Since we live in and “...you young people are being raised in enemy territory,” it would be good for all of us to memorize the poem about the “old crow.” Remember when we used to play that tickle game "here comes the old crow," as infants? I remember my Grandfather, JR Price playing the same game with me. To refresh here is the poem;
The old crow is getting slow.
The young crow is not.
Of what the young crow does not know
The old crow knows a lot.
At knowing things the old crow
Is still the young crow’s master.
What does the slow old crow not know?
—How to go faster.
The young crow flies above, below,
And rings around the slow old crow.
What does the fast young crow not know?
—Where to go.
(The cost of a the hard back book containing this and other poems on Amazon is $92.56 so it has great monetary value as well.)
Shirlyn and I love the paragraph where Elder Packer admits that he, like most of us “...did not then have a firm testimony that the gospel was true, but I knew that my seminary teachers, Abel S. Rich and John P Lillywhite, knew it was true. I heard them testify, and I believed them.” I hope that like Elder Packer, all of my grandchildren will be able to lean on the testimonies of their seminary teachers until they gain a testimony for themselves.
We see that happening in the seminaries of the smallest branches of the Church we visit in Brasil. Some of the teachers here have only been out of seminary a few years when they are called to be seminary teachers at an early age. They are giving the youth the opportunity to lean on them.
The principle that Elder Packer teaches about gaining help from the promptings of the Holy Ghost is Family Home Evening material. The fact that the help we receive is most often a feeling rather than the actual sound of a voice. We receive those feelings whenever we are open to truth being offered and if we are not past feeling, we will feel his words. I testify to you, that that experience will be important to everyone of you.
We all make mistakes as part of our passage through life, “...but you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Spirit. This promise applies to all members of the Church.” Sometimes when you have made a mistake, hindsight helps you to recognize when the prompting was given but that you used your own wisdom to make a choice which turned out wrong.
Here are some points to ponder for your next days and weeks of challenges:
- Dress Modestly
- Talk Reverently
- Listen to Uplifting Music
- Avoid All Immorality
- Avoid All Personally Degrading Practices
- Take Hold of Your Life
- Order Yourself to be Valiant
And for all you “Young Crows,” listen to this promise from a Prophet. “You can look forward to doing it right—getting married, having a family, seeing your children and grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren.”
- Can you “play” the new Old Crow game by reciting the poem from memory?
- As a young person, what does the poem indicate for your benefit?
1 comment:
As you already mentioned the remarks that he made that stayed with me, I'll just admit that as a former Seminary Teacher it did my heart good to hear an Apostle of the Lord recite the names of his two Seminary Teachers of his youth by heart, and relate how their teachings and testimonries influenced him for many years after he graduated from Seminary. I wondered if any of my former students ever relied on my Testimony while they were building their own. Because we are in charge of the training for the Semiinary and Institute Professors here in our area of Brasil, it made me want to reinforce to them and their District and Branch leaders the importance of the Seminary and Institute program for the youth ages 13 to 30. These "School's of the Prophet's" help train future Missionaries, future Eternal Marriages & Families, future Church Leaders and Teachers.
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