'Creed of a Saint' - Church News
I would be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor.
I would visit the sick and afflicted and inspire in them a desire for faith to be healed.
I would teach the truth to the understanding and blessing of all mankind.
I would seek out the erring one and try to win him back to a righteous and happy life.
I would not seek to force people to live up to my ideals, but rather love them into doing the thing that is right.
I would live by the masses and help to solve their problems that their earth life may be happy.
I would avoid the publicity of high positions and discourage the flattery of thoughtless friends.
I would not knowingly wound the feelings of any, not even one who may have wronged me, but would seek to do him good and make him my friend.
I would overcome the tendency to selfishness and jealousy and rejoice in the success of all the children of my Heavenly Father.
I would not be an enemy to any living soul.
Knowing that the Redeemer of mankind has offered to the world the only plan that will fully develop us and make us really happy here and hereafter, I feel it not only a duty but a blessed privilege to disseminate the truth. (Elder George Albert Smith, Improvement Era, Vol. 5, March 1932, p. 295; paragraphing added).
Sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve during the October 1903 general conference, Elder George Albert Smith put in writing more than 76 years ago a personal creed by which to conduct his life. On May 21, 1945, he became the eighth president of the Church. Those closely associated with him knew that he lived by the creed he wrote until his death on April 4, 1951, his 81st birthday. While his creed never became official doctrine, it exemplifies ideal actions and deportment of Latter-day Saints. It became known as "The Creed of a Saint."
Having a personal creed is commendable. It reflects the kind of person we are and, perhaps more important, the kind of person we want to become.
If each of us were to write a creed, what would it contain? What are the ideals that are important and of value in our lives?
Most likely, the creed written by a child would be a bit different from those of an adult. A child might write, "I would sit by the new kid in class so he wouldn't be lonely," or "I would share my lunch with someone who doesn't have enough money to buy his own." An adult might use wording similar to Elder Smith's, "I would be a friend to the friendless and find joy in ministering to the needs of the poor."
A child might write, "I would not argue with my brothers and sisters." A parent might write, "I would be more patient as my children learn how to navigate their way through life."
The way we use words isn't important in composing our creed. What is important is how we live our lives.
In The Improvement Era article in which Elder Smith's creed was published, Bryant S. Hinckley wrote of him: "His interpretation of religion is a true index to his character. . . . It is not theory. It means more to him than a beautiful plan to be admired. It is more than a philosophy of life. To one of his practical turn of mind religion is the spirit in which a man lives, in which he does things, if it be only to say a kind word or give a cup of cold water. His religion must find expression in deeds. It must carry over into the details of daily life; it must manifest itself in the stern and rugged virtues which underlie all sound living; it compels him to make his practices square with his professions."
Each time a prophet or apostle speaks under guidance of the Spirit, we are given, as it were, a creed by which to live. More than once, President Gordon B. Hinckley has counseled members to be better husbands and wives, more loving parents and children, and to be more tolerant, neighborly and friendly. During the April 2000 general conference, he counseled: "Let us study the ways of the Lord, reading His life and teachings in the sacred scripture He has given us. Let us take a little time to meditate, to think of what we can do to improve our lives and to become better examples of what a Latter-day Saint should be."
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