Every parent has them: Those go-to sayings that we pull out and use when our kids need to hear them. I have one in particular that I have said often enough that the FOMLs will probably have it chiseled into my tombstone. I wouldn’t fault them. (It isn’t even my original expression!) Before I share it with you, here’s some background:
I recently passed the milestone where I have been a parent for more than half my life. For those who haven’t been keeping score, we have one daughter and four sons. That means 26 years of hikes, amusement parks, shopping malls, crowds, movie theaters, etc.
One of the kids always seems to take it upon himself to strike out as the leader of the group -and them promptly marches off in the wrong direction, or leads the group right past the desired destination. This is where we would stop, regroup, and I would utter my well-worn expression:
“If you don’t know where you’re going…don’t lead!”
It does bear similarity to other quotes you may have heard:
If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. (Lewis Carroll)
If you don’t know where you‘re going, you’ll wind up someplace else. (Yogi Berra)
This mis-guided leader role was not only to be found with the FOMLs, but other people’s kids as well. This same phenomenon was prevalent as during my years in Scouting. The kid with absolutely no sense of direction usually wanted to lead out. Same with school field trips, etc.
Just yesterday were following one of my kids (the wrong direction) through a crowd. He probably knew what was coming before I said it.
“If you don’t know where you’re going…don’t lead!”
As I heard the words come out of my mouth, I knew what I wanted to blog about today – and it isn’t about kids.
The world is full of voices clamoring to lead us. Both inside and outside the church there are self-appointed men and women who feel that they have some wisdom, idea, message or movement that they need to lead us towards.
Sometimes these “leaders” are loud, connected, passionate, clever, and convincing. They often pass their agendas off as a higher law, greater enlightenment, or justice.
And to them I would simply say, “If you don’t know where you’re going…don’t lead!”
The inherent problem is that those self-appointed leaders actually believe they know here they are headed, which reinforces the problem.
There are so many people, movements, voices, ideas, websites that claim to know where they are heading. Many have been deceived themselves, and passionately encouraging us to join in their self-desception.
For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24)
It is happening all around us. People we know and see as “elect” saints are being sucked into deception and being led away by self-appointed leaders, and are marching in lockstep – in the wrong direction. It is heartbreaking to see it, and even more heartbreaking that they don’t see it.
What are we to do? Who do we turn to to lead us? Who can we trust with this responsibility so that we don’t ‘wind up someplace else.’
Last night, next Saturday, and next Sunday, we have the amazing opportunity to listen to the men and women that God himself has chosen to guide us. They are not self-appointed. They have been chosen by revelation.
They know whey we are going, and are worthy to lead us.
I was privileged to be in attendance when President Thomas S. Monson was presented to be the successor to Gordon B. Hinckley. As we were asked to raise our right hands in a sustaining vote, I felt an overwhelming confirmation from the Holy Ghost that Thomas S. Monson was, indeed, God’s chosen prophet. I had my witness.
That revelation is a blessing in my life, and it makes a complicated theology much simpler. If you don’t have this witness, I highly recommend it, and encourage you to take care of it either before, or during, next weekend.
There are many times over the course of the year when I get to raise my hand, pledging to sustain the leaders the Lord has chosen for us. There is great beauty and wisdom in this process.
When I sit down and engage in General Conference, I listen to my leaders with a desire to learn more. Why? Because I voted to sustain them, and have a spiritual witness that they are who they claim to be.
Because of those two things, I am able to accept their teachings with an open heart, and a desire to figure out how to apply the counsel it in my life.
If I lack this witness, and a sustaining heart, I will listen with a jaded ear – searching for things I can disagree with, and ways to excuse myself from following their counsel. Instead of agreeing with the principles they teach, I will find fault, murmur and share my discontent.
There are many voices out there who are more than happy to lead us.
Thankfully, the voices we can trust will be front-and-center, leading the way next weekend at General Conference.
..and they know here we are going.
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I loved all of the comments you made and the great ideas you expressed in this message. Over my two-year mission in Sao Paulo Brazil, I have seen this effect of misdirection on several occasions. The people of Brazil are incredibly faithful but are blindly led and through that I learned that Faith needs guidance. I couldn’t agree more or be more grateful that we have leaders chosen by divine revelation. People who really know what they are doing and are truly qualified to lead. Thank you for your words. You helped me to remember where I need to turn my focus in a distracting world.
Thank you for sharing your testimony of President Monson’s prophethood. It helped strengthen mine.
I wish more people would understand what a sacred privilege it is to be able to sustain leaders! Perhaps it was because I was a convert, or just something that I was blessed to understand early on in my membership was this sacred duty and responsibility we have as members to have that personal revelation you talked about, for our Prophet, seers and revelators. How blessed I feel truly to know this! Thanks for another great post and reminder of how exciting it is to be a member and hear these great divine truths each conference 🙂
Hear, hear! Thank you.
I remember the first time I had a witness like the one you described. It was when President Uchtdorf and Elder Bednar were first called to the Quorum of the Twelve. It has happened many times since then (most recently in my ward YW organization). I’m so grateful that the Spirit can confirm things to me so powerfully that there is no room to doubt.
I’m so excited about this weekend, I could almost cry!
With General Conference coming up, we hear a lot of prayers lately asking that the General Authorities (prophets, seers, and revelators) be inspired to give us the guidance we need in our time and for our circumstances. After every General Conference, we often hear testimonies of how one felt as if a particular talk was addressed uniquely and directly to them. (Were the others not so much?) I recently finished my 2014 reading of the Old Testament. (not my favorite, but since it is the course of study this year, it seemed obligatory.) One of the episodes that struck me with more than the usual force was that told in Jeremiah 42 and 43. It behooves us all as we approach General Conference to beware the attitude shown in Jeremiah 42:6 and subsequently condemned by the Prophet Jeremiah in verses 20 and 21. Jeremiah’s (and Ezekiel’s) prophecy of the consequences of selective acceptance of prophetic guidance are set forth in subsequent chapters.
These are thoughts I’ve been having for weeks and you’ve articulated them so well. I’ve wondered how and why these opposing, murmuring, deceived voices (on many different issues) occur within our ranks. One answer came from a recent talk by a friend who is a bishop. He said in his experience, he has never seen someone begin murmuring/sowing seeds of apostasy/being led astray etc. if they are consistently saying morning and evening prayers, feasting on the scriptures daily, attending all their church meetings, attending the temple frequently and holding family prayer/scripture study/FHE. He said he simply has not seen people go the opposite direction or be led away on strange paths while they’re consistently doing all the things that keep us close to the spirit. He just doesn’t see it happen.
With all the events swirling around that you discussed above, I’m all the more grateful to have the opportunity in a few days to raise my hand and sustain prophets, seers and revelators with all of my heart, and welcome/follow their inspired counsel.
I have had the very sad experience of watching those who were my greatest inspiration allow themselves to be led down the path to apostasy. They have not been led by another individual, but by a few innocent-seeming false beliefs that have now escalated beyond imagination. Although they pray more than the anyone else I know, they began by discounting a FEW of the words of the prophets, then slowly proceeded to disbelieve more and more until they now disbelieve the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. Sadly, they still believe that they are strong members of the church, but believe that no one is above them so they will not listen to the counsel of their leaders or their loved ones. The only good that has thus far come from this tragedy is that I now know that there are three pillars of revelation–all three of which MUST be diligently heeded if we are to continue in the correct path. These are: 1) Personal revelation through the spirit of God, 2) the scriptures, which give us the Word of God through prophets of old, and 3) the words of modern apostles and prophets who teach us God’s will for us today. Lacking one or more of these guides, our lives will quickly become unbalanced and we will wander lost in midsts of darkness. I do not and will not give up hope for them, but I am so sad for them and pray for their eventual return to light and truth.
My dad’s sayings were (are): “If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail” (oh, we hated that!!) and “I’d rather be a part of the solution than the problem” (when we complained about having to be on time when no one else was and nothing was starting- I know you’ve posted about that).
More to the point of this article…The law of unintended consequences always plays a role in human affairs, because we can’t see the end from the beginning. Even those of us who are well-meaning often think we know just what will work and head off saying “this way!”, but nothing turns out the way we think it will because of human weakness and others’ agency and our own inability to anticipate changes along the way. Isn’t it great that our leaders (prophets, seers, and revelators) have a direct line to someone who does see the end from the beginning and can make everything work toward his purposes?
I love that you have a saying that will be etched on your tombstone. My dad passed 14 years ago and he had many sayings that I hear quite frequently in my head. I love it!!! You kids will say the same thing to their kids, as you probably have parentisms of your own. Now, how can I work this into my Sunday School lesson…..I need to mingle in a little philosophy. 😉