Among many suggestions about a happy, productive life, Joseph B. Wirthlan wrote in his book “Finding Peace Within Our Lives:”
. . . . We must recognize the hazards of shortcuts and looking for the easy way. We must obey the law and pay the price if we are to receive the reward or achieve the goal.
When James A. Garfield, once president of the United States was president of Hiram College, a father brought his son for admittance as a student. The father wanted the boy to take a course shorter than the one offered and exclaimed: “He can never take all that in! He wants to get through quicker. Can you arrange it for him?”
“Oh, Yes,” replied President Garfield. “He can take a shorter course. It all depends on what you want to make of him. When God wants to make an oak, he takes a hundred years, but he only takes two months to make a squash. 2
Please remember that we must earn whatever we have inherited from our forebears in order to possess it. This great principle teaches us the formula for developing gratitude, personal strength, service to others, and a genuine testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I would like to add one more ingredient of life that is so important for each of us as individuals, and that is the power of prayer. Prayer has been the great undergirding strength of my life. On many occasions the Lord has answered my prayers, and I witness that nothing brings us more strength and more peace and more answers to today’s vexing problems than to speak with the Lord humbly in sacred prayer.
May I relate one experience I had on March 17, 1986. I boarded a plane in Leeds, England, after a . . . conference in that city. The plane I boarded had often been referred to as “the goose.” It had been given this name because it was so awkward looking. Little did I realize that it was not always reliable mechanically.
We took off in a rainstorm and had been in the air for about fifteen minutes at an altitude of 18,000 feet when the right motor exploded. We lost altitude rapidly. I thought at first that those could be the last moments of my earthly life.
I sat on the second row near the front of the plane, and the cockpit door was open. Observing the anxious and frightened look on the faces of the pilot and co-pilot did not help my anxiety.
The pilot turned the plane around and headed back toward the Leeds airport. When we’re in danger, memories of mistakes we have made in our lives often flash through our minds. This happened to me. The next thought that came to me was to ask for divine intervention from the Lord through fervent prayer. After I had offered my humble prayer, I had a peaceful and calm feeling that we would land safely and all would be well.
As the runway came into our view, it appeared that we would not make it. But suddenly the plane seemed to gain new power, and we landed exactly at the end of the runway. Numerous fire engines and ambulances were standing by ready to assist if needed. All the passengers breathed a sigh of relief and clapped their hands. Instead of joining with them, I said another silent prayer of thanksgiving for the Lord’s intervention.
This was another miracle that occurred in my life, that the Lord is ready and willing to assist when we ask for his help and guidance. May we never forget that prayer in our lives is a necessity—not only in times of danger, but on a day to day basis. It will bring us joy and happiness and peace of mind. ~Joseph B. Wirthlin, Finding Peace in Our Lives (Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 1995) 144-45
2. Quote Magazine January 15, 1887, p.3.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (deceased), was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (passed away December 2008)
(Posts with a preamble asterisk * are for a more general audience, and not specific to teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
