Be a Shining Example

By Elder Bruce D. Porter of the Seventy; from an interview by Linda Davies

You never know when you will be a shining example.

When I think about our four wonderful children—David, Chris, Lisa, and Jennifer—I think about what shining examples they have been to me.

David’s Faith

One Sunday when leaving for church, our car would not start. We lived in Germany, far from our chapel and other members. My wife and I each offered a prayer for help, but still the car wouldn’t start. I suggested that perhaps we should rely on the faith of a child. We asked our three-year old son, David, if he would say a prayer.

“Heavenly Father, please bless the car to start,” he said simply but firmly.

We turned the key, and the engine started right up! We were grateful that day for David’s faith. It was pure, simple, and true.

Chris’s Kindness

Once we moved to a new neighborhood where there were no playmates for our second son, Chris. He was either too young for the older children or too old for the younger ones.

One weekend we went on a camping trip together. I noticed him gathering armfuls of acorns. “Why so many acorns?” I asked. Chris said he thought they were terrific and he wanted to save them as souvenirs of the trip.

However, when he got home, Chris decided to do something special with the acorns. He shared them with all the kids in the neighborhood! The kids loved them, and Chris felt warm and happy about sharing and being a friend.

Lisa’s Scriptures

When Lisa was nine years old, she felt unhappy and out of sorts much of the time. Everyone in the family wondered why she was so grumpy. One night as she walked into her bedroom, she saw her Book of Mormon by the door.

Of course I’m not happy, she thought, I haven’t been reading the scriptures. That night she read a few verses. She decided that she would read every night. As the days passed, she felt happier and more peaceful.

This habit of reading the scriptures every day, even just a few verses, has blessed her ever since.

Jennifer’s Courage

Our youngest daughter, Jen, had to have surgery at age four. She listened as we explained why the surgery was needed. She knew she would have to spend several days in a hospital. We told her Heavenly Father would bless her. We prayed with Jen, and she prayed too.

When the day came, we took her to the hospital. A doctor came and offered his hand to lead her to the operating room. With the simple faith of a child, she took his hand and walked ahead, unafraid and never looking back.

The operation was a success, and Jen surprised us two days later by singing happily in her hospital bed.