Strengthen Your Brethren

In the most recent general conference, Sister Annette Dennis told a touching story about a 100-year-old man named Orville Rogers. He was a participant in a 1500-meter race for seniors at the USA Masters Track and Field National Championship, and “when the starter pistol fired, the runners took off, with Orville settling immediately into last place, where he remained alone for the entire race, shuffling along very slowly. [When] the last runner besides Orville finished, Orville still had two and a half laps to go. Nearly 3,000 spectators sat quietly watching him slowly make his way around the track—completely, silently, and uncomfortably alone.” But then as he neared the end, the crowd became engaged with this man’s quest to finish the race: “[But] when he began his final lap, the crowd rose to their feet, cheering and applauding. By the time he hit the homestretch, the crowd was roaring. With the cheering encouragement of thousands of spectators, Orville called on his last reserves of energy. The crowd erupted with delight as he crossed the finish line and was embraced by his competitors. Orville humbly and gratefully waved to the crowd and walked off the track with his new friends.” Despite the fact that he was last place, the crowd recognized the considerable accomplishment of finishing the race at his age. Sister Dennis commented, “Even though he always finished last, Orville broke five world records that day. No one watching him race would have believed that possible, but neither the spectators nor his competitors were the judges. Orville didn’t break any rules, and the officials didn’t lower any standards. He ran the same race and fulfilled the same requirements as all the other competitors. But his degree of difficulty—in this case, his age and limited physical capacity—was factored in by placing him in the 100-plus age division. And in that division, he broke five world records.” When his capacity was taken into account, he was a clear winner.

               Sister Dennis told this story to encourage us to cheer each other on no matter what our circumstances. We may be tempted to judge some for the fact that relative to others they do not seem to be doing well. But we do not understand the past experiences and trials and hidden struggles of others that may limit what they are able to do. So rather than criticizing we should encourage; rather than judging we should cheer on any effort, however small it may be. I love this injunction that the Lord gave to Lyman Sherman, “Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings” (Doctrine and Covenants 108:7). Our goal should always be to strengthen and lift others in our words, prayers, and actions. To Frederick G. Williams the Lord put it this way, “Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees” (Doctrine and Covenants 81:5). We should strive to succor and lift up and strengthen those around us who struggle and aren’t making the kind of progress others do.  President Holland once encouraged us to do this in these words, “As he went about preaching and teaching, [Christ] bound up all manner of wounds in the process. The verse summarizing all of this, coming just before the calling of the twelve apostles and their charge to do likewise, says: ‘And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.’ [Matthew 9:35]… Here in the shadow of the 21st century we are more often to face slightly more metaphysical sicknesses than those biblical ills of old like leprosy and consumption. On the example of the Savior himself and his call to his apostles, and with the need for peace and comfort ringing in our ears, I ask you to be a healer, be a helper, be someone who joins in the work of Christ in lifting burdens, in making the load lighter, in making things better.” The Lord needs us to heal and to help, to lift burdens and lighten loads of those He puts in our path.

               I have a memory from my mission of sitting on a park bench in Montpellier, France with my companion talking with a man named Philippe we would often see there. As we conversed, we saw another man who was traversing the park in a most awkward way, making the motions of a runner but moving at the speed of someone walking. Philippe exclaimed as he watched this man, “Il ne va pas gagner!” (“He’s not going to win!”) As I ponder that experience, I think Philippe was perhaps wrong; that man was not racing anyone but himself, and it may be that he was moving as fast as he could go despite what seemed to us to be a very slow pace. I’m reminded of other words from President Holland: “Brothers and sisters, I testify that no one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. I testify that He loves each of us—insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all. He doesn’t measure our talents or our looks; He doesn’t measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other.” We can each surely do more to cheer on all those around us who are striving in their own way to move in the direction that God wants them to go, even if their progress is painfully slow. With compassion instead of criticism and encouragement instead of judgment, we can—like the crowd at the Masters Championship—cheer on even those making the slowest progress.