Quotes from Alonzo L. Gaskill

Jairus came to Jesus with faith. But when he heard of his daughter's death, how grieved and hopeless he must have felt. Yet Jesus, honoring that first bit of faith, told him not to worry. "Hold onto your faith," was His message in this father's darkest hour.

One patriarch suggested that the things mentioned in most blessings are not the mundane or typical life occurrences but, instead, "the outstanding things which might happen."[1]

God "wants to inspire, not script, your life.

And all men with their infinitely varied talents and personalities pick up the course of progression where they left it off when they left the heavenly realms.[6]

Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–1985), of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained: When we pass from preexistence to mortality, we bring with us the traits and talents there developed.

Elder McConkie added, "All men, and the servants of the Lord in particular, acquired, in [the] preexistence, by obedience to law, the specific talents and capacities with which they are endowed in this life."[7] This being the case, any time your patriarchal blessing mentions one of your talents or gifts, it is discussing who you were in the premortal world.

Finally, President Harold B. Lee (1899–1973), who was the eleventh President of the Church, explained, "What we have received here in this earth [life] was given to each of us according to the merits of our conduct before we came here."[8] In other words, many of the promises made to you in your patriarchal blessing have been made because you earned the right to those promises because of your faithfulness when you dwelt in your Father in Heaven's presence.

The fact that you are told in your patriarchal blessing that you will have certain gifts of the Spirit manifest in your life here in mortality is a direct result of your spirituality prior to your birth.

Your patriarchal blessing will give you hints of things to come, warnings about things to avoid, promises of blessings available, and gifts to equip you to fulfill your life's mission. Nevertheless, many of your life's events will go unmentioned in your blessing.

One stake patriarch suggested, your blessing will be "a catalyst, a lightning rod for new revelation. When you ponder on your patriarchal blessing, you show respect and interest in knowing God's will. This will tune you into God and open the channel to receive more revelations concerning your life, important decisions, and your future."[4

If the patriarch makes promises under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit—and by his ordained authority—you can rest assured, those promises will come to pass.

Occasionally, patriarchal blessings will warn of certain weaknesses we have that might threaten our salvation. Thus, one reason to regularly read your blessing is so that you can avoid these dangers or pitfalls.

As a "personal revelation" from your Heavenly Father,[3] your patriarchal blessing is "your own 'personal scripture.' "[4] It "is like having your very own section of the Doctrine and Covenants—a revelation especially for you."[5]

President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018), sixteenth President of the Church, explained that your blessing "literally contains chapters from your book of eternal possibilities.

Heavenly Father knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your strengths, but He also knows your weaknesses—and He knows that Satan knows your weaknesses too.

Your blessing can serve as a shield and a protection for you against the powers of Satan.

Your patriarchal blessing will point out to you those strategies and where you have weaknesses so that—if you follow the counsel of your blessing—Satan will not be able to destroy you.

Our patriarchal blessing should be part of our battle plan to defeat the "enemy of all righteousness" (Acts 13:10).

President James E. Faust (1920–2007) suggested, "Our blessings can encourage us when we are discouraged, strengthen us when we are fearful, comfort us when we sorrow, give us courage when we are filled with anxiety, and lift us up when we are weak in spirit. Our testimonies can be strengthened every time we read our patriarchal blessings.

Your patriarchal blessing will tell you exactly what you need to know in order to be exalted.

If regularly read and contemplated, your blessing will be one of the greatest helps you could ever have in overcoming temptation, figuring out your life's profession, finding your eternal companion, enduring your trials, and returning home to your Father and Mother in Heaven.

Your [patriarchal] blessing is a prophetic synopsis with excerpts of the blessing you received at Heavenly Father's hand as you prepared to come to earth.

The stake patriarch's responsibility is simply to reveal to you bits and pieces of the Father's blessing you received before you left your heavenly parents to come here to mortality.

Rather, your informal conversation with the patriarch prior to receiving your blessing is intended to accomplish a couple of things. It gives the patriarch a chance to get a feel for you and your spirit. It also provides him with an opportunity to instruct you regarding patriarchal blessings and to let you know what is about to happen. It can also serve to help you to get comfortable with him prior to receiving your blessing.