Unfortunately there was a time in my life
when I was motivated by titles and authority.
It really began innocently.
As I was preparing to serve a full-time mission,
my older brother was made a zone leader in his mission.
I heard so many positive things said about him
that I couldn't help but want those things said about me.
I hoped for and may have even prayed for a similar position.
Thankfully, as I served my mission,
I learned a powerful lesson.
Last conference I was reminded of that lesson.
In October, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
said: "Over the course of my life,
I have had the opportunity to rub shoulders
with some of the most competent and intelligent men
and women this world has to offer.
When I was younger, I was impressed
by those who were educated, accomplished, [and] successful,
and applauded by the world.
But over the years, I have come to the realization that I
am far more impressed [with] those wonderful and blessed
souls who are truly good and without guile" (end quote).
My Book of Mormon hero is a perfect example
of a wonderful and blessed soul who was
truly good and without guile.
Shiblon was one of the sons of Alma the Younger.
We are more familiar with his brothers--Helaman,
who would follow his father as the keeper of the records
and the prophet of God, and Corianton,
who gained some notoriety as a missionary who needed some
counsel from his father.
To Helaman, Alma wrote 77 verses.
To Corianton, Alma dedicated 91 verses.
To Shiblon, his middle son, Alma wrote a mere 15 verses.
Yet his words in those 15 verses are powerful and instructive.
"And now, my son, I trust that I shall
have great joy in you, because of your steadiness
and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced
in your youth to look to the Lord your God,
even so I hope that you will continue in keeping
his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end.
I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee
already, because of thy faithfulness and thy diligence,
and thy patience and thy long-suffering
among the people."
In addition to speaking to Shiblon,
Alma also spoke about him to Corianton.
Alma said: "Have ye not observed the steadiness of thy brother,
his faithfulness, and his diligence in keeping
the commandments of God?
Behold, has he not set a good example for thee?"
It appears that Shiblon was a son who
wanted to please his father and went about doing what was right
for right's sake rather than for praise, position, power,
accolades, or authority.
Helaman must have known and respected this
about his brother, for he gave Shiblon
custody of the sacred records he had received from his father.
Surely Helaman trusted Shiblon because "he was a just man,
and he did walk uprightly before God;
and he did observe to do good continually,
to keep the commandments of the Lord his God."
As seems truly characteristic of Shiblon,
there is not much recorded about him
from the time he took possession of the sacred records
until he gave them to Helaman's son Helaman.
Shiblon was truly good and without guile.
He was a person who sacrificed his time, talents, and effort
to help and lift others because of a love
for God and his fellowman.
He is described perfectly by the words of President Spencer W.
Kimball: "Great women and men are always
more anxious to serve than to have dominion."
In a world where praise, position, power, accolades,
and authority are sought on every side,
I honor those wonderful and blessed souls
who are truly good and without guile, those who are motivated
by a love of God and their neighbors, those great women
and men who are "more anxious to serve than to have dominion."
Today there are some who would have
us believe our search for relevance
can be satisfied only by obtaining position and power.
Yet thankfully, there are many who are uninfluenced
by this perspective.
They find relevance in seeking to be truly good
and without guile.
I have found them in all walks of life
and in many faith traditions, and I find them
in large numbers among the truly converted followers of Christ.
I honor those who selflessly serve
each week in wards and branches around the world
by going above and beyond in fulfilling callings.
But callings come and go.
Even more impressive to me are the many
who without formal callings find ways to consistently
serve and lift others.
One brother shows up early for church
to set up chairs and stays after to straighten up the chapel.
One sister purposely selects the seat
near a blind sister in her ward not only so she can greet her
but so she can sing the hymns loudly
enough that the blind sister can hear the words and sing along.
If you look closely in your ward or branch,
you will find examples like these.
There are always members who seem to know who needs help
and when to offer it.
Perhaps my first lesson about truly good Saints without guile
was learned when I was a young missionary.
I moved into an area with an elder I didn't know.
I had heard other missionaries talk
about how he had never received any leadership assignments
and how he struggled with the Korean language
despite having been in the country a long time.
But as I got to know this elder, I
found he was one of the most obedient
and faithful missionaries I had known.
He studied when it was time to study;
he worked when it was time to work.
He left the apartment on time and returned on time.
He was diligent in studying Korean
even though the language was especially difficult for him.
When I realized the comments I had heard were untrue,
I felt like this missionary was being
misjudged as unsuccessful.
I wanted to tell the whole mission what I had discovered
about this elder.
I shared with my mission president
my desire to correct this misunderstanding.
His response was, "Heavenly Father
knows this young man is a successful missionary,
and so do I."
He added, "And now you know too, so who else really matters?"
This wise mission president taught me
what was important in service, and it wasn't praise, position,
power, honor, or authority.
This was a great lesson for a young missionary
who was too focused on titles.
With this lesson in mind, I began to look back on my life
and see how often I had been influenced
by men and women who at the time held no great title
or position.
One of these Shiblon-like souls was my seminary teacher
during my junior year in high school.
This good man taught seminary for only two or three years,
but he opened my heart in a way that
helped me gain a testimony.
He may not have been the most popular teacher at the school,
but he was always prepared, and his influence on me
was powerful and lasting.
One of the few times I saw this man in the 40 years
since he taught me was when he came to see me
at my father's funeral.
Truly that was an act not motivated by title or power.
I honor that dedicated teacher--many, like him,
who are truly good and without guile.
I honor the Sunday School teacher
who doesn't teach his students just during class on Sunday
but also teaches and influences these same students
by inviting them to join his family for breakfast.
I honor youth leaders who attend the sporting
and cultural activities of the young men
and young women in their wards.
I honor the man who writes notes of encouragement to neighbors
and the woman who doesn't just mail Christmas cards
but hand-delivers them to family members and friends who
need a visit.
I honor the brother who routinely took a neighbor
for a ride during that neighbor's dark days
of Alzheimer's--giving both him and his wife a much-needed
change of pace.
These things are not done for praise or accolades.
These men and women are not motivated
by the possibility of receiving titles or authority.
They are disciples of Christ, going
about doing good continually.
And like Shiblon, they are trying
to please their Father in Heaven.
It saddens me when I hear of some
who stop serving or even attending church
because they are released from a calling
or feel overlooked for a position or title.
I hope they will one day learn the same lesson I learned
as a young missionary--that the service that counts most is
usually recognized by God alone.
In our pursuit of me and mine, have we
forgotten Thee and Thine?
Some may say, "But I have so far to go to become
like those you describe."
The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ
is that the desires of our hearts can be transformed
and our motives can be educated and refined.
When we are baptized into the true fold of God,
we begin the process of becoming new creatures.
Each time we renew the covenant of baptism
by partaking of the sacrament, we
are one step closer to that ultimate goal.
As we endure in that covenant, we
access the strength to mourn with those who mourned
and to comfort those who need comfort.
In that covenant, we find the grace
that enables us to serve God and keep His commandments,
including loving God with all our hearts
and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
In that covenant, God and Christ succor us
so we can succor those who stand in need of our succor.
All I really want in life is to please my fathers--both earthly
and heavenly--and to be more like Shiblon.
I thank my Heavenly Father for Shiblon-like souls whose
examples offer me--and all of us--hope.
In their lives we see a witness of a loving
Father in Heaven and a caring and compassionate Savior.
I add my testimony to theirs with a pledge
to strive to be more like them.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.