The Life and Teachings of President Boyd Kenneth Packer

The Biography of President Boyd Kenneth Packer

            The first thing which stuck out to me about President Packer was that he had polio. My great uncle had polio and so I know from my experiences with him just how painful it was and the lasting effect it had on him. I also loved how President Packer stated that there is “nothing to be gained by talking to other people about aches and pains. I just moved on through life.” I loved how from this one single trial, he learned that “great strength can come by overcoming trials and adversity.” How important this is for all of us to understand. Strength in the face of trials and adversity helps to prepare us for the trials yet to come. I also loved his passion for the outdoors and for nature. I, myself, love to go camping, fishing, and hiking, among other things, and being able to relate to President Packer in this way gives me a feeling of joy. I also love how he made family a priority. In this rapidly changing and fast-paced world we live in, it is all too easy to neglect certain aspects of our lives, and it seems that the one aspect of our lives that tends to get neglected the most is the family.

The Testimony of President Boyd Kenneth Packer

            The first thing that struck me about President Packer’s testimony was the scripture from Malachi. I recently went through and scanned over one thousand family photos dating back over one hundred years. As I went through these photos, I also went through some ten generations of family names. These names have been weighing very heavily on my mind, and with stake conference occurring next weekend, I know I need to get these names prepared for the saving ordinances performed in the temple. My stake has recently in the last five years or so spent the Thursday before stake conference doing as much temple work as possible and I know this is important for me to have ready to be done this Thursday. Also the scripture in Malachi holds special significance to me because I have been told in my Patriarchal Blessing that I will seek after my kindred dead and go to the temple and do a great work there. Knowing this makes it all the more important for me to have these names ready because I am going to be held accountable if something happens and I don’t get the work done or at least started.

Recent Teachings

President Boyd Kenneth Packer, The Witness, April 2014 General Conference, Sunday Afternoon Session

Key Doctrine and Principles:

·         Importance of a Personal Testimony

·         Focusing on the Things which Really Matter

·         “We Must Choose Whom to Follow”

Favorite Quotes and Why They Matter to Me:

·         “One eternal truth that I have come to know is that God lives. He is our Father. We are His children.”

o    I loved this quote because of how plainly clear President Packer makes it known that we are children of our Father in Heaven. Before I was released as a Primary Teacher, one of the things I encouraged the girls in my 10/11 year old class was to learn and memorize the Young Women’s Theme. I have been able to come to this same knowledge that God lives, He is my Heavenly Father, and I am His daughter because I made an effort to understand the Young Women’s Theme, and why each of the values were so important. I also loved this quote because it reminds me of the things which I have come to know for myself as well.

·         “Of all the other titles that He could have used, He chose to be called Father.”

o    I can’t begin to put into words just how much I love this quote, but I’m going to try. We have so many different names for our Savior, all of which have great significance as to what He has done for us and the trials He so willing came to face and to bear. Despite having all of these names for our Savior, when it comes to God, He is our Heavenly Father, our Father in Heaven. He is the Father of our spirits, and because He loved us so much, He allowed His Son to come to earth to die for us so we might have the chance to live with Him again. Our earthly life is fleeting in comparison to what our lives were before we were born and what they will be like after we die. But to help us with our efforts to stay our course in this life, our Father in Heaven chose to be called Father so that we might have a reminder of just how important we are to Him.

·         “Those who do not marry or those who cannot have children are not excluded from the eternal blessings they seek but which, for now, remain beyond their reach. We do not always know how or when blessings will present themselves, but the promise of eternal increase will not be denied any faithful individual who makes and keeps sacred covenants. Your secret yearnings and tearful pleadings will touch the heart of both the Father and the Son. You will be given a personal assurance from Them that your life will be full and that no blessing that is essential will be lost to you…I give those in such circumstances a promise that there will be nothing essential to your salvation and exaltation that shall not in due time rest upon you. Arms now empty will be filled, and hearts now hurting from broken dreams and yearning will be healed.”

o    Being that I am 26 years old, single, not dating anyone, and marriage does, at times, seem beyond my reach, this quote really spoke to my heart. There have been times when I can’t even begin to think it will ever be possible that I will find someone who is both willing and strong enough to lift me up when I am going through what may seem to be one of the worst moments of my life. I feel like people are judging me for the fact that I am 26 years old and not married with two kids already. Knowing Heavenly Father and our Savior know I am dealing with these things makes them all that much easier to bear. Knowing They know and that They also know the pain I feel, helps me to understand that the pain I feel has been felt by our Savior when He took upon Him the pains and afflictions of the world.

·         “In all this, let us remember that there is an adversary who personally seeks to disrupt the work of the Lord. We must choose whom to follow. Our protection is as simple as deciding individually to follow the Savior, making certain that we faithfully will remain on His side.”

o    I really loved this quote because it reminds me that those feelings of discontent, of loneliness, of depression, and of sadness come from the adversary as he tries to make me feel less than what I am really worth. I know my Savior would never want me to feel as if I am less than what I am really worth because He paid the ultimate price for me, and if I was worth any less than what I truly am, He wouldn’t have done that for me. I may be just one person, but to my Father in Heaven and my Savior, I mean the world to Them.

Past Teachings

President Boyd Kenneth Packer, The Atonement, Ensign and General Conference (through the LDS Gospel Library App, November 2012 (General Conference October 2012, Sunday Morning Session)

Key Doctrine and Principles:

·         “In Mortality We Would Fall Short of Being Perfect”

·         The Atonement Provides Us with a Way to be Washed Clean Through the Blood of Christ

Favorite Quotes and Why They Matter to Me:

·         “A Mediator, a Redeemer, was chosen, one who would live His life perfectly, commit no sin, and offer ‘himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.’”

o    I loved this quote because it really puts things into perspective. I am faced with all of these temptations, and Satan is always trying to trap me, but Christ, who was perfect wasn’t immune from being tempted by the adversary. I would like to think that Satan pulled out all the stops when it came to him tempting our Savior. When he fasted for 40 days, the need for food would have been mindboggling. Yet our Savior didn’t fall prey to Satan’s temptations. Satan knew exactly what our Savior needed most and he knew what was at stake if he were to have succeeded, so he did his best to exploit those needs, but our Savior also knew exactly what was at stake and he didn’t give in.

·         “Perhaps the most beautiful phrase in all scripture is when the Lord said, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.” That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement: to take anyone who comes, anyone who will join, and put them through an experience so that at the end of their life, they can go through the veil having repented of their sins and having been washed clean through the blood of Christ. That is what Latter-day Saints do around the world. That is the Light we offer to those who are in darkness and have lost their way. Wherever our members and missionaries may go, our message is one of faith and hope in the Savior Jesus Christ.”

o    I loved this quote because of everything it states. The message of hope from the Light of Christ to those in darkness. The importance of having faith in that message. The infinite power of the Atonement. These things are each by themselves wonderful, but together create the knowledge needed to take that first step of many in being “washed clean through the blood of Christ.” I find it interesting that blood can stain clothing and fabrics, just as sin can stain the fabric of our souls. Yet the blood of Christ has the power to remove the stains of sin. They are, in literal terms, both blood, but one causes stains, while the other removes them. No other substance has the same bleaching power as the blood of Christ, not even bleach! It is the only thing which can purify us, but we must take that first step to become purified.