“So be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we.”

Jeffrey R. Holland

As always, I loved gathering this weekend with saints from around the world to watch General Conference and hear the voice of our prophet, Russell M. Nelson. In the opening talk, an apostle, Ulisses Soares said, “I testify to you that we will have the privilege of hearing the voice of our Savior, Jesus Christ, through the teachings of those who pray, sing, and speak to the needs of our day in this conference.” I add my testimony that I did indeed hear the Lord’s voice, and feel His spirit, during General Conference, and feel blessed and strengthened to go forward in faith to do what He wants me to do.

I’m truly grateful for the blessing of prophets. I’ve been a member of the church for over 40 years. The first prophet I remember clearly is Spencer W. Kimball; he was the prophet when I was a teenager.  I loved that cute, little-old-raspy-voiced man so much. In 1985, when President Benson became the Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, I worked in a hair salon.  None of the ladies I worked with were members of the church, and they were interested in this news.  One of them asked, “Why in the world did they choose someone so old?” It wasn’t the time or place for a serious discussion about the calling of a prophet, so I simply replied, “It takes a really long time to become that good.”

I’ve felt a powerful witness, from the Holy Ghost, of each of the prophets that I’ve sustained and loved. At every General Conference, I’ve listened to a prophet of God speak and felt his goodness and faith. I have complete confidence they were and are great men, humble and full of love, called by God to be His prophets. I’ve read biographies of some of them. They were normal kids, teenagers, young adults. They made mistakes, struggled sometimes, and in every way, were human, like the rest of us.  They were also exceptional in their faith and steadfastness. They studied, served, held to the rod, and step by step, line upon line, grew into the wonderful, Christlike men called to be leaders of the Lord’s church. Since the beginning, God has called amazingly good, though imperfect, men to be His prophets. Only Jesus Christ was perfect, yet I’ve heard people ridicule prophets because of imperfection. Yes, they made mistakes, (did we think they never would?) but none that would lead us astray.

“The Church of Jesus Christ has always been led by living prophets and apostles. Though mortal and subject to human imperfection, the Lord’s servants are inspired to help us avoid obstacles that are spiritually life threatening and to help us pass safely through mortality to our final, ultimate, heavenly destination.” M. Russell Ballard

Joseph Smith died for the gospel of Jesus Christ, after physically and emotionally suffering for it nearly his entire life. He saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, in a grove of trees, when he was only 14 years old. He was young and uneducated.  He was asked to do things he had absolutely no idea how to do. Of course, he did some of them imperfectly. He humbly and openly admitted his own weakness. He was martyred at age 38. In the years between age 14 and 38, Joseph Smith blessed us with Christ’s Church restored once again to the earth, with all the ordinances and covenants associated with it, including the temple. He gave us The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, other scripture, The Articles of Faith, a clearer understanding of the nature of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, and his own testimony, sealed with his blood. All this and more, but many look for his imperfections, letting them cast doubts over the great good that he accomplished in his short, pain-filled lifespan.

It’s impossible to correctly judge and interpret events which took place during a different era, and in a different location and cultural climate, than the one in which we currently live.  It’s the latter days—light and truth are coming forth at an amazing rate. (It’s astounding that it’s only been 30 years since the World Wide Web!)  Judging those from the past by our knowledge, understanding, and limited point of view will always bring error.

Ancient prophets weren’t perfect either, yet God called them and was patient with them.  Moses tried to talk God out of calling him because of his weaknesses.  Jonah tried to run away from God. Jacob caused contention by choosing favorites among his children. The Brother of Jared got a severe talking-to for forgetting to call on God.  Lehi got really hangry when the bows broke. And on and on. Yet, look what each of them became, accomplished, shared with the world through their testimonies of the Savior.

“Too many people think Church leaders and members should be perfect or nearly perfect. They forget that the Lord’s grace is sufficient to accomplish His work through mortals. Our leaders have the best intentions, but sometimes we make mistakes. This is not unique to Church relationships, as the same thing occurs in our relationships among friends, neighbors, and workplace associates and even between spouses and in families.

“Looking for human weakness in others is rather easy. However, we make a serious mistake by noticing only the human nature of one another and then failing to see God’s hand working through those He has called.” M. Russell Ballard

The men who lead the church today include a famous heart surgeon, a Utah state supreme court justice, successful businessmen, a lawyer, a university professor, former college and university presidents, and many who have doctorate degrees. They travel all over the world, including a recent trip to Rome, Italy, for the dedication of the temple. They meet with government and religious leaders, from all over the world, and are well aware of the current issues in the world. They visit disaster areas and members of the church everywhere. We are blessed to be led by these energetic, wise, and dedicated men of God.  

Although my commitment, since joining the church, to keep the commandments and follow the prophet hasn’t spared me the trails and heartaches of life, it has blessed me with safety and peace. We aren’t perfect.  Leaders aren’t perfect.  Even Prophets aren’t perfect.  This is no surprise to Heavenly Father. One day, with the Savior’s grace, we can become perfect.  Until then, we practice patience.