The Life and Teachings of Elder Jeffrey Roy Holland

The Biography of Elder Jeffrey Roy Holland

            For me the first thing which stuck out to me about Elder Holland was that before his mission he wanted to be a doctor, but after his mission he wanted to be a teacher. I think it is interesting that the saying of “those who can, do, but those who cannot, teach.” Obviously, this statement couldn’t be further from the truth when you consider that Elder Holland is a teacher. I have had many teachers in my life who not only teach, but also do what they teach. Although Elder Holland has never been one of my teachers in the secular educational sense, he has been one of my greatest teachers in the spiritual educational sense. I also found it interesting that even though Elder Holland loved to “teach the gospel to students in a classroom” his brother felt “that the Lord had same goal in mind for him, but that the size of the classroom and the number of students were on a much grander scale than he was envisioning.” This statement reminds me of a line from Shakespeare’s As You Like It where in Scene VII of Act II, gloomy Lord Jacques states the analogy of the world being that of a stage and life being that of a play. Lord Jacques states, “All the world’s a stage, And all men and women are merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.” I have heard many times in church that our lives are like that of a three act play, with the first act being the pre-mortal existence, the second act being our mortal existence, and the third act being our post-mortal existence.

The Testimony of Elder Jeffrey Roy Holland

            As I watched Elder Holland’s testimony, I felt the chills and could feel the goose bumps forming on my arms. The thing that stuck out to me the most about Elder Holland’s testimony is that he used a series of words that I have been using for many years when I would talk to others about the Atonement. To paraphrase, Elder Holland said that our Savior felt every pain, sin, human misdeed, mortal infirmity, personal heartache, sorrow and loss that any person in the world would ever feel. I have been using this same description for many years, but I have also added that our Savior felt all of our joys, triumphs, accomplishments, and successes as well, so that when we were the only ones who would be able to share in those joyful times of our lives, we still wouldn’t be alone in our joy. I have used this in countless essays, sacrament meeting talks, testimonies, and other moments in my life, but I had never known where I had ever heard anyone use it or why it was something hat had become something I would always use to describe our Savior’s Atonement.

Recent Teachings

Elder Jeffrey Roy Holland, The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship, April 2014 General Conference, Saturday Morning Session

Key Doctrine and Principles:

·         Courage

·         Discipleship

·         Love

·         Obedience

·         Righteousness

·         Trials and Persecution

Favorite Quotes and Why They Matter to Me:

·         “Surely the angels of heaven wept as they recorded this cost of discipleship in a world that is often hostile to the commandments of God. The Savior Himself shed His own tears over those who for hundreds of years had been rejected and slain in His service. And now He was being rejected and about to be slain. ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,’ Jesus cried, ‘thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.’ And therein lies a message for every young man and young woman in this Church. You may wonder if it is worth it to take a courageous moral stand in high school or to go on a mission only to have your most cherished beliefs reviled or to strive against much in society that sometimes ridicules a life of religious devotion. Yes, it is worth it, because the alternative is to have our ‘houses’ left unto us ‘desolate’—desolate individuals, desolate families, desolate neighborhoods, and desolate nations.”

o    I loved this quote because Elder Holland states that it is all worth it. I also loved this quote because although it doesn’t flat out state it, if what Christ did for us was worth an indescribable amount of pain and suffering, then how can we possibly say that taking a “courageous moral stand” isn’t worth it? How could we possibly think that after all that our Savior has done for us, we could just sit back, put up our feet and watch as things play out? No, we must take a stand even if we are standing alone.

·         “Christlike love is the greatest need we have on this planet in part because righteousness was always supposed to accompany it. So if love is to be our watchword, as it must be, then by the word of Him who is love personified, we must forsake transgression and any hint of advocacy for it in others. Jesus clearly understood what many in our modern culture seem to forget: that there is a crucial difference between the commandment to forgive sin (which He had an infinite capacity to do) and the warning against condoning it (which He never ever did even once). Friends, especially my young friends, take heart. Pure Christlike love flowing from true righteousness can change the world.”

o    I love this quote because Christlike love is one off the thing my best friend, Richard and I talk great deal about. We talk about how important it is to love everyone, even when they do things that would give us cause to not want to do so. Many times it is the things which our own flesh and blood say or do that can be the hardest to forgive and to maintain such Christlike love towards. It is at these times when it is most important that we maintain that Christlike love because if there is a lack of love and understanding within the home, family members may be more apt to seek for such love and understanding elsewhere, which may lead them into paths that could lead to their very destruction.

Past Teachings

Elder Jeffrey Roy Holland, Like a Broken Vessel, Ensign and General Conference (through the LDS Gospel Library App), November 2013 (General Conference October 2013, Saturday Afternoon Session)

Key Doctrine and Principles:

·         Adversity

·         Compassion

·         Depression

·         Endurance

Favorite Quotes and Why They Matter to Me:

·         “In striving for some peace and understanding in these difficult matters, it is crucial to remember that we are living—and chose to live—in a fallen world where for divine purposes our pursuit of godliness will be tested and tried again and again. Of greatest assurance in God’s plan is that a Savior was promised, a Redeemer, who through our faith in Him would lift us triumphantly over those tests and trials, even though the cost to do so would be unfathomable for both the Father who sent Him and the Son who came. It is only an appreciation of this divine love that will make our own lesser suffering first bearable, then understandable, and finally redemptive.”

o    Being that my best friend, Richard and I both suffer from differing forms of mental illness, this talk was one where it became difficult for me to even be able to take notes on. This talk was so moving and emotionally powerful for me, that for the rest of the Saturday Afternoon Session of Conference, I was unable to take any kind of notes. For days I mauled over the talk and the words of Elder Holland. Yet many of the things he stated in this particular quote ring very true for me, especially the part of lifting us over our tests and trials. I know from personal experience that our Savior sends us the strength we need to overcome our trials, but sometime that strength and help does not come when we want it to. Sometimes that strength, help and inner peace does not come until the last hour of the fourth watch. I have come to understand that our Savior will always come, but he needs us to persevere and we can only do that if He does not come when we want Him to, but when we NEED Him to.

·         “Let me leave the extraordinary illnesses I have mentioned to concentrate on MDD—’major depressive disorder’—or, more commonly, ‘depression.’ When I speak of this, I am not speaking of bad hair days, tax deadlines, or other discouraging moments we all have. Everyone is going to be anxious or downhearted on occasion. … I am speaking of something more serious, of an affliction so severe that it significantly restricts a person’s ability to function fully, a crater in the mind so deep that no one can responsibly suggest it would surely go away if those victims would just square their shoulders and think more positively—though I am a vigorous advocate of square shoulders and positive thinking! No, this dark night of the mind and spirit is more than mere discouragement. I have seen it come to an absolutely angelic man when his beloved spouse of 50 years passed away. I have seen it in new mothers with what is euphemistically labeled ‘after-baby blues.’ I have seen it strike anxious students, military veterans, and grandmothers worried about the well-being of their grown children. And I have seen it in young fathers trying to provide for their families.”

o    I loved this quote because of how boldly Elder Holland states exactly what depression really is. Having suffered from depression myself, brought on by the wrong medication prescribed by a doctor, which led to hyper-manic episodes followed by a devastating emotional crash, on a daily basis for many years, I know just how hard it can be to think positively. Yes there were days when I was able to counteract the hyper-manic episodes, but those days were so far and few between, that it seemed almost impossible to know when they would occur. It wasn’t until I was almost eighteen years old that I was taken off of this particular medication and given a formal diagnosis of manic bipolar.

·         “In that regard I once terrifyingly saw it in myself. At one point in our married life when financial fears collided with staggering fatigue, I took a psychic blow that was as unanticipated as it was real. With the grace of God and the love of my family, I kept functioning and kept working, but even after all these years I continue to feel a deep sympathy for others more chronically or more deeply afflicted with such gloom than I was. In any case we have all taken courage from those who, in the words of the Prophet Joseph, ‘search[ed] … and contemplate[d] the darkest abyss’ and persevered through it—not the least of whom were Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Elder George Albert Smith, the latter being one of the most gentle and Christlike men of our dispensation, who battled recurring depression for some years before later becoming the universally beloved eighth prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

o    I loved this quote because it confirms to me that I am not alone, and that even the greatest people in history, and those in the church, have all suffered from some form of depression or another. Knowing the President George Albert Smith suffered from recurring depression, helps me to know that I can get through whatever the Lord asks of me because I am not alone in all of this.

·         “So how do you best respond when mental or emotional challenges confront you or those you love? Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend. As President Monson said to the Relief Society sisters so movingly last Saturday evening: ‘That love never changes. … It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve [it]. It is simply always there.’ Never, ever doubt that, and never harden your heart. Faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life. Seek the counsel of those who hold keys for your spiritual well-being. Ask for and cherish priesthood blessings. Take the sacrament every week, and hold fast to the perfecting promises of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Believe in miracles. I have seen so many of them come when every other indication would say that hope was lost. Hope is never lost. If those miracles do not come soon or fully or seemingly at all, remember the Savior’s own anguished example: if the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead.”

o    I loved this quote because it has been my faith, as well as Richard, through whom our Savior has provided comfort and understanding, that my hope that everything will work out has been bolstered. I know the Lord sent Richard into my life or a reason, and although I might think that I know what that reason is, I will never fully know until all is said and done with. At the moment, that reason is to have an advocate on my side when it comes to a lot of the things which I am experiencing right now, including being asked to not attend the YSA ward for the next six months. Being that Richard understands me, he has stated that he wished things had been handled in a different manner. However since they haven’t Richard has given me the strength to push past this setback in life and move forward with my life, and focus on what is most important.

·         “Whatever your struggle, my brothers and sisters—mental or emotional or physical or otherwise—do not vote against the preciousness of life by ending it! Trust in God. Hold on in His love. Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee. Though we may feel we are ‘like a broken vessel,’ as the Psalmist says, we must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter. Broken minds can be healed just the way broken bones and broken hearts are healed. While God is at work making those repairs, the rest of us can help by being merciful, nonjudgmental, and kind.”

o    I loved this quote because it speaks to a part of me past that is difficult to talk about. A part of my past that I really only tend to talk about with my best friend, Richard. Being that he and I bother suffer from differing forms of mental illness, having him in my life is what really keeps me going and what gives me the will to keep moving forward.

Elder Jeffrey Roy Holland, Israel, Israel, God is Calling, CES Devotional on LDS.org, September 2012

Key Doctrine and Principles:

·         Discipleship

·         Standing as a Witness

·         Showing Compassion

·         Being Loyal to the Commandments

·         “Never Check Your Religion at the Door!”

·         Build Zion Where We Are

·         Judge Righteous Judgments

·         Live Your Life to Reflect Your Love of Jesus Christ

Favorite Quotes and Why They Matter to Me:

·         “‘ We check our religion at the door ‘? Lesson number one for the establishment of Zion in the 21st century: You never ‘check your religion at the door.’ Not ever. My young friends, that kind of discipleship cannot be—it is not discipleship at all. As the prophet Alma has taught the young women of the Church to declare every week in their Young Women theme, we are ‘to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in,’ not just some of the time, in a few places, or when our team has a big lead. ‘Check your religion at the door’! I was furious. But let’s stay with this for a minute because there is a second lesson on its way. Lesson number two in tonight’s quest for Zion is that in my righteous indignation (at least we always say it is righteous) I have to make sure that I don’t end up doing exactly what I was accusing this young fan of doing—getting mad, acting stupid, losing my cool, ranting about it, wanting to get my hands on him—preferably around his throat—until, before I know it, I have checked my religion at the door! No, someone in life, someone in the 21st century, someone in all of these situations has to live his or her religion because otherwise all we get is a whole bunch of idiots acting like moral pygmies.”

o    I loved this quote because it came at a time when I needed it. A few weeks after this talk was given, I was called to be a primary teacher. A few weeks later, I was have a horrible day, and I couldn’t find what I needed at Walmart or Target. I was ready to blow a fuse and have a meltdown when I came around the corner and I ran into one of my sunbeams and his mom. To this day, I am glad that I maintained my composure. A few months later, this little boy was having a very difficult day, so I picked him up and I walked him around the church building. He had wrapped his arms around my neck and placed his head on my shoulder which he proceeded to fall asleep. As I was walking around the church building, I came to the chapel doors, and I stopped because the Elders Quorum was meeting in the chapel. I just stood here for a few minutes listening to the lesson when I noticed his dad had seen me and wanted to know if he needed to come get his son. I simply shook my head. I would not have been able to have this experience if I hadn’t been able to maintain my composure that day at Target.

·         “I have not uttered the word missionary in this context for fear you would immediately think of white shirts and name tags. Don’t limit me on this. Stay with the big picture—the huge need—to share the gospel always, whether you are a full-time missionary or not. Latter-day Saints are called upon to be the leaven in the loaf, the salt that never loses its savor, the light set upon a hill never to be hidden under a bushel. And your age group—18 to 30 for the most part—is the time in a person’s life when your acquaintances are most likely to accept the gospel if it is presented to them. We know that. A number of studies conducted by the Church have told us that. So start presenting! If we do right and talk right and reach out generously with our words and our deeds, then when the Savior cuts short His work in righteousness, says time is no more in this last, great dispensation and then comes in His glory, He will find us—you and me and all of us—doing our best, trying to live the gospel, trying to improve our lives and our Church and our society the best way we can. When He comes, I so want to be caught living the gospel. I want to be surprised right in the act of spreading the faith and doing something good. I want the Savior to say to me: ‘Jeffrey’—because He knows all of our names—’I recognize you not by your title but by your life, the way you are trying to live and the standards you are trying to defend. I see the integrity of your heart. I know you have tried to make things better first and foremost by being better yourself, and then by declaring my word and defending my gospel to others in the most compassionate way you could. I know you weren’t always successful,’ He will certainly say, ‘with your own sins or the circumstances of others, but I believe you honestly tried. I believe in your heart you truly loved me.’”

o    I loved this quote because it wasn’t this last month that I actually started giving referrals to the missionaries again. Three years ago was the last time I gave a referral to the missionaries and things turned out very badly. I lost one of my best friends from what transpired, and I became extremely depressed about everything. However through the understanding which I have received from my best friend, Richard, I have gained back the confidence that I have needed to again begin referring people to the missionaries.