smith did not see himself as a Caesar or a Napoleon. It was not going to be political or militaristic. He said that it would be “by the word of the Lord.” This was to be an ecclesiastical and a spiritual revolution. He clarified this point by adding, “It will not be by sword or gun that this kingdom will roll on.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 366.)
That was his broad view, his global vision for his soon-to-be global church. But how do you get from here to there? How do you start out with six members in 1830, and end up with almost thirteen million in 2008? What are the in-between steps?
Simply put, Joseph Smith understood incrementalism. This is the idea “that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” (Alma 37:6). He did missionary work this way. He began with himself, then worked with his family (his brother Samuel was the first missionary), then neighbors, and finally the critical mass hit. He was able to organize large bodies of missionaries and send them to the east, to Canada, England, and then finally out to the entire world. Step by step, one by one.
Joseph Smith explained this process this way:
“, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation.” (“Chapter 22: Gaining Knowledge of Eternal Truths,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 261–270.)
Although he said this is in the context of learning the gospel, the same underlying principle applies to missionary work—and to an infinite amount of other things. Incrementalism is how he did what he did: he began at the bottom rung—himself—and slowly worked from there, in an orderly fashion.
I am about am the same age as Joseph Smith was when he died, and even though I have not done one fraction of what he did, this principle has helped me immensely. For example, back in 2003 I wrote a two hundred page book about the book of Job in the Old Testament. That is quite a complex undertaking—knowing what the Bible says, learning the Mormon perspective on Job, forming my own opinions and conclusions about the book, and then organizing all of this information. And all of that must occur before I typed word one!
But by following this pattern of incrementalism, or Joseph Smith’s Ladder Model of Accomplishment, I was able to finish writing the book.
We can apply this principle to other areas: paying down credit card debt, reading the scriptures, nurturing a marriage, rearing children, leaning a new language, and so forth.
Even though this principle of incrementalism is not what you would call strictly prophetic or spiritual, it was a useful truth, and I am grateful that Joseph Smith taught it.
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