Good in Their Places

When Brigham Young was struggling with how to respond to Saints in 1849 who wanted to leave Salt Lake for the California gold, he had a dream in which he saw the Prophet Joseph.  He saw that the Prophet was “driving a large herd of sheep and goats a few miles north of Salt Lake City.  Some of these animals were large and beautiful; others were small and dirty.  President Young remembered looking into his friend’s eyes and laughing, just as he had often done when Joseph Smith was alive. ‘Joseph,’ he said, ‘you have got the darndest flock … I ever saw in my life; what are you going to do with them?’  The Prophet, who seemed unconcerned about his mixed flock, said simply: ‘They are all good in their places.’”  The lesson he learned from this was that with all the different members of the Church who had various backgrounds and levels of commitment, Brigham’s “responsibility was to accept them all—goats as well as sheep—and help them realize their potential in the Kingdom” (see here). 

                I really like this story.  I think it highlights the need for us to accept people’s level of commitment to the gospel as it is while encouraging them to “realize their potential.”  It’s easy for us to judge in our minds, saying that this or that person is not living up to this or that commandment.  But our place as members is to encourage progress on the path wherever people are on that path.  I see examples of this kind of attitude in the scriptures.  For example, Nephi told us about his people: “And it came to pass that they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power” (2 Nephi 5:18).  Nephi clearly believed that it was not ideal to have a king, and yet he allowed it because it would help him bring his people along.  Mormon was another prophet who did all he could to lead his people lovingly despite their gross problems.  He became the leader of the Nephite armies at the age of 15 and sought to help them even though there was great wickedness among them (see Mormon 2:2).  Mormon showed great love to his people and “did urge them with great energy, that they would stand boldly before the Lamanites and fight for their wives, and their children, and their houses, and their homes” (Mormon 2:23).  He knew he wouldn’t get far by lecturing them to keep the Sabbath or pay their tithing, but he did seek to increase their level of goodness (which was very low) by trying to motivate to at least fight for the right causes.  Even though this people did not ultimately repent and turn to God, they did feel they could trust him as their leader or shepherd: “They gave me command again of their armies, for they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions” (Mormon 5:1).  A final example of these kinds of leaders is the sons of Mosiah.  Their brethren saw the Lamanites as lost and unrecoverable, telling them, “Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers, as stiffnecked a people as they are” (Alma 26:24).  But the sons of Mosiah accepted the Lamanites for who they were, served them without condemning them, and ultimately were able to lift them to higher ground.  If their first words to the Lamanites had been to condemn their behavior they wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.

I think that this is also how the Savior treats us.  He takes us where we are and is always trying to lift us to a higher plane.  He told the early Saints, “Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth” (D&C 50:40).  He said something similar in another revelation: “And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along” (D&C 78:18).  The Lord indeed is the great Shepherd, and no matter what kind of goat or sheep we are He will lead us and lift us if we will be in His flock.