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Wilford
Woodruff's Annual Self-Evaluation
By Davis Bitton
Wilford Woodruff had an interesting
way of looking back over the previous year and summarizing his
activities. Before looking at this end-of-year exercise, let us
peek in for a moment at a day in 1837.
It is 9 April 1937. Woodruff goes
to the House of the Lord, the new Kirtland Temple, for worship.
John Smith preaches a sermon based on 2 Nephi 12. Heber C. Kimball
and Orson Pratt give remarks. Sidney Rigdon speaks about the Saints'
financial situation. (The meeting isn't over yet. I think they
had longer attention spans in those days.)
Then Joseph Smith gives a powerful
address. I picture Wilford, sitting on the edge of his bed that
night, dipping a quill pen in ink as he tries to capture for his
journal what he had heard.
Joseph arose and like the lion
of the tribe of Judah he poured out his soul in the midst of
the congregation of the Saints. But who can find language to
write his words and teachings as with an iron pen in a rock
that they may stand for future generations to look upon. A fountain
of knowledge rolled from his mouth to the people, which was
the word of God.
There is not a greater man than
Joseph standing in this generation. The gentiles look upon him
and he is to them like [a] bed of gold concealed from human
view. They know not his principle, his spirit, his wisdom, virtue,
philanthropy, nor his calling. His mind like Enoch's swells
wide as eternity. Nothing short of a God can comprehend his
soul.
I remember when first reading this
passage many years ago I thought to myself: "My own testimony
is another matter. But I am thoroughly convinced that Wilford
Woodruff had a powerful testimony of Joseph Smith's prophetic
calling."
As his monumental journal marches
through the years from his conversion in 1834 to his death in
1898, Woodruff often wrapped up his activities of the previous
twelve months in a kind of quantitative analysis. Here is part
of his summary for 1837:
Miles traveled: 2,350
Meetings held: 108
Churches planted: 3
Persons baptized: 21
Healings through administration: 5
Children blessed: 2
Letters sent: 30
Letters received: 13
It is a bare-bones, quantitative
listing. In principle, the details could be looked up in the journal
itself. Does such an evaluation have any use for us? I do not
suggest, and I am sure Wilford Woodruff did not believe, that
God would count points in judging us. But Woodruff wanted to get
down to hard facts and figures. Not for him vague generalizations.
I don't know which of our activities
might be worth considering in these terms. Meetings? Hours of
television-watching? Movies? Pizzas? Sports events attended?
Since letters of the traditional
kind are fewer now, would email messages sent and received be
of any interest? Books read? Prayers? Ordinances? Acts of service?
We may not choose to reduce any of our activities to numbers,
but just thinking in these terms forces us to evaluate what is
of real importance and what is transitory.
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