Small and Simple
Small and Simple
Small and Simple
Elder Bednar Teaches Women the Spiritual Pattern of Small and Simple
Things
4 MAY 2011
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ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
He taught the importance of vital spiritual patterns, such as, "By small
and simple things are great things bought to pass" (Alma 37:6).
things that are right before God will bring forth extraordinary results." —Elder
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Women's Conference.
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women in the Church an important spiritual pattern: “By small and simple
things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6), during the Brigham
Young University Women’s Conference on April 29, 2011. The scripture was
Elder Bednar began by reading Doctrine and Covenants 52:14 and then
productive pursuits, activities, and jobs. Patterns help to avoid waste and
unwanted deviations and facilitate uniformity that is appropriate and
beneficial.”
Elder Bednar taught that vital spiritual patterns are evident in the life of
the Savior, the scriptures, and the teachings of living prophets and apostles.
“These spiritual patterns are now and always have been important aids to
discernment and sources of direction and protection for faithful Latter-day
Saints,” he said.
Among the powerful patterns the Lord uses to advance His work, Elder
Bednar explained, is the pattern taught in Alma 37:6: “By small and simple
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results that occur quickly and all at once,” Elder Bednar said. “Consider, for
example, all of the money spent on lottery tickets. Recall the claims of
advertising messages you have received that pledge immediate weight loss,
instant health, fast hair growth, and a more youthful appearance in just 14
days. We are bombarded constantly with messages from a multiplicity of
‘one by one,’” (3 Nephi 11:15) Elder Bednar taught. “He enables us to learn
‘line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little’ (2 Nephi
—of simple and small things,” Elder Bednar said. “Brothers and sisters, we
should find great comfort in the fact that ordinary people who faithfully,
diligently, and consistently do simple things that are right before God will
bring forth extraordinary results.”
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He then shared three examples illustrating the truth of the pattern of “by
The first was the personal story of Gustavus Adolphus Perry, the first
ancestor of Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to join
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Gustavus; his wife, Eunice;
and their seven children heard the message of the restored gospel in 1830
and were baptized in 1832. Over the following years they gathered with the
Saints in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and then the Salt Lake Valley.
Elder Bednar then quoted Elder Perry, who said: “The number
overwhelmed me. I could not believe that there could be more than 10,000
The second example Elder Bednar shared was of Luke Syphus and
Christiana Long, who are among Elder Bednar’s forebears and who joined the
During their five-month voyage, the Syphuses became good friends with
another couple, Joseph and Adelaide Ridges, who were likewise immigrating
to Australia from their native England. When the ship arrived at its destination
in April of 1853, the Syphus and Ridges families lived and worked together at
Pennant Hills, approximately 15 miles northwest of Sydney.
During their journey from England, the Ridges had grown to admire the
Syphuses for their good habits, kindness, strength, and devotion. Luke
loaned Joseph a copy of the Book of Mormon and a text of the teachings of
Elder Orson Pratt. Both Joseph and Adelaide ultimately became convinced of
the truthfulness of the gospel and were baptized in 1853.
and some 100 others boarded the vessel and set sail for Utah.
Upon arriving in California, the families loaded the organ in a wagon and
hauled it across the desert by mule team. They arrived in Salt Lake City in
June of 1857. Brother Ridges installed the small organ in the old adobe
tabernacle on Temple Square, where the Assembly Hall now stands. That
simple instrument was the forerunner of a great organ Brother Ridges later
built—the organ for the Tabernacle on Temple Square. That instrument would
take more than 10 years to construct and would eventually have two manuals,
27 pedals, 35 stops, and approximately 2,000 pipes—and would measure 20
feet long by 30 feet wide by 40 feet high (6m by 9m by 12m). It would
become, Elder Bednar said, “one of the iconic symbols of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
This example also shows the “profound spiritual pattern” of small and
simple things bringing great things to pass, Elder Bednar said. “Acts of
The third example Elder Bednar shared came from his own life. After
Elder Bednar completed his studies at Purdue University, the Bednar family
moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas. “Susan and I were excited to learn if life truly
existed after graduate school,” Elder Bednar said. “We anticipated with great
excitement the adventure of a new start for our family in a wonderful
community.”
But one day, one of their sons came home from school and reported
that several children had told him that they could not play with him at recess
because “he was a Mormon and not a Christian.” He wanted to know why
“We simply told him that they did not know much about our beliefs and
“In the months and years that followed, this son and his two brothers,
along with a small number of other Latter-day Saint youth who lived in the
area, endeavored to be good examples as they participated in a wide range
were quite normal, fun-loving, and often rambunctious boys. But our boys did
strive to live the gospel and to be examples of the believers ‘in word, in
conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity’ (1 Timothy 4:12). They
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play were expected. And they did not participate in activities or events that
would compromise their standards.”
As their sons progressed through junior high and high school, Elder and
Sister Bednar were intrigued to learn that the parents of their sons’ friends
would frequently ask their children if the Bednar boys were going to attend a
party or some other activity.
“Interestingly, if the answer were yes, then those parents would permit
their children to attend,” Elder Bednar said. “If the answer were no, then many
parents often would not allow their children to participate. We continue to
cherish the associations and friendships we developed with the parents of our
sons’ friends—good and God-fearing men and women who were not
where Elder Bednar became president of Ricks College, now Brigham Young
occurred. I then asked for his help. He responded that he gladly would be of
assistance.
Christ of Latter-day Saints and requested that he read it. I explained to him
that since I would no longer be in a position to explain our beliefs and defend
our Church, I needed him to do so. I invited him to become a defender of our
Elder Bednar’s friend agreed and then said this: “We have been
watching the LDS kids in the schools over the years, and we all know that you
an elementary school playground and the taunting of a little LDS boy because
he allegedly was not a Christian to an acknowledgement by prominent
handful of young men and young women lived the gospel in small and simple
and ordinary ways. On countless occasions when many other youth used
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behavior, these young disciples did not. On countless occasions many when
other youth turned inward through self-centeredness and selfishness, these
young disciples often turned outward with compassion and in service. No big
results occurred quickly or all at once. Rather, by small and simple things,
trickle irrigation, in which water is applied in a more focused and frequent way
than with other methods, providing “a high moisture level in the soil wherein
plants can flourish,” said Elder Bednar.
“In like manner, if you and I are focused and frequent in receiving
consistent drops of spiritual nourishment, then gospel roots can sink deep
into our soul, can become firmly established and grounded, and can produce
extraordinary and delicious fruit,” he said.
The spiritual pattern of small and simple things bringing forth great
things produces firmness and steadfastness, deepening devotion, and more
complete conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel, Elder Bednar
explained.
things over time is far more effective [and] far less dangerous and produces
far better results.”
additional scriptures showing the principle “by small and simple things are
great things brought to pass,” including Doctrine and Covenants 64:33 and
123:16–17.
evil and evil is called good, in a world that puts darkness for light and light for
darkness (see 2 Nephi 15:20), you can be blessed with ‘the hope of
righteousness’ (Galatians 5:5), ‘the light of the Lord’ (Isaiah 2:5), and
He concluded with his witness that Jesus Christ lives and is the Light
and Life of the world.
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