Why do I believe this, though? What experiences have I had that have convinced me of the truth that we have a prophet of God on the earth today that leads and guides not only the church but the whole world? I think I've already talked about President Hinckley before. He was the first prophet I remember just loving and having a testimony of his calling and his mantle. Seeing him in person, at BYU devotionals and at general conference, confirmed what I already knew.
I remember a time in high school when a friend of mine was investigating the Church, and she asked about the whole drinking caffeine/tea/coffee thing...and the multiple piercings thing. Now, I'm not judging those members who drink caffeinated drinks. To each his/her own, and the prophets haven't spelled that out so it's not a commandment. But I remember my dad saying once that the prophet said he personally didn't do it, and if the prophet thought it was wrong, then my dad figured he ought not do it, either. That's sort of the attitude I have. I can live without it, so why bother? Coffee and tea are more clearly spelled out, of course. Anyway, when my friend asked me why *I* didn't drink caffeine, I started talking about the effects of those kinds of drugs in our systems, and then I went into the word of wisdom, but almost immediately I instead felt prompted to testify of the prophet. I said something along the lines of, "I don't know all the reasons why we are told to do or not do everything, but I DO know that I trust the prophet--not just because I'm supposed to, but because when he speaks I feel the Spirit talking to me and I know that he's speaking for God. And God's always right, even if I don't understand Him." She told me she thought that was the best answer she'd ever heard in all her questionings with other LDS friends. What a powerful influence a testimony of the prophet can be! That moment not only helped strengthen her growing testimony, but sharing it with her increased my own. (In case you're wondering, after months of attending early morning seminary and such, she was eventually baptized near the end of our senior year, but she fell less active in college...I still think of her often and wonder where/how she is!)
My freshman year at BYU I was a gospel doctrine teacher. I remember one lesson, not so much how we got there, but discussing about progression, organization, and callings in the Church. Someone talked about the prophet as the head of the Church, and I felt inspired to gently correct him--after all, Christ is the head. We discussed how many organizations in the world are like a pyramid, with the president at the top, having the most power and having the base of the pyramid under his control. But the prophet is really at the base of an inverted pyramid; he singularly bears the worldly weight of the Church, and holds us up as one. Yes, he has more power and authority from God where matters of the whole church and world are concerned, because of the keys he holds. But it's not as though you're "promoted" to a prophet and everyone serves you...you serve everyone else. I gained a greater testimony of the kind of men our prophets must be, to be entrusted with that responsibility...what kind of character we all must develop if we want to serve our fellow men more effectively.
I am so excited for General Conference, where we get to hear from our prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson, and all his counselors, and the twelve apostles, and other leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I can't wait to hear the things we as a world need to work on for these next six months, and I can't wait to study them with Paul in the coming weeks for FHE and find ways to apply their teachings into our lives and our family. I know, because I DO TRY to follow as best as I can, that if we obey their teachings we really are happier, plain and simple. And that is why I believe.
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