I was reminded of the saying, "The King is Dead. Long Live the King."
It is said in the United Kingdom, and probably has been said in any monarchy. But it's true about our prophets, too.
President Thomas S. Monson died on January 2, 2018, at the age of 90. What a perfectly precious man and human being he is. I think he has best shown Christlike love of any prophet I've lived under. when I say that, I mean . . . I've always wondered what the personality of Jesus Christ was like. Did you ever wonder that? Was He reserved or outgoing? Did He have a sense of humor, or was He serious all the time?
What we do know is that service was at the top of His list of everyday living. Wherever He went, He personified service--healing the sick, the lame, the blind. He was also a very forgiving God--forgiving the woman taken in sin; forgiving the man who had palsy. He went out of His way to do service.
Did he have a sense of humor? I think of how he told of forgiveness by comparing it to the mote in one person's eye and the beam in another's eye. Hyberbole. Yes, humor.
And He told parables that enthralled the population. Scores of people surrounded Him and followed Him.
Thus was President Thomas S. Monson.
Service was personified in him. He went out of the way for the widow, the lame, the elderly, the forgotten.
His sense of humor abounded in every talk he gave. You could see his "tongue in cheek."
And his stories . . . I couldn't wait for his stories every Conference weekend.
I think, in my humble opinion, that when I think of Jesus Christ now, I will remember President Monson. I believe this must have been how our Savior's personality was manifest.
I will miss President Monson, but I welcome our new Prophet Russell M. Nelson. I have waited for him to be Prophet for 34 years. Yes, I already had a testimony that he would be our prophet one day. Yet, he was a newly-ordained apostle when I had that vision.
As "Elder" Nelson grew older--and older--I didn't think my vision/prophecy would come to pass, yet we are here. President Nelson is 93 years old. I don't know how long he will serve, but I always knew he would serve as president of the church.
I had a vision I have only shared with a few people. Perhaps I'll write about it one day.
President Monson is dead. Long live President Nelson.
1 Nephi 1: 1, 3
...therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.
^^That pretty much explains this blog.
