Let's hear from our brother from Canada, Brother Harold Blackmore. Progress through this work the Lord requires of us at any given time. There are so many directions in which one can exert his effort. Our lives have many distracting influences that we often become confused in what the Lord really requires of us. It seems difficult to realize that One can be doing the will of the Lord and apparently doing nothing at any given time. Sometimes there has to be a period of waiting, time as a period of great activity. It would seem to me that in reviewing all of these circumstances that we individually find ourselves in, that it can be very close to the Lord in our feelings and our spirit.

to be able to sift out the thing that we should be putting our efforts to. We hear a great deal about obedience, and we observe many people's interpretation of this obedience. I find that many times in some of the old fables, they have portrayed some of the deeper truths of the gospel. It seems to me that the principle of obedience should be an intelligent thing.

not just blind running around. I like to think of a little story about Pandemon, this little native boy who was sent to his grandmother's. Grandmother had some freshly baked bread. Now, Pandemon, you take that home to your mother. She's a busy woman, and I'm sure she'd be glad to have it. Pandemon, he was eager to do just right, so he clutched this bread closely to him, and it had just been baked.

When Pandemon got home, Mother said, what have you there? That is bread from Grandmother. Oh, Pandemon, look at the mess you have. Poor Pandemon, in his eagerness to be obedient and to serve, had made this bread totally unfit to eat. When the Grandmother sends you with something, you be careful to handle it gently. Now, you should have placed it on your head.

and walked carefully and directly home, and then the bread would have arrived here nicely. All right, Mother, I'll be careful to do that. So shortly, Mother sent Pangimon again to Grandmother. As he was about to leave, Grandmother said, Here, Pangimon, take this nice butter home to your mother. Pangimon says, Oh, I'll gladly do that, Grandmother, because I know she would like it. Pangimon thought.

Why, I'm going to be careful and obey my mother this time. So he promptly set this butter on his head. And oh, it was a hot, sunny day. And Tanyamon walked directly through the forest in the hot and boiling sun with this butter on his head. And he got there. There was streaks of oil all down his face and his back. And oh, he was a mess. And mother said, Tanyamon, what have you done?

But, mother, I've done exactly what you told me to do. But, Tanimon, you shouldn't have put the butter on your head. Yes, but, mother, I was obeying you. So, he said, now look, Tanimon, the next time you have a job like this to do, you should have taken it, gone down to the creek, and placed it in the cool water, and wrapped it in a nice, big, green leaf.

All right, mother, I'll do that. And he felt very badly because he had not pleased his mother. Sometime later, Panamon went to grandmother's again, and she had a little puppy there. And she said, Panamon, I think that your mother would be glad to have this little puppy. Would you like to take it home? Oh, yes, Panamon thought. Now I must obey my mother.

So he went down to the creek and immersed the little puppy in the cold, cool water. And then, after he thought it was sufficiently cooled off, he wrapped it carefully in a large, thin leaf. Mother said, well, Pandemon, what in the world have you got there now? Oh, it's a puppy from Grandmother. Well, let us see it. And of course, when he unwrapped the little creature, it was dead. Oh, Pandemon.

Look what you've done. But mother, I obeyed you implicitly. Oh, Tanimon, you are going to be the death of me. But mother, I tried so hard to please you. Well, I'm going out now. But Tanimon, do be careful how you step on those freshly made pies. Tanimon sat there in meditation for a while and his mother was gone.

and we got up carefully and with the greatest of care stepped exactly in the center of every one of those freshly made pies. I have become convinced in many of my observations that some of us obey the priesthood just that way. Seems to me that there should be a more diligent and intelligent obedience rendered by people who are supposed to be motivated by the Spirit of God and by revelation. Interpret our own situations. Deal with things in the light of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. The Prophet Joseph said that what is sin under one set of circumstances is not necessarily sin under another. But these things must be approached with a spirit of devotion, intelligence, and continuous revelation. I greatly appreciate the privilege I have of associating with you people and this great work that we are engaged in. And I pray that the Lord will bless us with determination, courage, and wisdom to be worthy servants in his hands. I ask these blessings on you in the name of Jesus Christ.