President Henry B. Eyring on sustaining one another in service

President Henry B. Eyring (born May 31, 1933) served in the Presiding Bishopric from 1985-1992, as a Seventy from 1992-1995, then was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He has served in the First Presidency since 2007.

"For a leader to succeed in the Lord’s work, the people’s trust that he is called of God must override their view of his infirmities and mortal weaknesses...

"Your leader in the Lord’s Church may seem to you weak and human or may appear to you strong and inspired. The fact is that every leader is a mixture of those traits and more. What helps servants of the Lord who are called to lead us is when we can see them as the Lord did when He called them.

"The Lord sees His servants perfectly. He sees their potential and their future. And He knows how their very nature can be changed. He also knows how they can be changed by their experiences with the people they will lead....

"There is a thread that binds us to the Lord in our service. It runs from wherever we are called to serve in the kingdom, up through those called to preside over us in the priesthood, and to the prophet, who is bound to the Lord. It takes faith and humility to serve in the place to which we are called, to trust that the Lord called us and those who preside over us, and to sustain them with full faith."

- Henry B. Eyring, "The Lord Leads His Church," General Conference, October 2017
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

We've all had the experience in the Church at being surprised when a certain person was called to a certain assignment, wondering if they would be able to fulfill the responsibilities. Or, perhaps we've been the one called, and we've felt overwhelmed and inadequate to the task. President Eyring points out that we often see each other, or ourselves, and focus on the shortcomings; but the Lord sees us and focuses on the potential to grow and to do good. And He sees the growth that is needed to help us progress, that could come through that very calling.

The conclusion is that we must learn to trust in the process of callings, and know that regardless of the situation, there is much good that can come as we allow the Lord's hand to work through the established lines of authority.

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