Elder Dallin H. Oaks

When I was young I used to imagine what it would be like to look into the eyes of an apostle and have him stare into my soul.  He would say, "Scott, I can see you have faced many trials, but in four years you will see the windows of heaven open to you..."

Then, as a teenager, I learned Elder Oaks would be coming to my house.  My father was in the Stake Presidency, and it would be our turn to feed the General Authority at our home.  Elder Oaks had spent the last two years in Chile, and it had been a while since he had spoken in General Conference.  It was exciting, and scary.  What if he announced my most secret sins in front of everyone?  What if he could tell me who I would marry?

The time finally came and I looked out on our back patio.  There was  Elder Oaks.  With trepidation I got in line to meet him.  When it was my turn I shook his hand.  In that voice I know so well from General Conference he looked deep into my eyes and said,
"Hello.  I'm Elder Oaks"
"Hi, I'm Scott"
"How are you?"
"Quite well, and how are you Elder Oaks?"

Then he looked up to heaven as if receiving revelation, and said,
"Actually, a bit cold.  I think I'm still getting used to the weather change from Chile."

That was my profound discussion with Elder Oaks.  The line moved on, and from where I sat eating dinner I could watch him.  If I didn't know better I would have said he was just a nice guy.

That's when the spirit taught me something very profound:
Elder Oaks is just a nice guy.
He isn't magic, and he doesn't go around declaring everyone's sins.  He gets cold, he has frustrations, and sometimes he eats things he doesn't like.  The spirit told me he was chosen by God because God needed Elder Oaks to do a work, and not because Elder Oaks was perfect.

Even if I didn't see anything spectacular in him, I remembered "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27).   I heard Elder Oaks speak the next day at Stake Conference.  He spoke of the mission of Christ, of repenting to change and be like him.  He spoke of service and how to be like Jesus.  The spirit came again and I felt what he was saying was true.  His words were powerful and the message made me want to be more like the Savior.  I knew Dallin H. Oaks was chosen by God to be an apostle and that what he spoke came from God and not from himself.

I realized that I wasn't that different from this apostle.  I could chose to be righteous and follow the spirit, and then I could be called by the Lord to some great work.  It doesn't matter if I become a General Authority or not, what matters is whether I am worthy to fulfill the Lord's purposes.  "Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?  Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—  That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness." (D&C 121:34-36).  I want to live my life so that when the Lord calls me I will be found righteous enough to be chosen for His work, just like Elder Oaks.