You are not alone…

No, this isn’t a post about the Michael Jackson ballad, You Are Not Alone.  Well, I guess it is, but that’s the last reference to him.

So, we are in the middle of stake conference right now.  Our stake presidency is being reorganized and the prophet has sent a general authority, Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, and an area authority seventy, Elder Dane O. Leavitt to take care of this church business.  My favorite part of stake conference is almost always the Saturday night session.  Elder Nielsen ran through an exercise that involved our ward.  He asked for a recent convert to come up and volunteer.  The brother was from our ward.  After getting to know his conversion story, he asked Jim (we are going to call him Jim here) if he saw his bishop here.  Jim said yes and pointed to me.  So I stood up.  Then the following conversation occurred,

Elder Nielsen:  Are his counselors here?

Jim: Yes (my counselors stood up)

Elder Nielsen:   Is your elders quorum president here?

Jim: Yes (he stood up)

Elder Nielsen: Are his counselors here?

Jim:  Yes (they stood up)

Elder Nielsen:  Are your hometeachers here?

Jim:  Yes (they stood up)

Elder Nielsen:   Are the relief society president and her counselors here?

Jim:  Yes (they stood up)

Elder Nielsen:  Will you have the rest of your quorum stand up?

Elder Nielsen:  Will you have the rest of your ward family stand up?

Elder Nielsen:  Will you have the rest of your stake family stand up?

So by the time he finished, everyone was standing.  It was a pretty amazing experience.

Now, while I’m a very positive person, I’m also very realistic.  Do I really believe that everyone there would drop their daily tasks to help a stranger?  Of course not.  But do I believe that a large majority would?  Yes, definitely.  I believe there is way more good out there than bad and that people will typically follow those good instincts that God has given them.  So if you feel alone, you don’t always need to wait for someone else to help you out.  Muster up the strength to ask someone to help you, to be your friend, to provide some needed act of service.  You might be amazed at the positive response you get, but I won’t be.