Vol. 3 No. 10 - October 1956

"The Faker"

The dictionary defines the fake as fraud or deception. A long treatise could be written on the subject. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, "It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in sacrifice, and by this means obtained faith in God and favor with him so as to obtain eternal life, unless they in like manner offer unto him the same sacrifice, and through that offering obtain the knowledge that they are accepted of him.…. For doubt and faith do not exist in the same person at the same time. So that persons whose minds are under doubts and fears cannot have unshaken confidence, and where unshaken confidence is not, there faith is weak, and where faith is weak, the persons will not be able to contend against all the opposition, tribulations and afflictions which they will have to encounter in order to be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ Jesus; and they will grow weary in their minds, and the adversary will have power over them and destroy them." (Lectures on Faith, Section VI).

It would seem then that if we are to merit the great rewards that the Lord has promised to the faithful that we have to learn to sacrifice our all to furthering his work here upon the earth. It would be unjust for one to receive the same as another, unless he were just as faithful in all things as the other. We should be so interested in the job at hand that we should strive to put our lives in order so that we can become more effective in the use of our time. Don't be selfish with the Lord. Give him a full measure of your time, talents and abilities. Then you will have no cause to mourn on the day of judgment for you will not have sold yourself short.
The story is told of a baseball game that had lasted into the late twilight and the trailing team had finally managed to fill all the bases. Two men were out and two strikes had been called on the batter. At this moment the pitcher and the catcher of the rival team held a conference. "It's so dark, nobody can see nothin'," said the pitcher. "I'm goin' to wind up and make believe I'm throwin' the ball, but instead I'll slip it to you now. After I go through the motions, you pound your glove and pretend to make a catch."
The men returned to their positions and went through their elaborate motions, as proposed. The umpire peered over his shoulder into the dim light and bellowed, "STRIKE three! You're out!"
At that decision the batter became enraged. He pounded his bat on the plate in a cry of frenzied injustice. "Strike?" he wailed. "That was no strike – it was two feet outside of the plate!"
The two conspirators had won the fame but lost their personal respect. For inside their hearts they knew they were fakers and they did not merit the victory.
In the dim light too often missionaries try to hide their real character, they see the shining examples about them and in their time and talents, but their faith is shaky and they begin to be fakers hoping that with many words, and lots of excited gestures, spur of the moment questions, invented notions of things that ought to be done in the mission, all such things to hide their laziness and lack of desire to do this labor.
Some of you would even boast of your "pulling the wool over the eyes" of those in authority. But the only one you are kidding is yourself. To you who are fakers we say repent and strive to be one with us. It should not be necessary to have a set of missionary rules but rather each should earnestly seek to do all things of good report shunning evil at all times.
Know your weaknesses, strive to overcome them through faith, good works and prayer. In all that you do, strive to do that which will assure you of the approval of your Eternal Father and then will your faith wax strong and the Holy Ghost will be your constant companion.

Asael T. Sorensen