Acknowledging the greatness of Joseph Smith as a prophet of God, Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Seventy spoke "on a more personal level" of the Prophet of the Restoration.

Statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith ouside Carthage Jail prograys bond of love between brothers.

Elder Jensen, Church Historian and Recorder, spoke Nov. 18 to a noon-time gathering of Church employees in the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City. Keying on the title of President Gordon B. Hinckley's book Standing for Something, Elder Jensen named several qualities and characteristics that, in his mind, Joseph Smith stands for.

"I begin with the idea that his life began with a family and with a vision," Elder Jensen noted. "It's interesting to me that the Book of Mormon does that as well. I'm sure that's pure coincidence, but it has always been nice symbolism for me that Joseph's life began with a family and with a vision as did Lehi's and Nephi's."

Elder Jensen said he remembers with fondness the relationships in Joseph's family, with his siblings and parents, that have been preserved in history. "I think of it in terms of his relationship to Hyrum, his older brother, and the humility that was involved in that relationship and the acceptance that Hyrum had," he said.

An experience Elder and Sister Jensen had recently in witnessing their youngest child receive her patriarchal blessing caused him to reflect that Joseph, more than any other religious thinker, codified mankind's vision for life, he said. "No one gave us the Plan of Salvation with the clarity and with the breadth and depth that he did."

Elder Jensen said the historical record makes clear that Emma was a strong wife to Joseph. "And I married one of those as well, so I can relate, in a way, to the relationship that Joseph and Emma had." He said that, while he is certain that President Gordon B. Hinckley would have been a great man under any circumstance, he is much greater because of his wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley.

Another quality that Joseph stands for, Elder Jensen said, is resoluteness. He recalled touring the Nova Scotia Halifax Mission some years ago. "It was, in terms of the obedience and the work ethic of the missionaries, one of the best missions I have ever been in," he said. He added that the missionaries faced difficulty without discouragement. At the time, he gave them a quote from Joseph Smith to the effect that if he were buried in the deepest pit in Nova Scotia and the Rocky Mountains were piled on him he would just keep on digging until he came out on top. "I think we can be glad that he had that feeling about life," he remarked.

Elder Jensen said the Prophet Joseph stands for absolute truth in a world that regards truth as merely relative. "We may be among the few people on earth that really do accept the fact that there are absolutes" and that stems from what Joseph taught, he said.

He spoke of Joseph's humility, saying he loves the fact that Joseph stands for the benefit of admitting one's errors and wrongs. He said that is hard for anyone to do, and it is not always profitable to teach from one's weaknesses, but to admit on occasion that one has faults is beneficial, particularly to youth, who then find it less difficult to admit that they are wrong sometimes and to confess their sins when they should.

The manner in which Joseph handled adversity is ennobling, Elder Jensen said, adding that he did not allow himself to be defined by his trials. The Prophet, he said, provides an example of accepting conditions that will be for one's experience and good, making allowances for them and working around them.

He said that Joseph Smith stood for the principle of revelation, the idea "that we can talk to God and He will talk back; there really can be dialogue." He called it "the rock on which we're built."

Last, he affirmed John Taylor's declaration, as written in Doctrine and Covenants 135:2 that "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it."

"That means to me no one has done more in helping us understand the Christ, in helping us appreciate the sweep of His Atonement and helping us to apply that Atonement in our lives."