Warning

by Peter Hubbard

You’d warn someone who was about to take a fall. Right? But what about giving spiritual warnings?

For a few months before my mission, I lived with my brother and his family in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. After moving in with them, I found a job working with a crew framing houses.

My first day on the job, my boss dropped me off at the work site and introduced me to my supervisor. Soon I was on the roof of the garage learning how to “sheet” that part of the roof. As I looked on, I noticed that my supervisor might be in danger. He had placed a piece of sheeting down on the framework and had fastened one side. The other side was to be cut off with a Skil saw so the sheeting would fit in place.

As he was cutting, I noticed he was standing on the side that wasn’t fastened. If he continued to cut, he would end up “surfing” off the roof on a piece of sheeting. I kept silent, rationalizing to myself. Since this was my first day, what did I know? He probably knew what he was doing.

It turned out that my supervisor did slide off the roof on the piece of loose sheeting. I watched him, with the saw, fly through the air, landing on the ground on both feet. He looked back up to where he had been with a funny look on his face. I managed to control my laughter when it became clear he wasn’t hurt.

Since that time, I’ve thought more about that experience. Although it seemed funny, I’ve realized how dangerous that situation was. I’ve thought about how I would have felt if my supervisor had been badly hurt, crippled, or killed. I would have felt responsible. I knew something that could have helped him avoid a dangerous situation. I was afraid of what his reaction might be if I told him what he was doing wrong. I felt I didn’t have enough knowledge. But, in truth, I had the knowledge, the power to help save him, and I failed to use it.

Since then, I’ve seen the significance of comparable experiences in our spiritual lives. How many times have we failed to use the gospel knowledge and testimonies we have to help save one of our brothers or sisters? How many times have we remained silent, watching someone we know fall?

As a missionary I had the opportunity to use my testimony and the gospel knowledge the Lord has given me, along with thousands of other missionaries, to teach people and help them look to Christ, “who is mighty to save” (2 Ne. 31:19).

I know as members of the Church we have that responsibility to share the gospel with others. I know that we need not be afraid to do what the Lord wants us to do. If we can overcome those fears, we will definitely feel the joy that comes with doing the saving work of the Lord.

Illustrated by Dilleen Marsh