"Are We Prepared?"

President Thomas S. Monson, president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrote an article in the September "Ensign" magazine on the principle preparedness and self-reliance.  President Monson began the article, as he does so often, telling an anecdote from his past. 

President Monson told of a service project where he spent a day pulling weeds and burning debris from around a poutry farm. However, Pres. Monson relates "there was just one disastrous problem. The noise and the fires so disturbed the fragile population of 5,000 laying hens that most of them went into a sudden molt and ceased laying."  

Pres. Monson related that "Thereafter we tolerated a few weeds so that we might produce more eggs."  

Without lighting fires or sounding any alarms, the prophet of the Lord instructs all members and everyone everywhere to perfect our skills, avoid debt, save and set some money aside, and have a supply of food, clothing, and, where possible, other necessities of life.

I think the molting chicken story is a very timely one. I am sure there are some who expect a prophet of God to be sounding the alarm and be continually foretelling impending doom.  However, Pres. Monson tells us that it we can be instructed exactly how to prepare for difficult times without causing needless worry, stress and fear that may cause many members to go "into a molt" and to cease being productive.