Learning from all who are called to teach us...

(Be sure to see the object lesson at the end)

President Eyring gave a great speech at a BYU devotional about sustaining those whom we might think have weaknesses, or know less than we do.  The entire talk is great.  You can find the link HERE, or download the PDF

He relates the following story:

"When I was the president of Ricks College years ago, I remember having a man who was my priesthood leader come to my house each month to interview me about my home teaching. He brought with him a gray notebook in which he wrote notes. He recorded not only my report as a home teacher, but my observations about the gospel and life as well.

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I remember at first being very flattered. Then one Sunday he and I were visiting what was then called junior Sunday School. He was a few rows in front of me. The speaker was a little girl, no more than six or seven, probably not yet old enough to have the gift of the Holy Ghost. I glanced over at the man and noticed with surprise that he had that same gray notebook open. As the little girl spoke, he was writing with as much speed and intensity as he had in the study of my home. I learned a lesson from him that I haven’t forgotten. He had faith that God could speak to him as clearly through a child as through the president of a college.

I watched that man in later months and years deal with great difficulties and with important assignments. I saw miracles—at least to me they seemed to be miracles—in his wisdom and in his ability to lead and to direct. Those miracles came, I believe in large part, because he could hear the voice of God confirmed by the Holy Spirit in words of the weak and the simple."

"...Clearly, my problem and your problem is to hear the word of God from and through imperfect teachers and leaders. That is your test and mine. And it is our opportunity. All of us—today, next week, and for the rest of our lives—are going to be sitting somewhere while someone leads us or teaches us who will seem weak and simple because they are human, like us. God has said that if we are going to make it home again, we must not only hear his voice privately by our own effort, but also through the voice of his servants who, when the speak by the power of the Spirit, speak as if it were his voice."

 And he cautions those who neglect following the prophet by quoting part of D&
C 1:

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"But in verse 4 when it says “the voice of warning shall be unto all people,” it concludes with “by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days.”

More than once the Lord simply says you will need to hear his voice, but you will need to hear his voice from him and from his servants. In verse 14 it says:
And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among people."

Then he related and expounded upon 4 points of practice "Here are President Romney’s instructions: 
'If you want to obtain and keep the guidance of the Spirit, you can do so by following this simple four-point program. One, pray. Pray diligently. Pray with each other. Pray in public in the proper places. . . . Learn to talk to the Lord; call upon his name in great faith and confidence. Second, study and learn the gospel. Third, live righteously; repent of your sins by confessing them and forsaking them. Then conform to the teachings of the gospel. Fourth, give service in the Church. And then President Romney concludes this way: If you will do these things, you will get the guidance of the Holy Spirit and you will go through this world successfully, regardless of what the people of the world say or do. [“Guidance of the Holy Spirit,” Ensign, January 1980, p. 5]"

A great object lesson to teach this subject by The Redheaded Hostess:

"One good object lesson is to set a paper cup right side up, and then another one face down – and then have a pitcher set out filled with water.  Ask the youth, “if these cups represented my attitude of learning in class today, what could they represent”?  (Face up means that they are ready to be filled and face down represents they aren’t ready or willing to receive).  ”What does the pitcher represent?”  (The lesson the teacher has prepared, or more importantly, the Spirit).

Discuss this and then ask some of these questions:

- When was a time that you went to church or other gospel learning place with your cup ready to be filled?  What was your experience?

- When was a time you went somewhere with your cup turned over?  What was your experience?

-  What can help you have your cup ready to be filled?

-  What can cause your cup to be turned over?

-  If a teacher has come prepared with a lesson, what is your responsibility?

-  How could these cups represent your scripture study?

I always found that to be a really effective lesson – and then later in the year I could say something like “your cup seems turned over – are you having a hard day?” and they would know what I meant."