"Good. The Lord Needs You."

I was saddened at the end of my day on Tuesday to hear that Elder Wirthlin had passed away. It's strange to have all these great men move on to the next stage of life. Elder Wirthlin was sustained an apostle in the October conference following my birth. I just found that out this week. It put a new perspective on it for me that he's been an apostle for as long as I have been alive.

I had an opportunity to meet Elder Wirthlin once. About 12 years ago in Yuma, there was a Tri-Stake conference and he was the presiding authority there. I had just sent my mission papers in and was awaiting my call. I don't remember much about the conference except that I was singing in a special choir and we sang a wonderful arrangement of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief". I don't even remember what Elder Wirthlin said. After the conference was over he stood on the stand for a very long time to shake the hands of any of the members that came up to greet him. I hopped in line with one of my friend's younger brother, who was about 12 years old. Now we all know I'm short and I have a baby face. That was made very evident to me as this deacon and I approached Elder Wirthlin. A smile lit up his face and he said "Oh the deacons have come to see me!" I kind of laughed and said "He's a deacon, but I'm not. I just sent in my mission papers." He started to laugh pretty hard - harder than I thought apostles were allowed to laugh - and then he sobered up and grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me straight in the eye and said "Good. The Lord needs you." We spoke for another few seconds and I moved on.

I've been thinking about that one comment from him. "The Lord needs you." That doesn't just apply to me as a missionary back in 1996. It applies to me now as a member missionary, a worthy husband, a loving father, an honest person... the list could go on. "The Lord needs you." It doesn't even strictly apply to me. It goes for everyone. In these latter days the Lord does need us. He needs us to stand up for the right things in a world that is saturated with evil. He needs us to push forth in honesty when the world thrives on lies and misleading others. He needs us to be examples of the Savior for those who have no idea how to be a decent person anymore because they never learned. He needs us to be charitable and kind in a world that values things of the earth more than the things of heaven. He needs us to be the good in a world that calls good evil and evil good.

We often think about how much we need the Lord, but we rarely think about how much the Lord needs us to push forth his work. It is easy to think sometimes that "The Lord will make it happen - whether I am involved or not". Maybe you are the one key person that will make that difference in a person's life by doing your home or visiting teaching, by teaching a lesson in Sunday School or by simply showing the pure love of Christ to a person who is down. We don't know what impact we will have on those around us by the small and simple things that we do, but remember - the Lord has us do those things for Him because He needs us to.

For the record, I need the Lord. I probably weary Him with my constant prayers for my wife, children, and extended family. There is not a day that goes by where I am not thinking about how much I need the Lord. There are very few days that go by with me thinking about how much the Lord needs me. Of all the words I ever heard Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin speak, the greatest lesson I ever learned from him was found in five simple words - "Good. The Lord needs you."

I have a firm testimony of the calling of Elder Wirthlin as an apostle of Jesus Christ. The Lord always calls those that He needs most, and I believe that with Elder Wirthlin. He was a fantastic man that will be sorely missed by me at the next General Conference. At the same time, I am excited to see who the Lord needs most to fill Elder Wirthlin's shoes. I know that whoever that man is will be called of God and be there to testify that Jesus is the Christ and that he lives. I love my Savior - especially during this time of year. My heart is filled with gratitude for the things I see around me. I love this Gospel and the truths found within it. This is the Lord's work. "No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing." It is so evident in everything we see. I leave this testimony of my Savior and of the lesson that I was taught many years ago, and I do so in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.