Who Are Your Heroes?

            It is essential that we choose our heroes wisely. Some children choose heroes with power – Superman, Spiderman, and Wonder Woman come to mind. Some choose great athletes – think Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretsky. Some choose actors or music legends. Hopefully, some choose great men and women from the scriptures – Captain Moroni, Helaman, and Esther come to mind. Today is solemn day when I remember one of my heroes – the Prophet Joseph Smith.

            Joseph was a young man of fourteen years old when he read a scripture and made a decision that would change his life and the lives of millions of other people. The back story is that there was a religious revival in the area with preachers inviting people to join their church. Joseph was confused about which church he should join and wondered how anyone could discern the truth from all the religious claims being made. One day Joseph was reading in the Bible and came across this scripture in James 1:5-6:

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

            Joseph later wrote that the scripture entered his mind and heart with great power, and he determined that he would seek wisdom from God. He went to a place in the woods and knelt in prayer – his first attempt to pray vocally. As he struggled to make his wishes known, he saw a “pillar of light exactly over [his] head, above the brightness of the sun.” This light “descended gradually until it fell upon [him].” These are the Prophet’s words: “When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other – This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith – History 1:16-17).

            When Joseph recovered from his shock, he remembered the purpose for his prayer. He asked the Personages which church he should join and was told to join none of them. He was also told that God a work for him to do. This visionary experience took place on a beautiful spring day in early 1820, and Joseph spent the rest of his life doing the Lord’s work.

            Joseph and his brother Hyrum were killed in the Carthage, Illinois, jail while under the alleged protection of the governor of Illinois. John Taylor was in the jail at the time of martyrdom and was severely injured. The following paragraph is part of a larger statement made by Taylor about the two brothers as found in Doctrine and Covenants 135.

3 Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!

            Joseph and Hyrum were murdered in cold blood because of religious prejudice and persecution. Both were law-abiding citizens of the United States and should have been protected by the laws and officials of Illinois. However, hate of people who believed differently drove the mobs to kill them.

I feel certain that the mobs thought that they could destroy the church founded by Joseph. However, members of the church were not disciples of Joseph Smith. They were disciples of Jesus Christ and members of His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I look forward to meeting Joseph and Hyrum Smith when I pass to the other side of the veil. I expect that there will be many people who will be shocked when they discover the greatness of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He is a hero to me and to millions of people who accepted the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.