In a society which emphasizes the importance of having a career, sacrificing a great job for anything seems absurd. Alma was the chief judge—that would mean he was the most powerful judge and lawyer in the land. Yet being top dog had kept him from ever visiting the people of Gideon. Alma did what few would think wise. He gave up a position of great legal and political power because he felt like he was neglecting his spiritual responsibility as high priest. The same principle can be seen today in the lives of those saints who have given up promising careers to tend to their spiritual stewardships—often their families.
"Mel Blasi, one of Illinois' top golfers, and head golf coach at Western Illinois University…has decided to leave his clubs and golf greens behind for an even greener field: for the next two years he will serve a full-time mission. A recent convert to the Church, the 25-year-old athlete will enter the Missionary Training Center Sept. 5 for the Nevada Las Vegas Mission.
"Under his direction, the WIU golf team won its home tournament this year and broke the Bradley University Invitational Tournament record by eight shots.
"…In an area where the Church has come under persecution, specifically in earlier days when the saints were driven out of western Illinois, Blasi was expecting most people to react negatively to his decision to quit his coaching job for an LDS mission. But instead many people were supportive and more understanding than he had ever expected.
"'I don't think they fully understand what I'm doing, but they seem to think I have a lot of courage,' he said." (Church News, 08/18/90)