RECENTLY, AT A church boys camp, I asked the question, “Who do you look up to?” Someone said, “my grandfather.” Another said, “my uncle.” And another said, “church leaders.”
Having a role model can help encourage us to be better. I personally have several people to whom I look up. One of the people is the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
No matter what your religious beliefs are, this almost 100-year-old man whom I revere as a prophet is a remarkable role model.
Russell M. Nelson was an Army captain while in a M.A.S.H. (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) unit in Korea. After the war, he helped develop the heart-lung machine, allowing the first open-heart operation. He performed the first open-heart surgery in Utah in 1955, at age 31. He was a surgeon for 35 years. He is an author, writing most recently the book, “Heart of the Matter: What 100 Years of Living Have Taught Me.”
He was given the title “Old Friend of China” by a delegation in Jinan — one of the highest compliments from the Chinese. He plays the organ. He has perfect pitch and used to give the pitch for his University of Utah a cappella choir. In 2018, Nelson spoke to a crowd of more than 49,000 people at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
For his 100th birthday, on Sept. 9, he invited people to reach out to “the one” as the Savior did. He was referring to the parable of the lost sheep.
In Luke 15, a caring shepherd seeks after the one lost sheep. “And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
When Nelson was born, gas cost roughly 21 cents per gallon. About 15 percent of people owned cars. During his life, he has seen the radio, television, computer and cell phone all become commonplace.
In April 2023, President Nelson gave a landmark talk titled, “Peacemakers Needed.” Because of limited space, I won’t quote the whole talk, but I will share a little. He said, “One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people. One of the best ways we can honor the Savior is to become a peacemaker. How we treat each other really matters! How we speak to and about others at home, at church, at work and online really matters. Today, I invite you to examine your discipleship within the context of the way you treat others.”
As we look for heroes and others to look up to in this world, let’s look to people who inspire us to be better people.
Nelson proclaimed: “Through the ups and downs, the joys and heartaches, of a century of living, there is nothing of which I am more certain than that Heavenly Father is our Father, that His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is our Savior and Redeemer, and that the Holy Ghost can be your constant companion, whispering truths to your soul. I am certain that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in its fullness and is filled with the Savior’s power to bless you in ways no one else and nothing else can.”
I love the words and music of Janice Kapp Perry.
“Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.”
While Russell M. Nelson is a wonderful hero, ultimately, Jesus Christ is to whom I look up the most as my greatest hero. Trying to be more like Him is a wonderful and lofty goal.
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Issues of Faith is a rotating column by religious leaders on the North Olympic Peninsula. Bishop Jason Bringhurst is the leader of the Mount Pleasant Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Port Angeles, ComeUntoChrist.org. His email is jasonbring@gmail.com.
