I have sometimes had mixed emotions in respect to how I have felt about certain of the general authorities and other general leaders of the church. I am sure every member has a favorite or favorites that they enjoy listening to or reading their talks more than they do others. I have never felt comfortable with my thoughts of that nature because I know each of them has been given a holy calling. Before they were called, they were common men and women, regular members of the church, such as you or I. They, if asked, would still claim to be common men or women, whatever the case may be, but they are not. They may not appear to be any different than anyone else, but they are. They are different because they now have the mantle of authority to administer the affairs of God’s church on earth, worldwide. Not only do they have the authority but the opportunity and the assignment whenever called upon by the Prophet to perform somewhere in the world. Many of them will go with confidence, and some will go less confidently, yet with a prayer in their hearts that they may have the spirit to be with them. These are men and women who may live somewhat normal lives; they sit down to eat with their families, they worry about their children; some may even have jobs to go to during the week. Yes! They are regular folks, but the expectation from you and me is that they are somehow special now—now that they have been called. They are special, and we should think of them that way. Special in the sense that they were selected by the brethren from among thousands of choices, selected after prayer, and in some cases fasting, to fill the positions they have been called to. They are men and women who have and will continue to bear testimony of Jesus Christ and the work that they have been called to perform. Yes, they are all special, and we should view them that way. Why? Because God has viewed them that way. He has chosen them and called them and set them apart to perform important work in His kingdom here among us, the living. Their testimony may be the very same as yours and mine, but we have not been called to bear ours to the world, to be ready at all times and in all places to open our mouths and to declare that Jesus is the Christ and that He lives. With that charge, they will go about the world to lift up those who may be faltering and to touch those spiritually that may not have felt the spirit for years and maybe not at all. They probably accepted their calling with fear and trembling knowing what a great responsibility is being, or has been, placed on their shoulders. In conference, when we raise our hands to sustain these brethren and sisters, we must do so with soberness and pray for them, because like you or me, they did not ask for the calling, and it may have come as a great surprise. A calling as a general authority, a seventy, etc. would cause a family to take inventory. They must be asking themselves if they are really worthy, do they have their house in order?
Elder Holland, in reference to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, stated, “Never in my personal or professional life have I ever associated with any group who are so in touch, who know so profoundly the issues facing us, who look so deeply into the old, stay so open to the new, and weigh so carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully everything in between.” I testify, as a member of His church, for sixty years having become a member as a twenty-year-old soldier, that I have always looked up to the brethren and others who have been called to serve. It has to be such a heavy burden to know that this church, the church restored by the Savior Himself, that bears His name and who looks down upon its activities every day, has to weigh heavy on its earthy leaders. God bless them.