THOMAS SPENCER MONSON summary

BORN: 21 August 1927, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

FATHER: G. (George) Spencer Monson

MOTHER: Gladys Condie Monson

Thomas Spencer Monson
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Key Doctrines:

President Monson, unfailingly, encourages a questioning search for true answers to the universal questions: “Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go after this life?” He promises that as we “believe, obey, and endure . . .our prayers are heard, knowledge of truth and answers to our greatest questions can be ours . . .[and] the Lord will make up the difference.” We can communicate with God, be heard and answered. He testifies, “The empty tomb . . . [is] the answer to [all our] questions (He is Risen! Ensign May 2010, page 87).”

President Monson suggests we focus on truth instead of trauma and drama, diligently remember to follow the obedient example of Jesus Christ, and look for blessings through personal revelation and service. “Gospel guidance” teaches we have agency—the power to act to willingly serve. This blesses our lives and the lives of others. “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved,” he instructs. (See Finding Joy in the Journey, October 2008.)  Our “decisions do determine our destiny (The 3 Rs of Choice, November Ensign 2010, page 67).” 

President Monson teaches that sincere gratitude “unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.  . . . To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven. (The Divine Gift of Gratitude, November Ensign 2010, page 87).”

I learned:

His parent’s example of kindness and diligence shaped Thomas S. Monson to be a powerful example of service. We can see his example; we can hear his words—we can hear the Lord! I love it! Can I pledge my life and my heart to pray, and serve and love like Thomas S Monson? I want to follow his example.

He prays continually, and always has - anytime, anywhere. God is real to him. The Savior is real to him. I can hear it in his voice. I can see it in his eyes. I am not dependent on witnesses, third party reports, or print. I can hear it and see for myself because of the technology available to us. The prophet can talk face to face with people any time he chooses – in their wards, in their homes, and in their hearts - if we choose to hear him. We have the right and responsibility to make choices. There is no middle ground. We can not be neutral. We will receive the results of our choices - consequences or blessings.

He teaches, 

“Life by the yard is hard; by the inch it’s a cinch. Each of us can be true for just one day—and then one more, and then one more after that, until we’ve lived a lifetime guided by the Spirit, a lifetime close to the Lord, a lifetime of good deeds and righteousness. The Savior promised: ‘Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life’ (3 Nephi 15:9).

“For this purpose have you come into mortality . . . here is nothing more important than [that] goal . . . even eternal life in the Kingdom of your Father. (Believe, Obey, and Endure, Ensign May 2012, page 126).”