Lucius Nelson Scovil joined the LDS Church in 1837 in Kirtland, Ohio, and one month later left on the first of many Mormon missions. On his way home he met the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, who alerted him to mob violence against the Saints in Ohio.When he arrived home the Saints were fleeing, and few families had the means to transport their goods to the Ohio River about 100 miles away. Scovil made five trips totaling almost 1,000 miles, transporting others, then gathered his family, left all his worldly goods behind and traveled to Missouri. There he took what work he could to pay off debts. Driven from Missouri, and once more destitute, in 1840 the family migrated with other Saints and eventually settled in Nauvoo.
When Scovil and family arrived in Illinois they were penniless. Further, his family was incapacitated by what was described as "the bilious fever" and malaria. His daughter succumbed to "black canker," which ate a hole through her lip, two of her teeth and her chin. Scovil worked hard to get back on his feet and renew his family's health and well-being. He oversaw construction of and managed the many activities that took place in the Masonic Hall, was a member of the Nauvoo Legion and built and ran the popular Scovil Bakery.When the Saints were compelled to leave Nauvoo in 1846 Scovil not only lost all his material goods but as wagons were pulling out along the "Trail of Tears" his wife died in childbirth. The twins she delivered, Mary and Martha, died 10 days later. Despairing, Scovil made preparations to depart with remaining family members.
And then he received a call to serve a mission in England. Scovil traveled a few days onto the plains "to get (his children) properly regulated," placed them under the care of others and left them with a blessing. The children "collapsed in tears," and, fraught with grief, Scovil turned east to fulfill a mission 6,000 miles away, without a penny to his name.He wrote: "This seemed like a painful duty for me to perform, to leave my family to go into the wilderness and I to turn and go the other way. It cost me all that I had on this earth ... (but) I thought it was best to round up my shoulders like a bold soldier of the crop .. and assist in rolling forth the kingdom of God."
Scovil worked hard and prospered each place he lived but lost everything time and again when persecution drove him from his homes. His focus in life however was not gaining and maintaining material wealth. He lived his life with an eye single to the glory of God and was determined to move God's kingdom forward in keeping with the covenants he made at baptism.What sustained Scovil through challenging economic times? The answer seems almost too simplistic, but there is only one explanation. It was his testimony of Jesus Christ and his conviction that in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints he had found Christ's gospel restored to the earth again. Understanding the plan of salvation and how fleeting, in the eternal scheme of things, material wealth is, he chose the restored gospel over the comforts and riches of the world.
This past year has been a tumultuous year for many families, much of it occasioned by the worldwide economic meltdown. Fraud has been perpetrated at the highest levels of the political and corporate world, and many individuals have been cheated out of their investments. People have lost jobs and are scrambling to retool and find new work. Savings have been depleted, and graduating students ready to enter the work force are having trouble finding employment.
Many people have been hurt and will suffer, but when all is said and done our focus needs to reflect that of Lucius Nelson Scovil. What mattered to him and what must be central in our lives is developing our relationship with Christ and dedicating ourselves to his gospel. President John Taylor succinctly reinforced this truth, "While we pursue the common avocations of life, as other men do, our main object is eternal lives and exaltation."
Material wealth can disappear quickly. Power and fame can be equally as transitory. However, spiritual wealth is wholly within each individual's control. No other individual can cheat or steal spiritual wealth from another. Each individual controls his or her own spiritual capital. When we invest by drawing closer to God through prayer, scripture study, service, temple worship, Sabbath worship and in countless others Christlike activities, our spiritual prosperity increases exponentially. And it is spiritual, not material, wealth that will lead us back to God.
Hopefully economic hardships will not as harshly affect us as they did Lucius Nelson Scovil. Yet whatever the new year holds let us determine to esteem most that which is of eternal value and, as did Scovil, "round up our shoulders, like bold soldiers of the crop ... and assist in rolling forth the kingdom of God."