A Dented Boat with Peeling Paint.

In January 2019 Elder and Sister Renlund spoke in a Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults that they titled “Doubt Not, but Be Believing.” They shared an important message that is worth a listen. Here’s the link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts/article/worldwide-devotionals/2019/01/11renlund?lang=eng

To begin their talk, they told a parable that compared the Church and its leaders to a kind old fisherman in a weather-beaten and well used boat who picked up a man whose boat had sunk and who was floating in the ocean. At first the man was grateful to be rescued. But then he began to notice the imperfections of the fisherman who rescued him, of the food and water the fisherman had given him, and of the fisherman’s boat with its dents and peeling paint. Finally, he became so bothered by these imperfections that he asked the fisherman to throw him back in the water.

Years ago, a friend and colleague shared an article with me that told the story of a man who had taken his first college teaching job in the Midwest in an area where there were few members of the Church. He and his wife ended up in a small struggling Branch where they were put to work. He said that earlier in his life he had heard people say that the Church was true, but the people who served in the Church were imperfect. He said because of his experience in this small Branch he came to believe that one of the important characteristics of the true Church was that it was staffed by imperfect individuals. From his experience in this small Branch, he learned that by serving in the Church with imperfect people, we have the opportunity to learn patience, kindness, and charity. And in the process, we have the opportunity to become more like the Savior.

D&C 1: 19 teaches that with the Restoration of the Gospel, an ancient prophecy is fulfilled that declares that the weak things of the world will be sent to break down the strong and mighty. This will help us grow in faith (v. 21).

D&C 107:21 teaches that the leaders of the Church are to be appointed from among those who are ordained. In other words, one of the Deacons will become the Deacon’s president and one of the Teachers will become the Teacher’s president. The same is true of the Young Women’s classes, the Elder’s Quorum, the Relief Society, and of everywhere we might serve in the Wards, Branches, and Stake in the Church. Those who called to lead are chosen from among those whom they have the opportunity to serve. Thus we know one another and have the opportunity to learn from one another in important ways.

D&C 72:2, 5 teaches that a Bishop is to be “appointed ... of you” and that he will be “appointed of me.” Here again, Bishops are called from among the members of the ward (“of you”).  And, as declared in the 5th Articles of Faith, they are called of God by revelation ("of me"). So, they are called by God from among those whom they will serve. They also are a member of the ward, and like all of us who serve in the church, they who serve will have imperfections (dents and pealing paint).

Moroni worried about his own imperfections when he worried that the authors of the Book of Mormon would be mocked because of their “weakness in writing” (Ether 12:23).  The Lord responded, “Fools mock” and that “[His] grace was sufficient for the meek” (Ether 12:26).

That’s the other thing. As we face the challenge of serving, knowing our weakness, and turn to the Lord, we find that He is able to accomplish much more through us, by His grace, than we could ever have done on our own.

All of this is by design. It is part of the test of life. It is one of the ways that we are to learn and to exercise our faith. D&C 76:53 says that those who inherit the Celestial Kingdom will have “overcome by faith.” In order for us to do this (and to learn to do this) there need to be challenges in mortality that the only way we can deal with them is with faith.

And with mortality to accomplish what it needs to accomplish, with the veil firmly in place, we will always be led by those who have imperfections, and we ourselves will have the opportunity to serve with our own imperfections.

At the same time, I need to say that over the years I have been impressed with the remarkable individuals in the church whom the Lord has called to serve. I have been impressed with how He has prepared them to serve, and how He has magnified them as they have served.

I am grateful for the blessing to be taught, served, and to serve with wonderful Saints, who like me try to serve to the best of their ability, in spite of their imperfections, and who have the opportunity to be magnified by the Lord in their service to Him.