Cautions go unheeded much too often. One evidence is that many people touch or lean against a door frame or wall despite the fact a "wet paint" sign is posted.

We all have known children who have more confidence in their judgment than they have in the wisdom of their parents, teachers and others who have their well being at heart. One young girl, for example, was cautioned against playing on the site of a house under construction. A carpenter warned her: "Don't climb on that scaffolding. You might fall and get hurt." She ignored the warning. Saying, "I won't fall," and confident in her ability to climb, she ascended the scaffolding. But she did fall. Rushing to the aid of the crying child on the ground, the carpenter determined her injuries were not as serious as her tears would have indicated."Why didn't you listen to me?" he reprimanded. "I told you not to climb up there."

She didn't listen because she thought she knew her abilities better than did the older and wiser carpenter. How many of us are as this child? In our youth, did we think we knew more and were better informed than our parents and teachers? As we grew older, many of us discovered they really did know what was best.

Similarly, we might ask ourselves if we feel our personal desires are preferable to heeding the counsel of inspired servants the Lord has called to lead and direct us. Where would it be most beneficial for us to place our trust: in the dictates and promises of the Lord, or in the opinions and guarantees offered by the world?

True, there are times when we must rely on the skills, wisdom and expertise of mere mortals. We put our trust in pilots, air traffic controllers, bus drivers, engineers, doctors and nurses, and thousands of other professionals and laborers. But even then, we seek help and counsel from qualified individuals. We don't, for example, ask a welder if a tooth needs to be filled.

Even though we might identify those in various professions and walks of life to help us, we ought not to rely solely on their expertise. Who among us, before going into surgery, does not pray that the surgeon's hands will be directed, that all will go well in the operating room? And do not righteous parents pray that teachers will help their children walk proper paths and establish worthwhile values? Who among the faithful embarks on a long and difficult journey without petitioning Heavenly Father for protection?

The psalmist tells us: "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8.)

In Proverbs we are counseled: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Prov. 3:5.)

Even with such scriptural injunctions, some still rely on the trends and teachings of the world and on their own judgments instead of the commandments of the Lord and the counsel of His prophets, apostles and other leaders.

In a fireside address, President Spencer W. Kimball observed: "We have many people who stand aside here and counter the things that the Lord has established, saying, `I don't think this, and I don't think that. I think it ought to be this way or I think it ought to be that way.'

"Who is `I'? How far off the beam men and women have gone when they substitute their own puny opinions for the dictum of the Lord." (Church News, Jan. 4, 1975.)

The little girl mentioned earlier was injured because she did not heed the warnings of the carpenter building a new house. There is another carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth, whose counsel and teachings we ought to heed, and there have been and are apostles, prophets and others He has called to help keep us safe from the snares and temptations of life. We must decide whether we will heed Him and His chosen servants or whether we, fearful of what others might think, will follow the voices of the world.

When 116 pages of manuscript translated from the first part of the Book of Mormon were lost after the Prophet Joseph Smith reluctantly allowed them to pass from his custody into the hands of Martin Harris, the Lord said: ". . . how oft you have transgressed the commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on the persuasions of men.

"For, behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words -

"Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble." (D&C 3:6-8.)

Let us heed the wise counsel given by the Lord and His servants, and let us not substitute our own "puny opinions for the dictum of the Lord."