President Howard W. Hunter on the power of quiet service

President Howard W. Hunter (1907-1995) was called to the Quorum of Twelve in 1959.  He served as Church President for only nine months, from June 5, 1994 to his death on March 3, 1995.

"I think we should be aware that there can be a spiritual danger to those who misunderstand the singularity of always being in the spotlight. They may come to covet the notoriety and thus forget the significance of the service being rendered. As students, you are at a crucial juncture in your lives when life-shaping judgments are made and future courses set. You must not allow yourselves to focus on the fleeting light of popularity or substitute that attractive glow for the substance of true, but often anonymous labor that brings the attention of God even if it does not get coverage on the six o'clock news. In fact, applause and attention can become the spiritual Achilles' heel of even the most gifted among us....

"At times of attention and visibility it might also be profitable for us to answer the question Why do we serve? When we understand why, we won't be concerned about where we serve....

"If you feel that much of what you do this year or in the years to come does not make you very famous, take heart. Most of the best people who ever lived weren't very famous either. Serve and grow, faithfully and quietly. Be on guard regarding the praise of men."

- Howard W. Hunter, "No Less Serviceable," BYU fireside address, September 2, 1990; see also Ensign April 1992, pp. 64-67
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"Always being in the spotlight" may not happen to many of us. But sometimes even a brief time in that position, due to an assignment or calling, can have impact or present challenge as President Hunter describes. In this address to college-age students, President Hunter shared cautions about their motivations for life decisions. How important for us to remember that "true, but often anonymous labor that brings the attention of God even if it does not get coverage on the six o'clock news." It's vitally important to remember which of those two options is more important!

On the other hand, perhaps most of us fall in the category of having passed many years in quiet service without having become "very famous" through that time. I love the gentle reminder that "most of the best people who ever lived weren't very famous either." So we just go on serving and growing in faithfulness; the attention that really matters is being noted in heaven as we bless lives on earth.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2017)