As a child I loved the book "Henry's Awful Mistake" by Robert Quackenbush. It was a fun story about a silly duck who creates a terrible mess all because of an ant. As an adult I have grown to appreciate the message behind the story and the valuable lesson taught through Henry.
Henry is a duck who decides to invite his friend Clara over for dinner. As he is preparing the meal, Henry, much to his shock and dismay, discovers an ant in his kitchen. This will not do! Everything must be perfect for his dinner with Clara. So Henry begins chasing around the ant, who eventually crawls behind the oven. Well Henry is not willing to give up there and decides to pull out his stove and find where the offending insect went. He discovers the ant slipped into a crack in the wall and goes after it with a hammer. Unfortunately, the ant chooses to hide on a pipe and Henry very foolishly hits the pipe with the hammer, causing a giant leak. He thinks quickly and ties off the water with a towel and counts his blessings that the dinner is saved. However, while cleaning up the wet kitchen, Henry slips, crashes into the table, and ends up covered in food and pans. Looks like he'll have to cancel his dinner after all. While he is on the phone with Clara, the towel comes lose on the pipe and poor Henry is washed out the door by the water. He can do nothing, but watch his house wash away. Henry ends up buying a new house and again inviting Clara over for dinner. Just as he is about to open the front door to his guest, Henry sees an ant. And he decides to look the other way.
What a fool Henry is! To completely ruin his dinner and home all because of one little ant. Who in their right mind would take a hammer to a water pipe? Henry was too caught up in getting that ant that he didn't realize what he was doing. Silly duck, right? We'd never do something so stupid as that, would we?
How about when we find fault with those who are our leaders in the church? It amazes me as a bishop's wife how people demand to be satisfied and if everything is not according to their wishes, they will let you know. To say a bishop, stake president, or even the prophet is not inspired because he does something you personally do not like, whether it be change a Young Women's presidency, institute a new stake program, or introduce new doctrine, is foolish and dangerous territory. To make public your dissatisfaction is even more treacherous because you are influencing those around you with your negative attitude.
Let's get one thing straight, the simple fact that it is the Lord who leads the church. When a prophet, stake president, or bishop is called, that person is chosen by the Lord and given all the rights and keys connected to that calling. That means that when they make a decision in regards for the ward, stake, or church they are doing what the Lord has inspired them to do. You may not agree with it. You may think President X or Bishop Y did a better job leading the ward or stake. But it doesn't really matter because it's not up to you, it's up to the Lord. If you've got a problem with your leaders, you get on your knees and pray to get in line with them. You work to love them. You can even meet with them and talk about what ails you. But you do not let what you perceive as their weaknesses or imperfections keep you from sustaining them as your leaders. You do not broadcast your opinion for all to hear.
Why? Because when you focus on the imperfections of your leaders, you become like our little duck friend Henry. He wanted everything to be perfect, or at least what he deemed to be perfection. Then the ant appeared and he became so focused and obsessed on that little insect that he failed to realize the destruction he was causing to his home before it was too late. He lost everything, but he also learned. And when that ant appeared again, Henry was wiser and choose to look the other way.
We must do the same with our leaders. They all are imperfect because they all are in this mortal journey with us. Some faults are more obvious that others. But we have the choice, like Henry, whether or not to focus on those imperfections. Do we hold grudges? Do we judge our leaders too harshly? Do we expect too much from them? Do we recognize that they are trying their best and see what good they do? If we fail to see the good and only focus on the bad, we will be like Henry. We will destroy ourselves, our families, and bring contention into our wards, stakes, and overall church, all the while not even realizing it. We wouldn't dream of hitting a water line with a hammer. That's just stupid. But what of venting about our bishop because he released who we thought was the best Relief Society president ever or dared to call us to an impossible calling?
We have to watch ourselves. Remember Henry and the lesson he learned. Remember to look the other way. Focus on the good our leaders do. Sustain them. Support them. Uplift them. Let their faults be and move on. After all, if we were bishop or stake president, wouldn't we want people to have patience for our shortcomings, which would be on display for all to see?
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