Elder Joseph B. Wirthin

I can't believe Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin passed away. He was my mom's favorite. Every time an apostle dies I get this "oh my gosh- our world will miss your strength" feeling.

I know it is all a part of the plan. I know the apostles are called of God. They were prepared for us to lead us and guide us in these last days. I know there is another faithful servant who will soon be called to the quorum of the twelve. I am so grateful that the Lord's work is continuous and forever the same. We will miss you Elder Wirthlin. I will miss your words.

Here is an excerpt from a talk he gave at BYU-Idaho when I was attending school there. I will always remember this talk and how I felt he was talking directly to me:

"If you have ever felt inadequate, if you have ever felt that you don’t have the inherent capacity of others, if you have ever felt that no matter how hard you try, you are never good enough, I have a word of advice for you.

Your life is not a race.

You are not competing against anyone else for entrance into the presence of our Heavenly Father.

The plan of salvation is not a reality show where you have to beat out other contestants to win.

I have more good news. As long as you seek to grow closer to your Heavenly Father and your hearts and spirits are contrite - as long as you repent and strive in faith to overcome weaknesses - you will be rewarded by our Heavenly Father.

Our purpose in this life is to fill our minds with all truth and our hearts with the Spirit of the Lord that we may become more holy and, more like those great souls who preceded us. As we learn and apply the principles of the Gospel in our lives, the atonement of the Savior will cleanse us of iniquity enabling us to live in peace and righteousness in this world and in glory throughout the worlds to come.

Our task is not in one day to become perfect, but to grow a little more perfect every day. Even if it’s only a small step, the important thing is that we keep walking forward, each day getting a little closer to our glorious destination." ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

“A More Excellent Way”
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Man of Excellence Fireside
February 13, 2005

My favorite line in this talk was: "The plan of salvation is not a reality show where you have to beat out other contestants to win."

I hate reality shows

HERE is his last conference talk "Come What May, and Love it."