The Weekly Parable

For this week’s parable, I quote a dream that President Joseph F. Smith, sixth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had when he was a youth. As a missionary serving in Hawaii and struggling to learn the language of the people or preach with any confidence, not to mention without much money to live on, he felt dejected. But his frame of mind changed when the following dream came to him one night.

I dreamed that I was on a journey, and I was impressed that I ought to hurry—hurry with all my might, for fear I might be too late. I rushed on my way as fast as I possibly could, and I was only conscious of having just a little bundle, a handkerchief with a small bundle wrapped in it. I did not realize just what it was, when I was hurrying as fast as I could; but finally I came to a wonderful mansion, if it could be called a mansion. It seemed too large, too great to have been made by hand, but I thought I knew that was my destination. As I passed towards it, as fast as I could, I saw a notice, ‘Bath.’ I turned aside quickly and went into the bath and washed myself clean. I opened up this little bundle that I had, and there was a pair of white, clean garments, a thing I had not seen for a long time. . . . I put them on. Then I rushed to what appeared to be a great opening, or door. I knocked and the door opened, and the man who stood there was the Prophet Joseph Smith. He looked at me a little reprovingly, and the first words he said: “Joseph, you are late.” Yet I took confidence and said:

“Yes, but I am clean—I am clean!”

(Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 95–96. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1998.)

---

^{Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com}

---

On commenting: Please share your thoughts! You can leave an email address, but it’s not required. Leaving an email address may prompt you to sign in with a social media or WordPress account.