The Teachings of President Hinckley

I’m excited this year to be able to study the teachings of President Hinckley.  I consider him the prophet of my youth, the only one I remember before President Monson, and I have fond memories of the way that he encouraged us to move forward in our lives with faith.  He had such a spirit of optimism, love, and determination, and you couldn’t but help be inspired when he spoke.  As I think about his teachings that had a great impact on me, two in particular come to mind: his emphasis on education and His witness that this is indeed the work of the Lord.  His life was one that embodied the Savior’s invitation to “seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” and his invitation to all of us was to do the same (Matt. 6:33). 

Part of seeking the kingdom of God, as President Hinckley taught us, means seeking to enable ourselves to serve by getting as much education as possible.  He emphasized this when he gave the famous “6 B’s” talk, telling us to “be smart.”  He taught, “You need all the education you can get. Sacrifice a car; sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world….  He wants you to train your minds and hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your lives. And as you do so and as you perform honorably and with excellence, you will bring honor to the Church, for you will be regarded as a man or woman of integrity and ability and conscientious workmanship.  Be smart.”  Growing up listening to him consistently teach this principle led me to follow his counsel and seek an education, and as I look back now I can see few choices I have made that blessed my life more than the one to follow his counsel to get as much education as I could get.  I was glad to see that in the new manual there is a chapter entitled Continue in the Great Process of Learning.  President Hinckley invited us to follow the Lord’s admonition to be educated: “Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118). 

The other teaching from President Hinckley that left a big impression on me was simply his witness of the truthfulness of the Restoration.  I remember in particular listening to one talk he gave in general conference that impressed me as I was nearing the end of my mission.  He spoke in a very biographical way and told of his close association with Church leaders for over 50 years, and given all of the things he could have said, this was the testimony that he left us: “I hope that all of you will remember that on this Sabbath day you heard me bear my witness that this is God’s holy work. The vision given the Prophet Joseph in the grove of Palmyra was not an imaginary thing. It was real. It occurred in the broad light of day. Both the Father and the Son spoke to the boy….  Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, the great Prophet of this dispensation. This Church, which carries the name of the Redeemer, is true.”  President Hinckley spent his whole life bearing witness of the Prophet Joseph, the Church that the Savior restored through him, and the reality of our Redeemer.  I know that my life was greatly blessed to have been able to grow up hearing his witness and teachings.