Elder Thomas S. Monson, Part One: The Return of Edwin Markham

 For Part Two, Part Three, Part Four or Part Five, click the link to jump.

 

For those who suspect I am biased, I freely, fully admit it.

I love all the apostles' talks. I do.

But I extra-special love Elder Monson...who eventually became President Monson. His talks were always full of stories and poems. He was a reader, and even as a small child I could tell.

In this series, we're going over Elder Thomas S. Monson's talk, "With Hand and Heart", from the October 1971 General Conference. The first of five references he gave in this talk was the following about serving other as Christ serves, and avoiding the all-too human tendency to talk ourselves out of it:

 

 The Quote (with context)

"Time passes. Circumstances change. Conditions vary. 

Unaltered is the divine command to succor the weak 

and lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees. 

Each of us has the charge to be not a doubter, but a doer; 

not a leaner, but a lifter. 

But our complacency tree has many branches,

and each spring more buds come into bloom. 

Often we live side by side but do not communicate heart to heart. 

There are those within the sphere of our own influence who, with outstretched hands, cry out: 

“Is there no balm in Gilead … ?” (Jer. 8:22) 

Each of us must answer.

Edwin Markham observed:

“There is a destiny that makes us brothers;

None goes his way alone:

All that we send into the lives of others

Comes back into our own.”

—“A Creed”"

 

I also love that he gives good references usually. I found this poem right away. 

There's a second verse that goes with the first. The whole poem is below:

 

A Creed

By Edwin Markham

There is a destiny that makes us brothers:
None goes his way alone:
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.

I care not what his temples or his creeds,
One thing holds firm and fast
That into his fateful heap of days and deeds
The soul of man is cast.

 

For a throwback to another Edwin Markham post we've encountered before, here's the link.

I couldn't have timed that throwback better if I tried - happy Thanksgiving everyone! Grateful for all of you!