Being Autonomous and Free

Dear Truth Seeker,

This week was one that I don't think I will quite forget. I often found myself surrounded by blessings that I knowingly did not deserve. As a political science major, I am addicted to The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Economist and more. The stories and worries of everyone in the United States seems to come back to the economy. After all according to polls during the 2008 campaign cycle, voters listed that as their largest concern. This crisis has had a large effect on the lives of many Americans. According to The New York Times, unemployment reached a record 7.6%  for the month of January. So why do I talk about this? It shows how pertinent the words of a living prophet truly are; they are the words from a personal messenger from God. 

In the Doctrine and Covenants we read and study the life a living prophet, Joseph Smith. Today, we aren't much different. For years and years, the prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have continuously reminded us to create and grow our food storage. We all can relate to the ward activities, meetings and training meetings that we have at one point even subjected our primary children to, for the wise purpose of being READY. We need to be ready, the Prophets have warned us, of the slow economic times that are ahead of us, the problems that could happen, and we should listen. It isn't simply a man who is talking to us, but it is the Lord who is speaking through a prophet called to do this work.

When we listen to the prophet as we should, there are always blessings that follow. Those who have listened to the prophet are autonomous from bad consequences, and free. If we listen to the prophet, we are blessed in ways we may not even see, but we are blessed. We see that with the early members. Many for personal reasons left the Church in the first great apostasy because they did not want to follow the prophet. They, much like today, thought that the ideas of the living prophet were out of place, extreme, and unfair. The ideas of prophets may not always correspond with our own ideas, but they are the best ones. Each time, we decide to follow the prophet, we will only be blessed for doing so; we will be free and happy.