The Messages of Elder Hales

In his last general conference talk in April, Elder Hales spoke about being disciples of the Savior.  He said, “Disciples live so that the characteristics of Christ are woven into the fiber of their beings, as into a spiritual tapestry….  Brothers and sisters, now more than ever, we cannot be a ‘part-time disciple’! We cannot be a disciple on just one point of doctrine or another. The constellation of characteristics that result from faith in Christ… are all necessary to our standing strong in these last days.”  How fitting it is that he would speak on this topic in his last address because he was such a powerful example to all of us of discipleship.  We’ve seen in him his great faith and humility and perseverance as he has passed through difficult physical challenges over the past several years.  As Elder Nelson put it in his funeral today, “[With] the humility and devotion of a disciple of the Lord, Elder Hales has completed his life’s mission in a most exemplary way. He has passed the tests of mortality and returned home with highest honors.”      

               As I think about the conference talks that Elder Hales has given over the years, there are a few that stand out to me.  In the same spirit as the talk on discipleship, he gave an address several years back on Being a More Christian Christian.  The way I remember it the message was, “Stop worrying about whether other people classify you as Christian.  Just focus on being more Christlike.”  What he actually said, after giving evidence of our Christianity as a Church, was this: “Can there be any doubt or disputation that we, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are Christian? Yet for every Christian, a simple question remains: what kind of Christians are we? In other words, how are we doing in our quest to follow Christ?”  Another talk that has stuck with me through the years was one he gave on provident living.  He shared a story about when he wanted to buy his wife “a fancy coat to show [his] love and appreciation for our many happy years together.”  He recounted what happened this way, “When I asked what she thought of the coat I had in mind, she replied with words that again penetrated my heart and mind. ‘Where would I wear it?’ she asked. (At the time she was a ward Relief Society president helping to minister to needy families.)”  The lesson for me was simply that just because you may have the money to buy something doesn’t mean you should; living providently means being more concerned about helping others with your means than satisfying your own desires.  Finally, another recent talk is one that was prophetic and will surely be looked back upon as such at some future day.  He warned us, “In recent decades the Church has largely been spared the terrible misunderstandings and persecutions experienced by the early Saints. It will not always be so. The world is moving away from the Lord faster and farther than ever before.”  His messages have taught us to prepare for the future, whatever challenges the days ahead may hold for us, by being humble followers of the Savior.  He has shown by example how do to that, and his messages of love and encouragement will surely be missed in the general conferences to come!  We can say of him as it was said of King Mosiah, he has “gone the way of all the earth; having warred a good warfare, walking uprightly before God” (Alma 1:1).