So much controversy swirls around one of the greatest men, save Jesus Christ, to grace this planet. For a man so humble, he was purported to have created a religion to fulfill his own greed and lascivious desires. In truth, he was a humble boy who sought truth. Just as the Fall had to occur, so too, did the Restoration. For at the meridian of time, our Lord and Savior came to this earth and paid for the sins, sorrows, grief and illnesses for all of the children of God. He paid the price so that man would have hope. The apostasy occurred, removing from the earth the power of the priesthood, the pure, plain and simple truths and any authorized representatives of God.
Joseph Smith, on that quiet spring morning, knelt in a grove of trees and simply asked, “What church should I join?” From that moment in time, all changed for the children of God. From that day forward, the restoration of all true things was put in motion. Joseph remained humble until the day he was assassinated in that lowly jail in Carthage, Illinois. He served Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, never wavering in doctrine, in truth or in belief – he knew what had been revealed to him and denying it would not make it less true.
We have so much to be grateful for with this man of God. He served faithfully. He loved faithfully. He is an example of strength, humility, belief, perseverance, and an ideal example of love for his God and fellow man. We could do little better than to be as devout as Joseph Smith, Jr.