BORN: 8 October 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH:
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
FATHER: Melvin Russell
Ballard Sr.
MOTHER: Geraldine Smith
Ballard
ELDER M. RUSSELL BALLARD
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Key Doctrines:
Elder Ballard
often speaks about families and perspectives about them within the scope of the
eternities. He encourages us to remember
and seek to bless each person individually.
He implores, "Keep foremost in
mind the sacred covenants [we] have made with the Lord … Eliminate from [your] lives the things that
clamor for and consume [your] thoughts, feelings, and energies without
contributing to …[reaching your] main goal . . . ‘immortality and eternal life’ (Moses 1:39).”
He lovingly reminds us, “Just do the very best
you can each day. Do the basic things
and, before you realize it, your life will be full of spiritual understanding
that will confirm to you that your Heavenly Father loves you. When a person
knows this, then life will be full of purpose and meaning, making balance
easier to maintain.” [1]
He reminds, “Set goals
that are well balanced—not too many nor too few, and not too high nor too low.
Write down your attainable goals and work on them according to their
importance. Pray for divine guidance in your goal setting.” [2]
He also helps us understand family
priorities, “When [you] make family and religious commitments . . .societies at
large are strengthened as families grow stronger. Commitments to family and values are the basic cause. Nearly everything
else is effect. . . . So the bad news is that family breakdown is
causing a host of societal and economic ills. But the good news is that,
like any cause and effect, those ills can be reversed if what is causing them is changed.
Inequities are resolved by living correct principles and values. If
we will devote ourselves to this cause, we will improve every other aspect of
our lives.” [3] Family relationships are work but are
critical to eternal happiness.
I learned:
Elder Ballard worked in car sales. The Ballard Motor Company won the right to be the Edsel car dealer for Salt Lake City. His dealership became
the most successful in the country, but in the end the Edsel failed and the
motor company, and dealers around the country, lost hundreds of millions of
dollars. This serious business reversal that took him many years to pay off but
he still never left a debt unpaid and was completely honest. “It was a
devastating experience,” he said. “The first part of my business career it
seemed like everything worked. I was a little intolerant, I think, of those who were having trouble in business. But then I had trouble, and that helped me gain an empathy and understanding for people who struggle similarly.”
He says getting his wife to marry him was the greatest sales job he ever did. She says, “He’s extremely devoted to his family, and they've always come first. He was a bishop for many years and held lots of Church jobs, but those responsibilities have never been to the detriment of his family.”
His church biography says, “For Elder Ballard, family relationships are as much a reality on the other side of the veil as they are on this side. As he spoke about accepting his call, Elder Ballard said that he felt a great closeness to his forefathers. He is the grandson of Elder Hyrum Mack Smith, who served in the Council of the Twelve from 1901 to 1918, and Elder Melvin J. Ballard, who served from 1919 to 1939. Both of their pictures hang on his office wall. The busts of his great-great uncle the Prophet Joseph Smith, his great-great grandfather Hyrum Smith, and his great-grandfather President Joseph F. Smith are also displayed prominently in his office.” He served a mission to the British Isles.
He teaches:
It is important to pay attention to the small basics and larger issues will take care of themselves. “It is crucial,” Elder M Russell Ballard counsels, “for us to understand that Heavenly Father has provided a way for all . . . to have access to [His] blessings (Moses 1:39). . . . We have unlimited, divine potential. But . . . we can drift away from the true doctrine . . . [and] remove ourselves from the divine light and living waters of the Savior’s eternal love and priesthood power.” [4]
Elder Ballard quips, "Failure
is only when you quit trying...if you keep working at a task and try to do
what's right and honest, ultimately it works out." [5]
[1] Elder M. RUSSELL BALLARD of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles, “Keeping Life’s Demands In Balance,”
Annual General Conference, April 1987
[2] Elder M. RUSSELL
BALLARD of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Keeping Life’s Demands
In Balance,”157th
Annual General Conference, April 1987
[4] Elder M. RUSSELL BALLARD of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles “This Is
My Work and Glory,” 183rd Annual
General Conference, 7 April 2013
[5] Elder M. RUSSELL BALLARD of the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles, “True to the Faith,” by Kathleen
Lubeck, March 1986 Ensign
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