Only One Thing that Has Power Completely

In the novel Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton, a man named Msimangu explained to the main character Kumalo what happened as their black people sought power in a society where the white ruled in Johannesburg, South Africa: “Because the white man has power, we too want power. But when a black man gets power, when he gets money, he is a great man if he is not corrupted. I have seen it often. He seeks power and money to put right what is wrong, and when he gets them, why, he enjoys the power and the money. Now he can gratify his lusts, now he can arrange ways to get white man’s liquor, he can speak to thousands and hear them clap their hands. Some of us think when we have power, we shall revenge ourselves on the white man who has had power, and because our desire is corrupt, we are corrupted, and the power has no heart in it.” This statement echos the words of Joseph Smith from Liberty Jail who had seen many of his friends corrupted by the power they received in the church: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:39). In the world all too often we see that those who gain power are corrupted by it and use it for their own selfish gain instead of helping others as they originally intended. Lord Acton, a 19^th century British politician, famously put it this way: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

               Msiumangu continued with this powerful statement about where real power must come from: “But there is only one thing that has power completely, and that is love. Because when a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore he has power. I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men, desiring neither power nor money, but desiring only the good of their country, come together to work for it.” This again echoes the prophet’s words from Liberty Jail, particularly the final two verses of this same section in the Doctrine and Covenants: “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever” (v45-46). As we have charity and are pure, we shall have confidence before God and we shall indeed have a scepter of power stemming from our love and righteousness. We shall have a dominion—i.e. power—not because we have sought it and compelled others through our position or wealth, but “without compulsory means” it comes to us. If we truly want power, we must learn to truly love and live with righteousness. True power will come to us from God “by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile” (v41-42). That is how we can gain the power of God in our lives to bless and lead others. Mormon put it this way: “If ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever” (Moroni 7:46-47). In other words, without charity we have no true, lasting power. All earthly positions or accolades we gain will eventually fail and disappear; but if we have developed true charity in our hearts then this will endure forever as the greatest of all powers. All of these thoughts are a powerful reminder to me that if I want to help others make a change in their lives, especially when those are my children, I must seek not to control them but to love them with the pure love of Christ. Then, without compulsory means, they can indeed be led to change of their own volition.