The Impassioned Pleas of Jeffrey R. Holland

In a speech given during this month's General Conference, LDS apostle Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke passionately about poverty and the need for members to give to the poor and needy, through fast offerings and other means. Titled "Are We Not All Beggars?", the speech featured Elder Holland's usual confident inflection and timely pauses that it make it almost impossible for audiences to not pay attention. But one moment in particular stood out to me. 

Shortly before concluding his talk, Elder Holland took the time to openly admit that although he had strong feelings about the need to give to the poor and needy, the blessings he's had in his life have allowed him to never have to be one of them. He went so far as to say the words:

"I have never been poor, nor do I even know how the poor feel."

How powerful and refreshing it is to hear an apostle of the Lord openly admit that he doesn't have all the answers, and that he can't possibly pretend to know what these people are going through. 

By itself this sentence means very little--many in our class could probably say the same thing. But combined with his powerful plea to take our abundance and give to those that lack, you know that it comes from a place of compassion in spite of what he doesn't know or understand. He's appealing directly to our pathos.

In his famous address at BYU titled "Remember Lot's Wife," Elder Holland similarly admitted that he too was guilty of "looking back" and not looking forward, sharing that he had asked his own wife at one point if they should just give up.

In admitting his weaknesses, Elder Holland allows each of us to recognize and forgive our own, empowering us to move forward and not look back.