In the middle of the night several nights ago, my mind must have been dwelling upon this writing project and the question of how best to spend one’s time.  My mind surfaced just long enough for the Spirit to speak one word and to embed it in my thinking.  That word was “Proclaim.”

Over and over in The Doctrine and Covenants the Lord tells individuals that the thing which will be of most worth to them will be to proclaim the gospel.

When I picture someone proclaiming, I see him standing on a street corner courageously haranguing a crowd that has gathered to hear him.  Some missionaries may yet do that, but that’s a very minor, very ineffective, and very scary way to do our proclaiming.  There are better, quieter and more effective ways to tell people about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel.

Possibly the best way that we proclaim is by example.  This past week I’ve had several conversations with non-members in which they volunteered observations.  One lady blurted out, “You have an awesome family.”  Another said, “You have a wonderful family.  They’re all good people.”  A man said, “You have an outstanding family.”  He’s said that countless times before.

The best missionary work that I’ve done is to have raised this family.  It’s a standout.  Everybody knows about us, and what they know is positive.

As this world spirals downward at an ever-increasing rate, I see the long-prophesied separation between the righteous and the wicked developing.  The good people in the world are starting to look around for safe havens, and are becoming increasingly aware that the Church is the one constant in a changing world of chaos.  They become aware of the Church because of the LDS people and families that they know.  There are more of us now.  Everyone knows a Mormon.  The more Latter-day Saints that a person knows, the more he recognizes that they’re different.  He begins to ask questions.

When we see that a person has taken note of us, that’s the time for us to open our mouths.  We must not be afraid to let people know the reason for the hope that’s in us.  People are attracted to us because of our happiness, our standards, our kindness, and our steadiness.

Proclaiming the gospel is getting easier.  If we look for, and pray for, opportunities to talk about the Church, those opportunities open up on a nearly daily basis.

Our examples, our conversations, and any efforts we put forth to proclaim the gospel will pay big dividends.  We’re letting people know where safety and salvation is located.  They’ll come in ever-increasing numbers.  It will soon be a flood.  Our efforts to help this happen will be of more worth than any other thing.