BYU SPEECHES OF THE YEAR, 1989-90 Table of Contents LEADERSHIP-JESUS WAS THE PERFECT LEADER James M. Paramore A WONDERFUL SUMMER Janet G. Lee WHERE MUCH IS GIVEN: SOME THOUGHTS ON APPRECIATION Rex E. Lee WHERE IS THE CHURCH? James E. Faust COME UNTO CHRIST Henry B. Eyring UNLOCKING THE DOORS M. Russell Ballard REFLECTION AND RESOLUTION Russell M. Nelson FIND BEAUTY IN THE STORM Rex E. and Janet G. Lee THE CHILDREN OF CHRIST Neal A. Maxwell A STILL VOICE OF PERFECT MILDNESS Marvin J. Ashton ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY Barbara W. Winder "WHERE THERE IS NO VISION" L. Tom Perry BELIEVING CHRIST: A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO THE ATONEMENT Stephen E. Robinson THE FRUITS OF OBEDIENCE Richard G. Scott AFTER THE "Y"-- WHAT THEN? Noel L. Owen SIN AND SUFFERING Dallin H. Oaks SPIRITUAL CHECKUPS Carlos E. Asay LEADERSHIP-JESUS WAS THE PERFECT LEADER James M. Paramore James M. Paramore is a member of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This devotional address was given on 22 August 1989 in the Marriott Center during Campus Education Week. The first time I was asked to speak in the tabernacle some twelve years ago, Elder Paul Dunn told me that if I could just get rid of the little cotton man, the one who puts cotton balls in your mouth when you get up to speak in the tabernacle, I'd be okay I'm still struggling with him, and I pray for your faith and prayers this morning. It is an awesome responsibility to be here. I've told many today, as I've told many over the years, that I prefer a smaller setting. I enjoy being in a classroom situation with a smaller group where interaction can take place. With leadership in attendance here from outlying areas, I would like to thank you all, on behalf of all the Brethren, for the things you do for us when we attend your conferences--your gentleness, your accepting us, your spirit. We come home every weekend feeling the Spirit of our Father in Heaven. Someone once asked us how we get recharged. We say, "By going into the field and bonding with the latter-day Saints wherever they are. We come back filled with the Spirit." We thank you this day. The subject I would like to talk about today is sacred and central to all we do. A little story about President Spencer W. Kimball illustrates the point. President Kimball was being wheeled into an operating room for one of his many operations, and one of the orderlies took the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in vain. Even though President Kimball was under sedation, he rose up and told the orderly not to take the name of his Savior in vain, for he was his friend and the Savior of the world. I would like to say a few words today about the Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect leader. In 1968 at a general conference, President David O. McKay said this about Christ's example of leadership: Now a word to you officers and leaders in the stakes and wards, in missions, and in temples. It was the divine character of Jesus that drew the women of Palestine to him, that drew as a magnet the little children to him. It was the divine personality which attracted men, honest men, pure men. It was also that divine personality which antagonized the impure, the evil men and women. In the realm of personality, and in the kingdom of character, Christ was supreme. By personality, I mean all that may be included in individuality. Personality is a gift from God; it is indeed a "pearl of great price," an eternal blessing. [CR, October 1968, pp. 143-44; or "Spirituality in Leading and Teaching the Gospel," Ensign, December 1968, p. 108] The Cosmic View Jesus Christ was the supreme leader about whom not enough can ever be said. His task was to lead all people back to their Father in Heaven, to give us all the unlimited potential of eternal life and its blessings. We almost walk on sacred ground as we approach any phase of his life, his character, his personality, his atonement for us, and his leadership in bringing it all about. Not enough can ever be said or done about this Elder Brother of ours, the Holy One of Israel. His majesty and leadership transcend the loftiest of our thoughts and actions. He was, and is, the central figure in the creation of this earth, our placement upon it, and all the things that involve us. He was not just a manager of all of this, but was the leader, the initiator. By inspiration and direction from his Heavenly Father, he has led us. Imagine the problem first and then the painstaking plan to affect all the children of God-the plan of God. Life would be divided into three essential parts: 1. A premortal life when we were in the presence of our Father in Heaven and his Son and would progress as far as we could go there. 2. An earth life when the children of God would come to earth to work out their probation, looking for a model along the way, an example, the sure way. 3. Then the postmortal life, where eternal opportunities, accountability, and blessings would be given. Imagine the logistics and the principles involved in guiding the billions of his sons and daughters through the process from having them shout for joy just to come to earth to making the actual move. Many of us have a hard time moving from one residence to another, let alone building a habitation in which to live, establishing eternal truths to guide the earthly family, managing and handling the trillions and trillions of actions that would run counter to the plan of God and that would frustrate nearly every righteous human effort, and then providing absolute justice and mercy for all (not always immediate, but always certain). Think of the plan of God in its review and acceptance by us in the council in heaven (of course, God knew of its value and efficacy before it was ever presented). It was accepted. Jesus our Brother was accepted. This same Jesus knew what his part would be: the Creator of this mortal habitation, the Lamb, the Redeemer, the Mediator between all the children of God and their Father in Heaven, the One who would atone for us, the sure Guide--absolute in every way, and the Leader in all dimensions. Now contemplate his leadership over the centuries: the creation of the earth and all things thereon, even man and woman; his counsel and communication with the Old Testament and Book of Mormon prophets; his prophecies about his own coming forth to be the Firstborn of God; his leadership among the people; his example; his establishment of truth; his church; and the ordinances. Any one of these would be overwhelming to contemplate with the mortal mind--his great service for all humankind, his atonement for all the children of God. All through the centuries he was involved in preparing everything to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of all men and women, living and dead. Those years were spent in leading behind the scenes and also in preparing to lead personally. I would like to share with you an experience I had with one small dimension of his efforts to lead a wayward son. A year and a half ago, I was assigned to go to a stake conference in New Mexico. The normal route would have been to fly to Albuquerque, rent a car, and drive to Grants, where the conference was to be held. But for some reason I was impressed that I must go to Gallup and get a car there. It had meant taking a little tiny plane. I was the only passenger on the plane with two pilots. It was a terribly windy day, and I wasn't sure we were going to arrive. When we arrived safely at Gallup, I was very, very happy to land. I went into the airport, took out my driver's license, and put it on the desk to pick up my car. The gentleman there said, "Mr. Paramore, I'm sorry, I can't let you have a car." "Why not?" I asked. "Your driver's license has expired." It had expired a week earlier on my birthday! What was I going to do? I picked up the phone and called the local bishop. He was on his way out the door to perform a marriage ceremony I told him I was Elder Paramore, and he said, "Who?" I told him again and I'm not sure he believed it. He replied, "I'll see what I can do." But I knew he didn't believe that I was there because he said, "We don't have a conference here today. What are you doing in Gallup?" I was out of my pattern; I was out of the route that I should have taken. Sitting over in the corner of the room was a young man with his teenage son. He was dressed in tank top and construction clothes and had long clean hair. He came over to the desk, and he said, "I understand you are in a little trouble. I just came by to get some applications to take flying lessons, and I couldn't help hearing that you need help. Could I take you somewhere?" I said "You would be a great Christian if you could." I explained my dilemma. "You buy my gas," he said, "and I'll drive you over." We had sixty miles to go. So we got in his old, old worn-out car, filled with junk, and we started toward Grants, New Mexico. On the way, I asked what every Latter-day Saint would ask: "What do you know about the Mormons?" "Have you ever been to Salt Lake City?" "Have you ever read the Book of Mormon?" To all of them the answers were affirmative. When I asked him if he knew the Book of Mormon was true, there was a long, long pause. Finally he responded by saying, "I'm an elder in the Church, and two years ago my wife left me and my two children for another man. I was a member of the branch presidency where I live. The members of my branch cut me off and blamed me for the departure of my wife. We've never been able to go back to church because of those feelings. "Do I know if the Book of Mormon is true, Brother Paramore? (I knew who you were.) I've read the Book of Mormon many times, and I know it's as true as anything on this earth." In the hour and a half that passed as I rode with him to Grants, I began to see that I was sitting in the presence of a great man of God; that he knew the gospel is just as true as I did; that he had been deeply hurt by some of the members, and he hadn't been back among them. We had a wonderful conversation, including a discussion of his son some day going on a mission. I've written him every week, sent him copies of the Church News every week, and given him other things to read. He is making great progress. Now, think about it. There are five billion people upon the earth, and here was one man out in the wilderness about whom the Lord was concerned. So he sent a General Authority, all unknowing, out of his way, redirecting his path. It could have been anyone, but it happened to be me. And when I came home that day, I knew that God loves all his children. Jesus Christ, the Perfect Leader Jesus is the perfect leader. How he does all that he does, I don't know. But he is the perfect leader. Jesus taught us that good leaders show us what we should do and then create an environment in which we can do it. Let me read you a scripture from Nephi's record of the Savior's words: And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you. [3 Nephi 18:16] And in Matthew: And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. [Matthew 4:19] I've been on hand several times when prophets have been sustained. When President Lee and President Kimball were sustained, I was the recorder, and I was sitting on the stand watching them. I watched President Benson also. I remember their words: "Jesus Christ is at the helm in this church; he is the head of this church. Yes, I know I am the prophet, but Jesus of Nazareth leads this church; he is at the helm; he presides." There are several characteristics of leadership that the Savior demonstrated that I would like to talk about, but I will just mention a few. Jesus Loves His Father and Each of Us Jesus Christ was motivated by love, love of God and a love for us, his brothers and sisters. You remember the classic statement in Matthew that lays this attribute as the cornerstone for everything: Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. [Matthew 22:35-40] That love is cardinal, and it is in first place among all the things that he, as our leader, would have us know. God sent Jesus to the earth as an expression of his love. Jesus' atonement for all of us was motivated by love: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Can any one of us imagine the feelings of God in those last hours of Jesus' life, when this beloved Son was going through agonizing pain beyond anything anyone had ever experienced before? Jesus seeks to lead us to this kind of love, as recorded in John: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. [John 13:34] We love each other in this kingdom. A Latter-day Saint should never be a trial to another Latter-day Saint. A Latter-day Saint is one who makes goodness look attractive, makes love an integral part of every thought, word, and action. Jesus Carried Out His Father's Will Next, Jesus did the will of his Father: But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me-Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. [Moses 4:2] Unlike Satan, he wanted to do the will of his Father. It's important to focus on that point because there are many implications. For those who want to do the Father's will, it is easy to be led by a prophet. It is easy to be led by a righteous father or mother or by a bishop who is doing everything he can do to help build the kingdom. Jesus further declared, "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me" (John 7:16), and much later, in his extremity, "he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). There is an example from the life of one of our latter-day prophets that I would like to share with you today, an example of following the will of our Heavenly Father. How many times do we have the opportunity to make that kind of decision, to determine whether we will follow God or mammon? It is cardinal to our progression. It is cardinal to having the Spirit with us. It is cardinal to personal righteousness. It is cardinal to becoming of one mind and one heart in this kingdom. "On Sunday the 4th day of June 1837," says Heber C. Kimball, "the Prophet Joseph came to me, while I was seated in front of tile stand, above the sacrament table, on the Melchizedek side of the Temple, in Kirtland, and whispering to me, said, 'Brother Heber, the Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me: "Let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation. Imagine what happened after this prompting by the Lord. The day of departure came; Tuesday, June 13, 1837. The solemn scene of Heber's parting with his family cannot be more tenderly or graphically told than in the words of Elder Robert B. Thompson, who thus describes it: "The day appointed for the departure of the Elders to England having arrived, I stepped into the house of Brother Kimball to ascertain when he would start, as I expected to accompany him two or three hundred miles, intending to spend my labors in Canada that season. "The door being partly opened, I entered and felt struck with the sight which presented itself to my view. I would have retired, thinking that I was intruding, but I felt riveted to the spot. The father was pouring out his soul to that 'God who rules on high, Who all the earth surveys: That rides upon the stormy sky, And calms the roaring seas,' that he would grant him a prosperous voyage across the mighty ocean, and make him useful wherever his lot should be cast, and that He who 'careth for sparrows, and feedeth the young ravens when they cry' would supply the wants of his wife and little ones in his absence. He then, like the patriarchs, and by virtue of his office, laid his hands upon their heads individually, leaving a father's blessing upon them, and commending them to the care and protection of God, while he should be engaged preaching the Gospel in a foreign land. While thus engaged his voice was almost lost in the sobs of those around, who tried in vain to suppress them. The idea of being separated from their protector and father for so long a time was indeed painful. He proceeded, but his heart was too much affected to do so regularly. His emotions were great, and he was obliged to stop at intervals, while the big tears rolled down his cheeks, an index to the feelings which reigned in his bosom. My heart was not stout enough to refrain; in spite of myself I wept, and mingled my tears with theirs. At the same time I felt thankful that I had the privilege of contemplating such a scene. I realized that nothing could induce that man to tear himself from so affectionate a family group, from his partner and children who were so dear to him--nothing bat a sense of duty and love to God and attachment to His cause." [Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967), pp. 103, 108-9] Jesus Taught with Authority Jesus taught his followers "as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:29). Mark tells us: Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.... And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. [Mark 1:14-15, 21] And he taught through stories and examples. He matched the illustrations to the needs of the people and built his lessons upon things they knew and understood. Think of Luke 15. It is a short chapter, but in it Luke records three wonderful parables used by the Savior--the prodigal son, the lost sheep, and the lost coin--to describe how important it is to bring someone back into the arms of God. President David O. McKay stated: No matter how attractive the personality may be, that leader or teacher fails in the work assigned if the leader or teacher directs the love of the member only to the personality of the leader or teacher. It is the leader's duty, or the teacher's duty, to teach the member to love--not the leader or teacher, but the truth of the gospel. Always, everywhere, we find Christ losing himself for his Father's will; and so also should our leaders and teachers, so far as their personalities are concerned, lose themselves for the truth he desires to have them teach. When the people came to Jesus and asked for bread, or the truth, he never turned them away with a stone. He always had truth to give. He understood it. It radiated from his being. He understood how to use illustrations, the natural things around him, to impress that truth upon his hearers. In other words, he was filled with his subject and then was enabled to give that subject to his hearers. [CR, October 1968, p. 143; or "Spirituality," Ensign, December 1968, pp. 108-9] Now look at our current prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson, and how he has taught us to know, use, and give the blessings of the Book of Mormon to the world. I'll never forget his first remarks to the General Authorities after he was called as prophet. He said to us: "Brethren, I've read many of your talks again, and they are wonderful, but you don't use the Book of Mormon enough. May I ask you to know it and use it more, to testify of it to the world, and to have it go into every comer of the world." His words and counsel were profound and needed as he did his Father's will. We walked back from that temple meeting sobered. I remember who I was walking with, and I remember what I was thinking. I remember that, as director over audiovisuals in the Church, I needed to do something about putting the Book of Mormon on tape into the lives of people. They needed to understand the blessings of the Book of Mormon. Thus began a two-year experience that ended in a great video that we have in our libraries today. Today, ten times as many copies of the Book of Mormon are sent to the world every year than ever before. And today, instead of having the Book of Mormon and other scriptures translated into thirty-five languages, President Benson has set an objective to have them translated into all the major languages by the year 2000. So there are translators around the country doing the work of translation in about eighty languages. He is a prophet of God, not afraid to tell the truth, not afraid to challenge the people, not afraid to teach what he has been called to teach in his gentle, loving, supportive way. Jesus Used Leadership Skills Yes, Jesus taught his followers personally. But he also used leadership skills. No coercion, but gentleness, meekness, kindness just a simple "Come, follow me." He listened. Remember the story of the adulterous woman? They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. [John 8:4-7] President Kimball has left us some wonderful thoughts about Christ's leadership: Jesus knew who he was and why he was here on this planet. That meant he could lead from strength rather than from uncertainty or weakness. Jesus operated from a base affixed principles or truths rather than making up the rules as he went along. Thus, his leadership style was not only correct but constant.... Jesus said several times, "Come, follow me." His was a program of "do what I do," rather than "do what I say." His innate brilliance would have permitted him to put on a dazzling display, but that would have left his followers far behind. He walked and worked with those he was to serve. His was not a long-distance leadership. He was not afraid of close friendships; he was not afraid that proximity to him would disappoint his followers. The leaven of true leadership cannot lift others unless we are with and serve those to be led.... Jesus was a listening leader. Because he loved others with a perfect love, he listened without being condescending.... Because Jesus loved his followers, he was able to level with them, to be candid and forthright with them.... Jesus saw sin as wrong but also was able to see sin as springing from deep and unmet needs on the part of the sinner. This permitted him to condemn the sin without condemning the individual. We can show forth our love for others even when we are called upon to correct them. We need to be able to look deeply enough into the lives of others to see the basic causes for their failures and shortcomings. [TSWK, pp. 48182] President Kimball has given us many other thoughts. Let me just read one or two others. Jesus trusts his followers enough to share his work with them so that they can grow.... Jesus was not afraid to make demands of those he led. His leadership was not condescending or soft. [TSWK, p. 482] I remember an experience President Kimball had with the navy chief of chaplains a few years ago. We invite military chiefs of chaplains to visit Church headquarters so we can continue our wonderful relationship with them and maintain our chaplaincies throughout the services. It was this chaplain's first trip to the Church. He came, and Elder Hanks was with him. They saw the various leaders, they came to BYU, they went to Temple Square. They saw what we were doing with the chaplaincy, and finally they were to meet with the prophet, Spencer W. Kimball. At that time we were trying desperately to get more navy chaplains. President Kimball had been trying for years, and so had the other Brethren, without success. The two of them had a wonderful talk; it went on for about an hour. Four or five times during the conversation this navy chief of chaplains said, "President, is there anything we can do for you?" President Kimball said, "No, I don't think so. We just love our servicemen and women so much we want to do everything we can for them." The chaplain went on talking and then asked again, "Well, isn't there something I can do?" Finally, the chief of chaplains said, "Well, would it be of any help if we let you have more chaplains in the United States Navy?" President Kimball replied, "I think that would be just wonderful if that is what you would like to do." A perfect example of never demanding, but inviting. And when he walked out of that building with Elder Hanks that day and stopped on the front steps of the Church Office Building, this man, who would be a counterpart to an archbishop in his Catholic church, looked at Elder Hanks and said, "There is a holy man of God." Elder Hanks said, "He is a wonderful man." And he replied, "Elder Hanks, that is not what I said. He is a holy man of God." Jesus Set an Example of Personal Righteousness Think about Christ's leadership style and all the things he did-his being with the people constantly. He set an example of personal righteousness. His righteousness was the thing that drew people to him. He was ever a minister to his people. He said these words: Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. [Matthew 20:25-26] And the Savior said to Paul on the road to Damascus: But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I shall appear unto thee. [Acts 26:16] An Example of His Loving Leadership Jesus, the perfect leader! We could conduct seminars about Jesus in all the classes that you are attending during this week about each of these dimensions and hundreds of others. I would just say in closing, he loved the Lord, he loved his fellowmen, he loved being with them. It was never a strain for him to be with them. When you read 3 Nephi 17:3, 5-18, you find that, after a long day, Jesus finally exhorted the people, "Go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again." But the people didn't want to leave, and he sensed that they didn't. And so he said, "Bring all your sick to me." And so all the sick, the lame, the infirm were brought, and each one was healed. After that he asked, "Where are your little children?" They brought all the little children to him, and after awhile he set them on the ground. Then he knelt down on the ground by them and talked to them and ministered unto them. It was such a wonderful day that the heavens were parted, and the angels came out of heaven, blessing this day, giving acknowledgment to this super-wonderful Elder Brother of ours. Another Example of Christlike Leadership In conclusion, I'd like to tell you about a man I've met who lives in the Magna Central Stake. About a year ago I went to his stake conference, and in an evening meeting on Saturday they had a video about this man, John Cash. It was a video about a man who is paralyzed from the neck down, a quadriplegic. I could not believe what I was seeing. He was a man who, at age 27, just recently out of military service, had gone to work for Kennecott Copper. He was working up in one of the high areas and fell thirty-five feet. Because of that fall he became paralyzed. For thirty-one years he has lived in his bed. His legs and his hands are so malformed now that it tears you apart when you visit him. He knew nothing about Christ, he knew nothing about the Church, and he knew nothing about righteousness when he had that fall. But little by little he began to study the words of his great Leader, his great Teacher. He began to take them into his life, think about them, and pray about them. He became active in the Church. In the early years they were able to take him in a wheelchair to the house of the Lord. For twenty-seven years, beloved brothers and sisters, a paralyzed man has been doing his home teaching to six families every month. He does it over the phone. He has a woman who rings the number, and on the first or second day of every month he calls up his six families: "John, how are you? How is your wife? How are the kiddies? Is there anything I can do for you? I have a little message I would like to leave with you tonight that the prophet has asked us to share with you." While the family listens through their phone receivers, he delivers his message. I went over to see him after the conference, I was so touched. I saw his wall. He has a great, big, long wall in the basement where he lives with pictures of missionaries, couples who have been married in the house of the Lord, former Speaker of the House of Representatives "Tip" O'Neill, and many, many others. I learned that every month he writes to every serviceman in the stake. Every month he writes to every missionary. He tells them how Magna is doing in their ball games and all about the community and about the gospel. The bishop told me that when they want people to go to the temple, they have John Cash call to invite them to go to the temple. When they want someone to work on the welfare farm, they have Brother John Cash call. Beloved brothers and sisters, he has followed the mandate, the example, of Jesus of Nazareth. He has become a lot like him. He is blessed and accepted by thousands of people who have known him over those twenty-seven years that he has been exercising leadership that is unbelievable. May God bless us who have all our faculties and the Spirit. May he bless us to love more, serve more, minister more, teach more, help more than we do. That is the message I would like to leave. I think it is the message that Jesus lived and left and that all the prophets I have known have emulated in their lives. May God bless us. I leave you my personal testimony that I know Jesus is the Savior of the world. I know he loves me and that he loves each of his children. I know he cares about me even when I'm estranged and far away from his immediate watch care. May God bless us to think about this, this day and always, I humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. A WONDERFUL SUMMER Gordon B. Hinckley Gordon B. Hinckley is First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This fireside address was delivered on 3 September 1989 in the Marriott Center. My dear friends, I am honored by the opportunity to speak to you. I am honored by the large numbers gathered here this evening. When I agreed to come at this time I did not realize that school would not yet be in session. When I think of the date I ask, "Can it really be September? Is the summer gone? Where did it go?" Reflecting on this, there came into my mind two verses of a revelation given to the Prophet Joseph Smith in Kirtland on March 7,1831: Hearken, O ye people of my church ... ; hearken ye and give ear to him who laid the foundation of the earth, who made the heavens and all the hosts thereof, and by whom all things were made which live, and move, and have a being. And again I say, hearken unto my voice, lest death shall overtake you; in an hour when ye think not the summer shall be past, and the harvest ended, and your souls not saved. [D&C 45:1-2] I hope that yours has been a good and profitable summer, a soul-enriching summer, and that you are ready for the challenge of months of study and learning that lie ahead. Witnessing Marvelous Things I think I would like to tell you of my own summer just past. I hope you will not think it egotistical if I do so. I pray something I say may find lodgment for good in the hearts of each of you. Except for one or two rather difficult episodes, it has been a wonderful summer. I have not traveled as a tourist. I have not been to the beach and walked in the sand. I have not been to resorts or places of fun. In fact, with the exception of a half dozen days, I have been in my office up against the stresses that are felt there. This has become a very large church with a tremendous organization. It is now established in more than a hundred nations. There are decisions to be made every day, and some of these are difficult. The guidance of the Lord is sought in all of these deliberations. The work is demanding, but there is something wonderfully stimulating in the very challenge of it. It is a marvelous thing to sit where one can see, at least in some measure, the whole broad encompassing picture of this great throbbing, viable, growing phenomenon the Lord has called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This summer I took a few days away from the office, as I said. Some were spent in these beautiful mountains. Everyone ought to go into these mountains occasionally. Everyone ought to look up into the blue of the sky, let his eyes search the long distances of valleys and peaks, revel in the beauty of the trees, the ferns, the wildflowers that bespeak the creations of God. I live in a filing cabinet, a condominium. It is a comfortable place to live, but I think men and women and children were not intended to so live all of their days. So I have held on to a little patch of ground in the country. Here I can go to get my fingers in the soil. Here I can dig and plant, cultivate and irrigate, prune, and eat fruit from my own trees. And so I spent a few days, as I think everyone should, perspiring in the sun, stirring the earth, and witnessing the miracles of nature. How wonderful a thing it is to stand on the soft earth after the sun has set and darkness comes, and then to look up into the heavens and see the stars of the firmament. As I walk about my little cluster of trees, my feet on the fruitful earth, there wanders through my mind the words of the seventh chapter of Revelation (verses 2-3) interpreted by Joseph Smith in section 77 of the Doctrine and Covenants: "And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried . . . saying, Hurt not the earth neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." Even without reference to the theological meanings of this declaration, I like the injunction: "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees." I look up to the stars and sense in some small degree the majesty and wonder and magnitude of the universe, the awesome greatness of its Creator and Governor, and the implications of my own place as a child of God. Speaking of the stars and the heavens, I have had two wonderful experiences this summer--three in fact. I watched on television a replay of the landing on the moon that occurred twenty years ago. I marveled again at the wonder of the mind of man as I saw Neil Armstrong put his foot into the lunar dust and heard him say, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." I watched with wonder as he and his companion walked about, then as they again boarded their small craft and rose into the firmament of the moon to be picked up by their spaceship and returned to earth. I still can scarcely comprehend it. But some of you, in your studies at this great university, will become masters of the techniques that made it all possible. The other thing that absolutely enthralled me was the descent of Voyager 11 to within 3,000 miles of Neptune. I got up at three o'clock in the morning to watch the pictures that were relayed back to earth, requiring four hours for transmission at 186,000 miles per second. It was twelve years ago that Voyager left planet earth to undertake a journey of 4.4 billion miles, traveling at 61,000 miles an hour, led with precision to that celestial orb we call the planet Neptune. Now Voyager goes on, out into outer space to the edge of the universe. Did you watch it? Did you experience the awesome feeling that I did? Did you wonder why, if man can do such remarkable things, he cannot live together in peace with his brothers on this earth? Did you stop and reflect on the wonders of the human mind when that mind devotes itself to constructive rather than destructive things? Why do we spend our personal resources in conflict and acquisitiveness, in litigation and name-calling when we are capable of things so much greater and more wonderful? I noted in the Wall Street Journal the other day an editorial that began with this quotation from Francis Fukayama, an official in the U.S. State Department. He wrote: The end of history will be a very sad time. The struggle for recognition, the unwillingness to risk one's life for a purely abstract goal, the worldwide ideological struggle that called for daring, courage, imagination, and idealism, will be replaced by economic calculation, the endless solving of technical problems, environmental concerns, and the satisfaction of sophisticated consumer demands. I cannot accept that thesis. I cannot believe we face centuries of boredom. This great institution, this BYU, where you sit at the feet of an able and stimulating faculty, will bring to you the realization that man has scarcely scratched the surface of the wonderful challenges that lie ahead in improving the human soul and personality. My dear young friends, reach out to those challenges. Fill your minds with all of the learning of the past that is to be absorbed here, and then face the wonderful challenges of our day and of the future. The other evening I looked through the trees at the eclipse of the moon. The earth for a short time had placed itself directly between the sun and the moon. There was nothing boring about what I saw. There was something tremendous in recognizing the celestial clockwork that brought into play that wonderful pattern with an exactness that could be calculated precisely by those who understood, if only in a meager way, the wonders of the creations of the Almighty I read also with excitement this summer of the discovery of a gene that could lead to a cure for cystic fibrosis. I thought of a little boy I once knew. As a baby he came into a home where he was welcomed and cuddled and loved. But as the months passed it became apparent something was wrong. His lungs did not function properly. He had what the doctors called cystic fibrosis. He would be under severe handicaps for as long as he lived, and he would not live for long. His parents worried and prayed and watched over him as he struggled for breath and strength. They spent their resources in an effort to provide for him and help him. He died while yet young. There are tens of thousands like him. There are hundreds of thousands afflicted with other genetic diseases. What a remarkable and wonderful thing that in this summer of 1989 dedicated men of science are at last on the trail of a way to mitigate what have been the unending pains and trials of these crippling and fearsome diseases. These have been some of the things of my wonderful summer along with a little reading of good books, a little enjoyment of good music, and some association with treasured family and friends. Four Memorable Events But exceeding all of these have been four dedication services in which I have participated. If you will permit me, I would like briefly to tell you about them. The first, in June, was at Carthage, Illinois. The second, in July, was on the state capitol grounds in Salt Lake City. The third was in mid-August in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. The fourth took place at a dry and dusty little hillside in the desert to the west of us. Each involved speaking and the offering of a dedicatory prayer. All were concerned with the wondrous work of which each of us is a part. On June 27, 1989, I stood beside President Ezra Taft Benson where Hyrum and Joseph Smith were martyred on June 27, 1844. For some years the Church has owned the old Carthage Jail where that tragic event occurred. Recently we acquired the remainder of the block, and through the generous contributions of faithful Latter-day Saints we have beautified it, erected a handsome statue of Joseph and Hyrum, and provided an enlarged visitors' center where those who care to learn may be given the facts of what once occurred there. That beautiful block, the scene of a terrible tragedy, has become a fitting memorial to the lives of two special servants of God who there sealed their testimonies with their blood. We thank the Lord that the old animosities that brought about that tragedy have evaporated, and that today there is goodwill and mutual respect and appreciation. But we must never forget the divine calling of the prophet who died there. John Taylor was in the jail with Joseph and Hyrum and Willard Richards on that occasion. He was savagely wounded. In giving the summary of the events of that day, among other things he wrote these words: Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.... He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people, and like most of the Lord's anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated! ... . . . Their innocent blood on the banner of liberty, and on the magna charta of the United States, is an ambassador for the religion of Jesus Christ, that will touch the hearts of honest men among all nations. [D&C 135:3, 71 I have been to Nauvoo and Carthage many times. I am always deeply affected when I walk where Joseph walked and when I stand where he was shot and killed. "Great is his glory and endless his priesthood. Ever and ever the keys he will hold. Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom, Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old" ("Praise to the Man," Hymns, 1985, no. 27). Let it be remembered, my dear friends, by every one of us here tonight, that we would not be here, that this great institution of learning in which you are enrolled would not exist were it not for the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the testimony of the reality and divinity of his calling that burned in the hearts of his contemporaries and followers who laid the foundation of this great work that so richly blesses our lives. Yours will be the opportunity, in the courses you take here, to study his life, to read the Book of Mormon he translated and brought forth by the gift and power of God, to draw strength and inspiration from the revelations that came to him and through him by the power of the Almighty. Do not set aside or take lightly John Taylor's testimony that this man, the prophet of this dispensation, who died at Carthage at the young age of 39, did more, "save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it." I add my testimony that Joseph was and is the great prophet of this dispensation of the fulness of times, that he was raised up by the God of heaven, that he was tutored and directed by the risen Lord Jesus Christ and also by angels who were sent from the heavens to restore the everlasting priesthood with all of its powers and keys to reestablish the Church of Jesus Christ in the earth and to set in motion a cause and kingdom that will spread to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. The second prayer of dedication I offered this summer was given at a marker pointing to Ensign Peak north of Salt Lake City. It was this peak that Brigham Young and his associates climbed a few days after their arrival in the Salt Lake valley. From its summit they surveyed the sage-covered lands before them where they would create a city and build a temple to their God. And on that peak, on that Monday in July of 1847, they raised an ensign to the nations. Their banner was probably only Wilford Woodruffs bandanna handkerchief. Much more significant was the vision these men had of the cause in which they were engaged. Here they were in this desert outpost, a thousand miles from the nearest settlement to the east and 800 miles from the Pacific, isolated and alone, and yet they had an understanding of the destiny of this work, a great millennial vision of its eventual spread across the earth as the church and kingdom of God. That small marker was erected and dedicated as a reminder to all that from the very beginnings of these communities in the valleys of the West there was felt an incumbent responsibility to carry the gospel message to the nations of the earth, to establish here in the tops of the mountains a temple of God to which those whose hearts had been touched by the Spirit might come to learn and partake of eternal blessings, and to build the kind of society that would be in harmony with the will of the Lord. The third dedication was of the Portland Temple on August nineteenth. It continued on through three days. Approximately 41,000 people participated in it. It is a beautiful building, but it was not built to adorn the landscape. It was built as a house of the Lord, a witness to all who should look upon it of the conviction of this people that life is eternal, that death is not the end, that we shall go on living and doing and working on the other side of the veil even as we live and do and work here. It is a sacred and beautiful and wonderful house of God where ordinances that are everlasting in their consequences may be performed in behalf of both the living and the dead. It is a house in which the eternal keys of the priesthood will be exercised to seal in the heavens that which is sealed upon the earth. It has become the forty-second working temple of the Church, similar to the one that stands on the bench land to the east of us. Great is the privilege of those who are authorized to enter therein. My plea to you this evening, my dear young friends, is that you so conduct your lives that you will feel at home in the house of the Lord. Then, on August twenty-eighth, I went out to Skull Valley, which is about seventy miles west of here. I was there with a group of two or three hundred people, most of them Hawaiians or Polynesians from other islands of the Pacific. We were there to commemorate a significant event. One hundred years ago, on that very day, about fifty Hawaiian Saints moved to this place to establish a colony and build a Polynesian paradise in the desert. Why had they come to Utah? They had accepted the gospel in Hawaii and they came that they might participate in the ordinances of the temple then under construction in Salt Lake City. Their prospects were bleak, but they set to work. They drew lots for homesites. They constructed houses and barns, a school, and a meetinghouse; they planted trees, hundreds of them; they planted flowers and grass, bringing the water from the mountains to the east to keep things green and growing. Their numbers increased. The cold winters and the hot summers were hard on them. Seventy-nine of them died and were buried in the little cemetery we dedicated last Monday. Their descendants, out of love and respect, have now beautified that cemetery and erected a suitable monument. Iosepa means Joseph in the Hawaiian language. The community was named for President Joseph F. Smith, who had labored among the Hawaiians as a missionary and who loved them as they loved him. They stayed in Iosepa for twenty-eight years, and when President Joseph F. Smith announced that a temple would be built in Hawaii, then, and only then, they decided to leave. They did so reluctantly, the women not wishing to hurry, but walking all of the fifteen miles from Iosepa to the railroad, looking back with fondness and love on that which they had created in the desert. The green is no longer there. The streets and buildings have largely disappeared and been reclaimed by the desert. But Iosepa was not a failure as some have thought. It was a testimony to the faith of good people in the things of God as represented in the teachings and practices of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. May the Lord bless the memory of those who built it, of those who died there, and may he bless those who with loving hands have worked so faithfully to preserve the memories of the past. For me it was a great thing to go out to Iosepa. For me it was a wonderful thing to participate in the dedication of the Portland Temple. For me it was an enriching experience to reflect on those who stood on Ensign Peak and looked across the centuries with a millennial view. To me it was a sacred and wonderful thing to be again at Carthage and pay homage to the prophet who died there and to his beloved brother who died at his side. My dear brethren and sisters, I have told you these things as reminders of the tremendous heritage that is yours and the tremendous price paid for it. Hard was the work of those who have gone before us. Magnificent is our heritage. Tremendous is our responsibility. As I have given you a few personal notes from the diary of my summer, I have done it with the hope that there might be stirred within you a profound sense of gratitude for the magnificent and wonderful blessings that are yours, together with recognition of a great and stirring challenge accompanied by strong resolution to keep the faith of your fathers, to add to your marvelous inheritance, to train your minds and hands and hearts, to strengthen all that is good in the world in which you live, and to grow with understanding as you walk the frontiers of knowledge at this great scene of learning both secular and divine. I express unto you my love for you. You are in very deed my brethren and my sisters and my friends. God bless you. I leave with you my witness and my testimony of the divinity of this work. I challenge you to go forward with faith to the great future that lies ahead of you if you will walk in obedience to the commandments of God and train your minds and hands and hearts at this great and remarkable and unusual university I leave my blessing upon you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. COMING HOME Janet G. Lee Janet G. Lee is the wife of Rex E. Lee, President of Brigham Young University. This devotional address was given on 12 September 1989 in the Marriott Center. You cannot imagine how happy I am to be here with you. Rex and I both feel that we have come "home"--that this is where we belong. It is about feeling at home and belonging that I would like to speak today. Throughout your lives, you will probably live in many homes. I have lived in twenty. However, I will tell you about only three of them--the places I lived during my four years at BYU. My memories of that period of time were awakened by an experience I had Friday morning as I jogged with Rex across parts of this campus. It was a beautiful, crisp morning, with the sun just peeking over the mountains. I was full of energy and determined to run past three destinations--my BYU student homes: Heritage Halls, Knight Mangum Hall, and an apartment on 800 East, just a block or so from Alexander's Print Shop, which was, for years, a popular snack shop called Rowley's. My run down memory lane was in reverse of the chronological order I just listed. Passing the site of the apartment where Rex and I lived as newlyweds, I was saddened to see that it had been torn down to make way for a condominium. Nevertheless, my nostalgia was undaunted. Dozens of feelings flooded over me as I remembered what it felt like to worry about getting good grades, writing papers, preparing dinners on a very small budget, and helping Rex decide to which law schools he should apply. At that point in our run, Rex had to leave me to attend an early morning meeting, so I continued alone. A short distance from where our apartment had been, I came to the old Knight Mangum Hall, known to you as the math lab, which was my home for two years. It seemed such a short time ago that Rex picked me up there for our very first date. (I can remember thinking that it would also be our last, but that is another story for a different talk.) Now I was running slightly uphill, and as I approached Heritage Halls, I watched students rushing, almost frantically, to get to their eight o'clock classes on time. For some reason, watching you at that moment unlocked the floodgates for me. All of my emotions came pouring out; I could remember just how it felt to be a student during those first weeks of school. I could remember feelings of apprehension, inadequacy, frustration, and homesickness, mixed with feelings of excitement, anticipation, eagerness, and joy. You see, I was a freshman when I lived at Heritage Halls. As I passed by Elsie Carroll Hall, my eyes swelled with warm tears. I could remember trying to adjust to roommates, attempting to manage my time, forcing myself to study in between classes instead of staying up late at night, and worrying about whether I would have dates on weekends. Thinking about all of this filled me with a strong desire to stop and hug you in your rush to class--to share some of my thoughts with you and maybe offer a little advice. Can you imagine how you would have felt if this tearful, middle-aged woman in sweats and running shoes had done just that? I resisted the urge, but today, now that I have showered, dried my tears, and am standing here with your full attention, I am going to tell you what I would have said then about home and belonging. In your quest to complete each semester, to get that degree, to find that perfect someone to love, to prepare for whatever is ahead, savor the rightness of this time in your life. Do what is right for you now, feel at home and at peace along the path in your struggle to get where you are going. At times in my life I have spent too much time longing for things I did not have. I wonder what it was I was homesick for as a freshman. Was it my house or my backyard patio? Was it my comfortable bed or my very own closet? Was it my friends and family? I was probably missing all of these things, but what has taken me some time to realize is that my longing was for the comfort that comes from being in the right place at the right time, of knowing that I am where my Father in Heaven wants me to be. Our physical surroundings change many times in our lifetimes, and with each change comes a feeling of being off balance until we find our way again--until we feel at home with our new surroundings. If we are listening to the Spirit, we will surround ourselves with truth and goodness in each of our earthly homes, making the pathway to our ultimate heavenly home more direct and attainable. In section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants, verses 46 and 47, the Lord promises: And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit. And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father. Why is it so important for us to feel at home with that which is good and right? Our most important pursuit in this life is to live so that we may return to our heavenly home, to once again live with our Heavenly Father. President Spencer W. Kimball told us that our first responsibility in this mortal life is to prepare to meet God. Why is it that we have warm feelings of "home" when we are in the right place at the right time? Perhaps this can best be explained by one of my favorite quotes from C. S. Lewis in Weight of Glory. He wrote, "If we are made in Heaven, the desire for our proper place will be already in us." Rex and I feel once again that we have come home. This is not what we had Planned, and for the first time in my life a drastic change has not been accompanied by a major move to a faraway place. Thank goodness we will not be moving to home number twenty-one. However, this could possibly be the most important change of our lives. And once again, as during my days in Carroll Hall, Knight Mangum, or on 800 East--and so many times between then and now--it is important to feel at home in the sense we have been talking about: that what we are doing is right. And I know it is right. Not planned, nor anticipated, but right. Soon after Rex was asked to be president of BYU, we attended our first eighteen-stake fireside, where we were invited to sit on the stand. As I sat there looking out at the thousands of students before us, the most overwhelming feeling of peace came over me. It seemed to whisper, "This is where you should be. This is where your Father in Heaven wants you to be." All of my doubts fled. I knew Rex felt this, too, as he reached over and took my hand, and in the silent language of soul mates, our hearts were one. At that very moment I wished that each one of you could feel what we were feeling, that in the rightness of your own moment in time you would feel the reassuring whisperings of the Spirit, that your spirit would feel that you had come "home" to do what you were meant to do. It is my prayer that we will all strive to be in the right place at the right time, that we will live in harmony with the Spirit, which will take us step by step back to our ultimate home with our Heavenly Father. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. WHERE MUCH IS GIVEN: SOME THOUGHTS ON APPRECIATION Rex E. Lee Rex E. Lee is the president of Brigham Young University. This devotional address was given on 12 September 1989 in the Marriott Center. Like you, I rejoice at the beginning of this school year. From the time I began the first grade (Arizona didn't have kindergarten in those days), late August and early September have always been among my favorite times of year, precisely because that is when school starts. Every year since that time, I have always felt the same way, and I feel it in even extra measure this year because for me, as for almost 5,000 of you, the fall of 1989 marks a new chapter in my own educational experience. I have been involved in this school in four different capacities over a period of thirty-six years, but this year, as for thousands of you, I am starting something new and exciting at BYU. Appreciating What We Have I want to talk to you today about appreciation, about understanding what we have, and about what we ought to do and be because we have it. I will begin by talking to you about two people, neither of whom is here today. One is a member of your generation, and the other belongs to mine. A BYU security officer called Thursday evening, August 31, with news that I know I will periodically receive as president of BYU, but which I will always dread--the news of the death of one of our students. As the officer began to give me some of the details, my mind flashed back to my student days. I remembered how President Wilkinson used to agonize over such tragedies--how he and his successors had implored students to drive carefully as they went home for Christmas or for other reasons. And now it was happening to me--the death of a student on my watch. I tried to imagine how some family--father and mother, brothers and sisters--might be feeling at that moment. Where does the family live, I wondered: Roanoke, Virginia; Youngstown, Ohio; Spokane, Washington; Fillmore, Utah; where? As the security officer finished her report, I rather perfunctorily asked the student's name. I was not prepared for the answer: Chris Felsted. At that moment my agony turned from general to specific. I no longer had to think about hypothetical parents. I know them: Peter and Karen Felsted--caring, loving parents--devoted Latter-day Saints who have been friends of Janet's and mine for fourteen years. Three hours earlier their oldest son was alive, seemingly robust, and starting BYU with a big head start on a lifetime of future happiness with twenty-four hours of AP credit and $8,000 saved for his mission. But now no more. In a brief, terrible moment all of that was snuffed out. The middle phase of Christian Daniel Felsted's eternal existence had lasted just slightly less than eighteen years. The second story is about Terry Crapo, who for twenty-four years, from 1958 to 1982, was one of my closest friends. We graduated from Brigham Young University at the same time and in the same major. We thought alike, we worked in student government together, we had the same long-range career objectives, and most people said we even looked alike. Terry was a brilliant lawyer, a remarkably successful father and stake president. Whenever I was involved in something really important, I wanted Terry on my team. When I was the student body president here, he was my executive assistant. Fifteen years later, I recruited him for the Law School faculty, where he was voted professor of the year. And in the summer of 1982, after I had been the solicitor general for about a year, I was making arrangements to bring Terry to Washington to work as my deputy. But then, another phone call--seven years earlier than the one I received twelve days ago. It was from Elder Hugh Pinnock, informing me that Terry had cancer. Cancer. A dreadful word. My conversation with Terry right after I received that phone call was our last in this life. Less than two weeks later, he was dead. For days I could not accept that it had really happened. This was Terry Crapo. He was my height, my weight, we looked alike, our families were about the same age, we were both lawyers, both loved life, our families, the gospel, and each other. I have had other friends to whom I have felt as close as Terry, but none with whom I personally identified quite so completely. He just couldn't be dead. For several days I kept hoping that somehow, as my friend Lisa Hawkins said in a poem composed for Terry's funeral, he would, Tom Sawyer-like, come back and surprise us all. But he didn't. He had forty-four very good years in this mortal existence, but that was all. I have had another reaction to Terry's passing that, unlike the first, has endured and had a rather profound influence on me. Terry is gone and I am not. This spiritual, philosophical, and emotional twin of mine had only forty-four years here. Every year that I have beyond that number is a bonus. So make the most of every one of those. No point asking why those bonus years were given to me rather than to Terry. The fact is they were, so I must do something with them. The same is true, of course, for you. Most of you were not as close to your classmate, Chris Felsted, as I was to Terry Crapo, but that does not diminish the point. Leave aside for now why it is that bad things happen to good people, or why it is that you and I are still here while Terry Crapo and Chris Felsted are not. (Aspects of those issues, incidentally, are what Janet and I intend jointly to discuss with you next January.) But for today, the point is that you and I are still here, living our lives and experiencing the joys of this existence while one of the choicest people in my generation and one of the best in yours are not. What message does that fact carry for you and for me? It is one of the sad ironies of human behavior that we really don't appreciate some of life's advantages like we should unless and until we are forced to spend some time without them. Recall Nephi's profound statement: "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things" (2 Nephi 2:11). I doubt that very many of you wake up each morning full of gratitude for electricity. But occasionally we are without it for a couple of hours, as we were on this campus one cold morning last February. When that happens, we appreciate electricity much more. For maybe the rest of the day. About twelve years ago I became a runner, and since that time it has been one of the truly pleasurable and positive aspects of my life. But my appreciation of that activity has been increased immeasurably because on three separate occasions over those twelve years, twice because of ankle injuries and once because of cancer, I have had to go without it for rather extended periods. Some variant of that basic experience pattern has occurred in every one of your lives. When you have an illness, even something as simple as a cold, you find yourselves longing for the times when you were healthy, and wondering why you didn't appreciate those times more fully. Your appreciation for food is never quite as high as it is on the first Sunday of each month. For many of us, reading assignments are a pain. Do you suppose we would look at them a little differently if we were blind? Sometimes, temporary deprivations can change those attitudes, and sometimes they don't. A cold or some other fairly short-range, minor illness is the classic example. Time after time, during one of those down periods, I remind myself what a contrast there is between good health and bad health, and I vow that once the good times come back, I will appreciate them for what they are. But those good intentions usually don't last very long. As I have observed these cycles, I have thought often of the ten lepers whom the Savior cured, only one of whom even took the time to go back and express his gratitude. I am fearful that one out of ten is probably a fairly accurate measurement of our human gratitude quotient. I also believe that the probability of our likely appreciation for anything of which we have once been deprived is directly proportionate to the magnitude and gravity of that deprivation, as well as to the imminence of its being permanent. The extremes are illustrative. At the one end, not one of my seven children has ever been impressed with the argument that they should eat their broccoli because people are starving in Cambodia. And I have already alluded to my own inability to sustain an appreciation for freedom from the common cold. If, by contrast, my friend Terry Crapo had recovered from cancer, he would have spent the rest of his years with an appreciation for life that he never would have had if cancer had not come into his life. You ask how I am so confident about that fact, and I will answer your question. I know someone--very much like Terry Crapo--who also had cancer, came very close to death, but, unlike Terry, survived. I may not always be as appreciative as I should of the fact that I don't currently have a cold, or that the electricity is working, or that four years have passed since I had a broken ankle. But an appreciation for life itself, and the fact that at the end of October 1987 I was able to take Janet's hand and walk out of that hospital--bald, nauseated, and weak, but nevertheless alive--is in an entirely different category Literally, never a day goes by--not one--without something happening (and usually it happens several times each day) that serves as a pointed reminder of how grateful I am to be alive, to have a range of mobility greater than four feet from an I.V. pole, and the freedom to go where I want to go, do what I want to do, associate with the people of my choice, run with my friends, live with my family, watch them grow, and, generally, to participate in the joys of this earthly experience. But the focus of today's discussion is not me; it is you. I am not the one who needs motivation for an appreciation of life and the things that can be done with it. Cancer followed by chemotherapy will do that very nicely. Today's objective is to provide a shortcut for you to reach that same end without having to go through the same process, which I really do not recommend. The fact of the matter is, my fellow students, you are alive, and Chris Felsted is not--just as I am alive and Terry Crapo is not. Does that mean anything? Had he lived, Chris Felsted would have been a student at BYU. He will not now have that experience. But you do. What will you do with it? The Doctrine and Covenants tells us that where much is given, much is required. Not expected, but required. What you have been given is life, and what is required of you is to live it to the fullest. The phase of your lives that is immediately before you, and the one on which you need to concentrate right now, is a BYU education. A Unique Opportunity A BYU education is unique--not just different, not just distinctive, but unique. Unique means literally "one of a kind," and there is no other university in the world that offers the combination of educational opportunities and advantages available here. If you do the job right--if you fulfill your "required" part for what you have been given--then you will be as well prepared in the things that the world expects from a college education as if you had taken your training at any other great university. At other institutions of higher learning, undergraduate college education consists of general education and major, or focused education. Those you will get here, also. But what makes BYU unique is the bonus, the third element--your religious education, which consists not only of what happens in the classroom, but also the entire environment in which we study and learn--an environment that not only recognizes the reality of the restored gospel, but attempts to incorporate its principles as an integral part of our total educational effort. In short, college education here includes everything that other good universities offer, plus something that you could find at no university except this one. What you have been given is an educational opportunity that, judged by the world's standards, is one of the very best, and judged by our own unique standards, is in a class by itself. What is required of you is to take full advantage of all aspects of that opportunity. First and foremost, you are students. You are here to study and to learn. There are other opportunities here that make that process more enjoyable and more full--things like dances, plays, and athletic events. I urge you to take full advantage of them, particularly the forums and devotionals, the eighteen-stake firesides, and your various ward and stake activities. Equally important, you should see them not in isolation, but as part of the broader learning process. You have more freedom, more leeway to exercise your own choices now that you are in college than you ever previously enjoyed. That kind of freedom of choice is an important part of becoming an adult. It is also an important part of the Lord's eternal plan. Use that new freedom like an adult. Use it wisely and for its intended purpose, to study and to learn. Our school song, entitled "The College Song," has some pretty good advice in that respect. It reminds us that we have come "to work, to live, to do." I urge you to do all three of those. BYU can be an enjoyable place, even a fun place, but what you are engaged in here is not a game. It involves nothing less than laying the foundation stones not only for this life, but for the eternities. Another aspect of what is required because of what you have been given concerns your BYU citizenship. You are citizens of this university, and citizenship here, as elsewhere, carries a corresponding commitment not only to the values, traditions, and goals that you have set for yourselves, but also those of the institution of which you are members. At most universities, those citizenship obligations include academic commitments such as I have just discussed. We are no different in that respect. But citizenship at BYU goes beyond academics. It includes our code of honor. Our code of honor involves some issues that are rooted in policy rather than doctrine, such as our dress and grooming standards. It also embraces other values solidly anchored in doctrine, such as our requirements for honesty in the classroom, in the examination room, and all other places, as well as our standards of sexual morality. Unlike other good universities, sexual promiscuity, involving either homosexual relations or heterosexual relations outside the bonds of marriage, is not simply the concern of the participants. BYU's moral standard is a condition of admission, well understood and accepted at the time of admission, and is also a condition for continuing enrollment. One element of our honor code, avoidance of drug abuse, is based not only on policy and doctrine; it is also President Bush's major domestic policy initiative. As a university we fully support the president's program, and our board of trustees has formally adopted a resolution to this effect. Drug abuse has literally become an international cancer. We will not tolerate it in any form on this campus, and on behalf of all members of the university family, I pledge our efforts to help stamp it out. Whatever standards and practices may be legally enforced, our own are very clear. Drug abuse in any form and in any quantity has no place here and will not be tolerated. At one level, we may not all be in agreement on every aspect of the Honor Code. That is certainly true of the dress and grooming standards. I have no doubt that if given the opportunity, each of you would have some sage advice as to parts of those requirements that might be changed. I would hope there would be virtually no disagreement as to those matters that are doctrinally based. Ponder with me if you will on this fact, which is highly relevant to our general subject of appreciating what we have and making the most of it: with all of mankind's magnificent scientific accomplishments, including advances in the field of medical science, the one thing that man has never even come close to achieving is the creation of life. We have made remarkable progress in our ability to preserve life. But we cannot create it. Not even in its most elementary forms. That power belongs to our Heavenly Father. He has shared it with us. Thus, he has given to us, his children, this most mysterious and in a very real sense the greatest of all powers, the power to create life. He has given us one accompanying commandment, which has existed over the millennia of recorded civilization. It is that the urge to use the processes by which we create life be confined within the bounds the Lord himself has set. The sexual relationship between husband and wife is one of the cornerstones of a good marriage, and the process by which life itself is created. Each of us has a commitment to confine those relationships within the marriage context, and that is also a central part of our honor code and what it means to be a BYU citizen. There is, of course, a temptation to say, "Of course I recognize the importance of moral cleanliness. It is one of the foundation stones of my religion, and whether I am at BYU or anywhere else, I will observe it. But the length of my hair, if I'm a man, or the length of my skirt, if I'm a woman, is in an entirely different category." The sense in which those two are in different categories is, as already observed, that the one is based on policy and the other on doctrine. But for citizens of BYU, faculty and students alike, all parts of our honor code rise to the level of moral principles. The reason is that each of us, prior to and as a condition of our employment or enrollment here, made a promise, a covenant, to keep and obey those standards. The moral principle, therefore, rises above and exists apart from the intrinsic merit of skirt lengths, or hair lengths, or shorts, or beards. It is a matter of integrity, of complying with what we promised to do. And whether we agree or disagree with given aspects of the dress and grooming standards is irrelevant to that commitment. All of the constituent elements of our honor code are important to this university, and are important to me personally. Unlike other things that are important, I hope this is one that will need little attention because it will take care of itself. It really ought to require little attention, because it should be self-enforced by all of us who have agreed to it. I remember Elder Oaks' statement in his very first devotional address to this student body eighteen years ago that he hoped the razor and the tape measure would not become the symbols of his administration. I share that hope. I would like to ask each of you to help me bring that hope to reality. What I have tried to do today is bring all of us to a greater appreciation of what we have here at BYU. Two weeks ago, from this pulpit, Elder Maxwell gave another perspective to this same theme by pointing out that attendance at Brigham Young University is becoming an ever more scarce, and therefore more valuable, resource. He pointed out that "estimates of the Church's Young Adult population show that of 1,080,000 young adults worldwide, only 2.4 percent attend BYU. Focusing on just young adults in the U.S. and Canada, barely over 7 percent can attend BYU." We are so pleased that you are here. We rejoice with you and your parents at our opportunity to share with you this rare and valuable experience that we call a BYU education. Let us make the most of it. Let me conclude by reading to you one of the most touching statements that I have heard or read. It is part of a letter from a mother to her son. The mother is my friend, Karen Felsted. The letter was written to her son, Christian Daniel Felsted, four days after his death, and read to him at his funeral. When I sent you off, I thought I was sending you to BYU. How excited and happy yo were to go! And because you were happy, I was happy for you to go, too, because we had reached that sweet/sad crossroads in our family life when it was time for you to be on your own, and for us to more into the background of your life. Well, it seems that we have sent yo to an even greater experience, and that we will be even deeper in the background of your life than we had thought, and that the happy re-associations I had looked forward to will not be the Christmas and summer vacations, but will be in the Own Due Time of the Lord. That's a little harder to wait for--but I will wait, and I will look forward to it. . . . We'll leave your body here close to BYU--this is where you came to be. May I say to you, as Karen Felsted said to her son, this is also where each of you came to be. May you take full advantage of it. May you and I, every year, every month, and every day, appreciate the fact that we are alive and able to take advantage of the BYU experience, and may we through the things that we do manifest our gratitude to our Heavenly Father for the fact we are alive and have the opportunities that life offers. This I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. WHERE IS THE CHURCH? James E. Faust James E. Faust is a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This fireside talk was given on 24 September 1989 in the Marriott Center. I never come to this pulpit without being subdued and humbled, and I invite your faith and prayers. Some time ago I was walking in the center of Salt Lake City, on my way to City Creek Canyon, where I usually walk every day. A car with an out-of-state license plate was driving by. It pulled over and stopped. The driver asked, "Where is the church of the Mormons?" I assumed that they were thinking of some place or building. I took time to point out the Church Office Building and the Church Administration Building and the magnificent temple and the historic tabernacle, most of which were visible from our vantage point. They thanked me and went on their way. Is It in Our Buildings? May I now ask you the same question: "Where is the Church?" Is the Church our beautiful chapels, most of which are well maintained, neat, and clean, of which we are justly proud? Church cannot be just our chapels because for several years in the beginning of the Church, there were no chapels. We had only a temple. So if you were asked, "Where is the Church?" would you answer, "The temples"? A few years ago, on a beautiful Halloween evening, my wife and I were in the temple in Kirtland, Ohio. In the late fall afternoon the sun was streaking through the old, wavy, hand-blown windowpanes. The building was light and airy and magnificent. Since some of my forebears were involved in its construction, I was humbled and honored to be under its roof. Within its walls and under its spell, I was enchanted by its beauty. I was so impressed with the building that I came back to Church headquarters and told the Brethren that it would be wonderful if that building were still operating as one of our temples. Elder Packer corrected my thinking when he said, "We do not have the building, but, when our people left, they took with them that which was important. They preserved the keys of the ordinances, the covenants, the endowment, and the sealing power. They took with them all the essentials which we have today." So the Church cannot, in and of itself, be the temples, magnificent as they are, because the temple buildings alone do not bless. They are the exquisite containers for the pearls of great price administered therein by the priesthood of God. For the past several years I have assisted President Howard W. Hunter, who was assigned by the First Presidency to acquire land in Jerusalem and direct the building of the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. We worked very closely with President Jeffrey R. Holland, David Galbraith, Robert Taylor, Fred Schwendiman, and many, many others in this great endeavor. Through a series of miracles, a center came into being and is now being used by students of this university. The building is magnificent. It is a veritable jewel. None of us who have been involved can explain what we feel in our souls regarding that wonderful edifice. The building is close to some of the places made sacred by the presence of the Savior. It is worthy of the Holy City. It is worthy of this great university and its sponsoring institution, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But the building alone does not bless. Now our great challenge is to use the building so that it somehow, someway, influences the lives of those who study there, who pray there, who worship there--and who change and become more worthy. The magnificence of the center alone may inspire, but our many educational facilities and activities on this campus and elsewhere will get no one into the kingdom of God. So, where is the Church then? Thanks to my wonderful wife, the Spirit of the Lord has often been in our various dwelling places. While we have lived within them, each has been a holy place for me. In our married life we have lived in single rooms with bathrooms down the hall and small apartments, and we have owned three houses. In a sense the Church has been in each, but I would not want to go back and live in our other houses even though we spent much of our happy lives in them. The kingdom of God is not there. Is It in Our Families? Is the Church then in our families? We are getting close to the correct answer here. In a sense a family can foster the teachings of the Savior better than any other institution. In large measure the Church exists to strengthen families. I wish to define family very broadly. In the Church we have traditional families and single-parent families. Each single is considered in a sense to be a Church family. We also have ward families in which the bishop is a spiritual father. Because of the erosion of family life and family values, we frequently hear urgent pleas requesting the Church to take over as an organization more activities that were formerly looked upon as family activities. An example of this are the super youth activities, some of which have taken the youth at great expense and considerable risk to far distant places. I fear that in more than a few instances the cost of local Church-sponsored teenage and single adult activities may have prevented some families from having vacations or other activities together. We also hear requests for a new program for that group or a new organization for this group or a new activity for the other group. We already have the new program. It is called the family. It includes family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and family loyalty. I wonder if our maturing youth can hold everything together without daily prayer and daily scripture study. The family is the best environment to encourage both. It is my opinion that many Church-sponsored activities could yield to family activities when there is a conflict. I believe parents have the right to decide in those conflicts. I say this because I am persuaded that family activities can be more effective in fostering the eternal values of love, honesty, chastity, industry, self-worth, and personal integrity than any other institution. Lou Holtz, a successful football coach from Notre Dame, recently stated: The family is where our healthy values are formed and shaped. I know no greater challenge or more important role in life than in preparing our children to take their places as contributing citizens. We cannot relinquish this most important responsibility to gang leaders, drug leaders or even our own government. Nothing can destroy individuals or our country as quickly as drugs. It is not confined to a segment of our society, and it has created more damage than anything else I have witnessed in my lifetime. I have never heard a successful man or woman get up and say, "I owe my success to drugs and alcohol." Yet I know thousands of people who have said publicly or in the press that they have ruined their lives because of drugs and alcohol. Suffice it to say government can't stop it, police can't, but the family can. Because of the complexity of the drug/ alcohol problem, some may feel that it is all over-simplification to say strong family leadership can solve the problem. Certainly not all families can, but I am persuaded that families with enough internal caring, discipline, commitment, and love, somehow, someway, can handle the majority of their problems. However strong or weak the family may be, it can usually provide a better solution to most challenges than can any other institution in society or the government no matter how well intentioned they may be. I believe the principle reason a caring family is the best antidote for drug and alcohol abuse and other problems is that unqualified love can flow from kinship relationships. In successful families there is usually a strong caring head. Ideally this would be a holder of the priesthood whose power and influence is maintained by "persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned" (D&C 121:41). The home priesthood is desirable because whomsoever is blessed by this power, God will bless. But there have been many successful caring heads of families who are mothers, grandmothers, and others. What seems to distinguish a successful family is that the members of the family continue to care. They just don't give up. They never quit. They hang together through hardships and death and other problems. We know of a large close-knit family that is wonderfully successful in holding everything together. When the parents feel they are losing influence with teenagers, the help of cousins is enlisted to exert some counter peer pressure. I would urge members of extended families, grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, cousins, to reach out in concern, to succor. Mostly what is needed from grandparents, aunts, and uncles is unreserved love manifest as interest and concern. It builds confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth. Reproving and chastening of adult family members should be rare indeed. We are told that it should happen only when a person is moved upon by the Holy Ghost. But I have been grateful for those in my family who have loved me enough to give me both the gentle and strong reproof on occasion as needed. We read in Proverbs: "He that refuseth reproof erreth" (Proverbs 10:17). The fact that some do not have functioning traditional families is no reason to move further in the direction of diminishing or abandoning family activities for those who can and should foster them. With the increased onslaught of forces that cause families to disintegrate, we ought to dig in our heels to preserve all that is great and good in the family. We are reminded that in times of tribulations, the Nephites were not fighting for a political cause, such as monarchy or power; rather, they "were inspired by a better cause." For "they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church" (Alma 43:45). Some may find it strong doctrine, but I quote again from Alma in the Book of Mormon: "And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed" (Alma 43:47). As a corollary to the defending of the family, there is a duty to teach family members that the commandments of God may not be broken without drawing a penalty. President Stephen L Richards said: "I want this taught to the youth so that they may comprehend it. It is their due and their right to have these things given to them without dilution or apology. This is justice and mercy. Neither shall rob the other." President Richards went on to state that "It is no kindness to any youth to whitewash various sins such as lying and deceit which are so prevalent today." "And perhaps the greatest of all is that robbery which steals virtue from either man or woman" (CR, April 1957, p. 99). Is It in Our Hearts? So the family is and must always be an important part of the Church. But the Lord's kingdom ultimately must be found in our own hearts before it can be anywhere else. Paul gave us a key when he said to the Romans: "He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit" (Romans 8:27). He also said, "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Romans 5:5). In the story of David, who was called in his youth to be the future king of Israel, we learn how much the Lord judges by what is in the heart. We all remember how the Lord sent the prophet Samuel to the house of Jesse, saying, "For I have provided me a king among his sons" (1 Samuel 16:1). One by one, Jesse had his sons pass before Samuel as he looked for the future king of Israel. Samuel's instructions from the Lord were, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; ... for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). As the seven sons passed before him, Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord hath not chosen these." And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. [1 Samuel 16:10-13] Like Daniel of old, what we do and do not do in life originates in our hearts. As he stood in the court of Nebuchadnezzar, the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem, "Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank" (Daniel 1:8). The greatness of Willard Richard's heart was manifest just before the martyrdom of the Prophet. Joseph said to Dr Richards, "If we go into the cell, will you go in with us?" The Doctor answered, "Brother Joseph you did not ask me to cross the river with you--you did not ask me to come to Carthage--you did not ask me to come to jail with you and do you think I would forsake you now? But I will tell you what I will do; if you are condemned to be hung for treason, I will be hung in your stead, and you shall go free." Joseph said, "You cannot." The doctor replied, "I will." [HC 6:616] Alma teaches us the necessity for having the good seed planted in our hearts: Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be plan ted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves--It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. [Alma 32:28] Revelation comes to us in our minds, but it also comes in our hearts. In a revelation to Oliver Cowdery in Doctrine and Covenants, section 8, verse 2, the Lord says, "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart." To me it is very interesting that the dwelling place of the Holy Ghost is in our hearts. What if the Lord appeared to each of us as he did to Solomon and said, "Ask what I shall give thee"? How would you answer? Would you ask for a new car? A new home? A blessing of health? Or a station in life? Solomon asked for none of these. He did not ask for fame or for fortune. He asked: "Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart." This reply pleased the Lord. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. [1 Kings 3:11-13] And Paul's prayer was that Christ might dwell in our hearts by faith. There is some strong language in section 64 of the Doctrine and Covenants regarding who has claim upon our hearts. "I, the Lord, require the hearts of the children of men" (D&C 64:22). So when the inquirers in the car with the out-of-state license asked, "Where is the church of the Mormons?" how should I have answered? It has bothered me ever since. If I had pointed to my chest and said that the Church should be first and foremost in my heart, the inquiring travelers surely would have gone away somewhat bewildered. But I would have been more accurate than I was by directing them to our beloved, magnificent, sky-piercing spires, the great majestic dome, and the other world-famous monuments and edifices, wonderful and unique and great as they are? I would have been more correct because the Lord said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21). So The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in our heart of hearts, and, when it is in our hearts as individuals, it will also be in our great buildings of worship, in our great educational institutions, in our magnificent temples, and it will also be in our homes and families. Mostly, what I want you to remember this evening is that this humble servant has a testimony of the divinity of this holy work to which we have all been called. And I testify as one of the special witnesses, like Peter when some of the early Saints had begun to fall away, and the Savior was troubled. The Savior said to the Twelve, "Will ye also go away?" Peter responded for the Twelve and said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God" (John 6:67-69). To this I testify in his sacred name, even Jesus Christ. Amen. COME UNTO CHRIST Henry B. Eyring Henry B. Eyring is First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This fireside address was given on 29 October 1989 in the Marriott Center. You have moments when you want to be better than you have ever been. Those feelings may be triggered by seeing a person or a family living in a way that lifts your heart with a yearning to live that way, too. The longing to be better may come from reading the words of a book or even from hearing a few bars of music. For me, it has come in all those ways, and more. A Future Home One of my early memories is reading the scriptures in a school room. The law of the land did not yet forbid it, so the Princeton, New Jersey, public schools began each school day with a standard ritual. I can't remember the sequence, but I remember the content. In our classroom, we pledged allegiance to the flag--in unison, standing hand over heart. One student, a different one each school day, read verses he or she had chosen from the Bible, and then we recited aloud together the Lord's Prayer. So about every twenty-five school days, my turn came to choose the scripture. I always chose the same one, so my classmates must have known what was coming when it was my day. I don't remember when I first heard the words; that is lost in the mists of childhood. But I can recite them to you now, and with them the feelings come back. It happened every time, and it still does: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. [1 Corinthians 13:1-2] You remember the rest, through that thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians. By the time I read the first few words, the feeling would come back. The feeling was not just that the words were true, but that they were about some better world I wanted with all my heart to live in. For me, the feeling was even more specific, and I knew it did not come from within me. It was that there would or could be some better life, and that it would be in a family I would someday have. In that then-distant future, I would be able to live with people in some better, kinder way, beyond even the best and the kindest world I had known as a boy. Now, little boys don't talk about such things, not to anyone. You might confide in someone that you wanted to play big league baseball someday. But you wouldn't say that you knew someday you'd have a home where you would feel the way you felt when you heard the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians. So I never talked with anyone about those feelings. When I was eleven, my parents dropped me off at the Salt Lake City home of my great uncle Gaskell Romney. He was a patriarch and, because he was my father's uncle, he could give me, a boy from the mission field, a patriarchal blessing. I don't think he even sat down to visit with me. He didn't know me except as my father's son. He just led me through the house to a room where a recording device was on a table. He sat me down facing a fireplace, put his hands on my head, and began to give first my lineage and then a blessing. He began to tell me about the home in which I would someday be the father. That's when I opened my eyes. I know the stones in the fireplace were there because I began to stare at them. I wondered, "How can this man know what is only in my heart?" He described in concrete detail what had been only a yeaming; but I could recognize it. It was the desire of my heart, that future home and family that I thought was secret. But it was not secret, because God knew. Now your impressions will not have been quite like mine, but you have felt a tug, maybe many tugs, to be someone better. And what sets those yearnings apart from all your day-dreams is that they were not about being richer, or smarter, or more attractive, but about being better. I am sure you have had such moments, not just from my experience, but because of what President David O. McKay once said. Listen very carefully: Man is a spiritual being, a soul, and at some period of his life everyone is possessed with an irresistible desire to know his relationship to the Infinite. . . . There is something within him which urges him to rise above himself, to control his environment, to master the body and all things physical and live in a higher and more beautiful world. [David O. McKay, True to the Faith, comp. Llewelyn R. McKay (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), p. 244] That pull upward is far beyond what you would call a desire for self-improvement. When I felt it, I knew I was being urged to live so far above myself that I could never do it on my own. President McKay had it right. You feel an urging to rise above your natural self. What you have felt is an urging from your Heavenly Father to accept this invitation: Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. [Moroni 10:32-33] That urge to rise above yourself is a recognition of your need for the Atonement to work in your life, and your need to be sure that it is working. After all you can do, after all your effort, you need confidence that the Atonement is working for you and on you. Something Better Drawing Us Up You may feel that upward pull tonight. I did one afternoon when I came to understand, as I hadn't before, how much I need the Atonement, what I could do to make it work in my life, and what evidence I could have that it was working. It was in a place like this, but not so large. It was the hour of a devotional at Ricks College. I wasn't the speaker; I was sitting there, just behind and to the right of the speaker. I've still got the book, here in my hand, that I held that day. It still has the words in the margins that I wrote then, although the page and the book show signs of use. In my memory, the room that afternoon was almost as light as the sunshine, and as warm. The speaker was Elder A. Theodore Tuttle. I suppose there was a spotlight on his face. Stages always seem light when you're on them. But the brightness was in more than what I saw. It was inside me that day. I think it happened because I walked into that room with the yearning President McKay says will come to everyone. And for me that day it was irresistible; I was in the right place with the right preparation. I had been trying hard, and yet I wanted to know: "Isn't there something more I can do?" And Elder Tuttle told me there was and that I would need the Atonement of Jesus Christ working in my life to go where I wanted to go. And so that afternoon lives on the pages of this book, and in my life. In case you're having one of the days President McKay said you would, I thought I ought to pass it on. That's how Elder Tuttle began. He talked about how someone had passed it to him. He said he had taken a trip to South America on assignment with Joseph Fielding Smith, then a member of the Council of the Twelve. That was in the days when you went to South America by ship. Elder Smith could have used the time to rest. And he could have let Elder Tuttle rest. But he didn't. He organized daily scripture study, sitting on the deck in those wooden slat chairs most of you have only seen in old movies. They read their scriptures together, and they discussed them, and they marked them. And so what I have written on this page, in the margins, was written by Elder Tuttle in his Doctrine and Covenants on the ship's deck as Elder Smith taught it to him. I can only imagine who passed it to Elder Smith. And now I'm passing it on to you. This page is the second sheet in the old edition of the triple combination, section nineteen of the Doctrine and Covenants. On the bottom, in capital letters, is written: REPENTANCE. And then an arrow leads to a notation that reads: "Greek word. To have a new mind." In the very back of my book I had already written a list of words, gospel concepts, and then, for each, a key scripture. Doctrine and Covenants section 19 became the scripture where I would ever after turn to find the network of scriptures on repentance I got from Elder Tuttle's days of being tutored on the deck, sailing south. This was before the invention of the topical guide, which I suppose is why I don't build those networks anymore. But he did it for me, and so around the margins of that second page of the nineteenth section I have written ten scriptural references I got that afternoon with his brief description of why they matter. Somehow he got them all taught in less than an hour, and into my heart. He was a master teacher. I won't try that. But I will give you the few scriptures that have made the most difference--all the difference for me--in knowing how to reach for that something better you and I sometimes feel drawing us up. The first is not in the margin but is from the section itself. I heard it that day with new meaning. It begins with the fifteenth verse. Therefore I command you to repent--repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore--how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I. [D&C 19:15-17] As he read those words that day, I felt the overwhelming suffering of the Savior. And then two things dawned on me. First, if I could not repent to qualify for his atonement for my sins, I must suffer to the limit of my power to suffer. And, second, with all the requisite suffering of my own, with all I could bear, it would still not be enough. I would still be forever shut out of the only place where there will be the warmth of family, the family of my Heavenly Father whom I have loved and whom I miss, and that of my family here. Somehow I had gotten the idea that the choice was between repenting or not. And then I realized that whatever pain repentance might bring in this life, it was certainly no more than the pain I would face if I did not repent here, and yet that later pain could not lift me home. It could not bring the mercy I needed. A determination flowed into me both to stay as far as I could from sin and to gain a confidence that my sins were being remitted. In that moment, the penalty for taking chances with sin or with forgiveness loomed larger than I had ever imagined it could. I wanted with all my heart to know both that the Atonement was curing the effects of sin in me and that I was being strengthened against future sin. I wanted confidence whereas before I had been content with hope. What I wanted, then, was to know what I could do to gain assurance that I was on the path home. Specific steps to assure that the Atonement is at work in your life will not always be the same. For some, at one point, it would be to see a bishop, a judge in Israel, to confess serious sin and to seek help. For another, it would be to accept baptism. But for everyone, at every stage of purification, there are constants. One is this: reception of the Holy Ghost is the cleansing agent as the Atonement purifies you. President Marion G. Romney taught it this way: "Receiving the Holy Ghost is the therapy which effects forgiveness and heals the sin-sick soul" (Ensign, May 1974, p. 92). The Savior said it this way: "Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day" (3 Nephi 27:20). Moroni also spoke of being wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost after baptism. Now that is a fact you can act on with confidence. You can invite the Holy Ghost's companionship in your life. And you can know when he is there, and when he withdraws. And when he is your companion, you can have confidence that the Atonement is working in your life. You can make some choices tonight that will bring the Holy Ghost to you as your companion. You are all called of God to serve his children. You may be called as a clerk or a home teacher or a visiting teacher. You all are a son or daughter or a brother or sister. None of those are accidental calls. And each places you in service to invite someone to choose the right, to come unto Christ. None of the people for whom you are responsible can be truly served without your bearing testimony, in some way, of the mission of Jesus Christ. Now you know that the mission of the Holy Ghost is to bear tesfimony of the Savior. When in faith and under assignment you go forth to do that, the Holy Ghost is your ally. The Savior said: "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" (John 15:26). You could, this moment, begin to think of those for whom you bear responsibility. If you do, and do it with the intent to serve them, a face or a name will come to you. If you do something tonight and make some attempt to help that person come unto Christ, I cannot promise you a miracle, but I can promise you this: you will feel the influence of the Holy Ghost helping you, and you will feel approval. And you will know that, for at least those minutes, the power of the Holy Ghost was with you. And you will know that some healing came into your soul, for the Spirit will not dwell in an unclean tabernacle. His influence cleanses. Not only is your feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost a sign that the Atonement, the cure for sin, is working in your life, but you will also know that a preventative against sin is working. Protection Against Sin The effects of the Atonement--the lack of pride, of envy, of malice--are a shield against temptation. The Savior taught that in another of those references written in the margin around my copy of the nineteenth section of the Doctrine and Covenants. It directs me to the first verse in section 95 of the Doctrine and Covenants. The first verse reads this way: Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you. [D&C 95:1] I bear you my testimony that God loves you and that he has prepared a way for your deliverance in all things out of temptation. In that verse the Lord was announcing a chastisement because his people had not built his house as he had commanded. He called that a grievous sin. But the Lord taught that the chastisement that would prepare them to be forgiven would also produce a shield against temptation. I bear you my testimony that the broken heart and contrite spirit that are the requirements for forgiveness are also its fruits. The very humility that is the sign of having been forgiven is protection against future sin. And it is by avoiding future sin that we retain a remission of the sins of the past. You may not know when you have been fully baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, but you can know you are inviting his presence. And you know when you are making his presence impossible. Although you may leave this hall determined to serve the Savior tonight and thus invite the Spirit, some of you will be tempted by some thought like this: "Look, as long as you don't commit great sin, repentance isn't that hard. You just confess, take a little embarrassment, and you are clean again." That is a lie in at least two ways. First, I have never forgotten the voice of Elder Tuttle after he read this description of suffering for sin from section 19 of the Doctrine and Covenants: Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit-and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink. [D&C 19:18] It was about there where I wrote these words, "Teach the people repentance hurts." I bear you my testimony that you must never believe the lie that there is no pain from sin. You can be forgiven. The Atonement is real. But President Kimball taught: "If a person hasn't suffered, he hasn't repented" (TSWK, p. 99). So, true faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, rather than leading you to try a little sin, will lead you to stay as far away from it as you can. That brings me to a second falsehood. It is this: as the world grows more wicked, it is only reasonable to expect to be overcome by temptation. That is not true either. We do not face so bleak a prospect. Here is what President George Albert Smith taught. He said it more than fifty years ago, but it is still true in our time, and will be in the future, however dark it becomes. He said: There are two influences ever present in the world. One is constructive and elevating and comes from our Heavenly Father; and the other is destructive and debasing and comes from Lucifer. We have our agency and make our own choice in life subject to these unseen powers. There is a division line well defined that separates the Lord's territory from Lucifer's. If we live on the Lord's side of the line, Lucifer cannot come there to influence us, but if we cross the line into his territory, we are in his power. By keeping the commandments of the Lord we are safe on His side of the line, but we disobey His teachings we voluntarily cross into the zone of temptation and invite the destruction that is ever present there. Knowing this, how anxious we should always be to live on the Lord's side of the line. [George Albert Smith, Improvement Era, May 1935, p. 278] The increasing wickedness in the world should not make you more inclined to take chances but less. By choice of what you will do tonight, and what you won't do, you can place yourself in that territory where the Holy Ghost can be your companion. How Do You Know? Now you may feel that I have given you only modest hope. You and everyone want to know, to be sure--if possible, by some clear sign--that your sins are remitted. So do I. But you and I know that President Benson, in his article from which many of you have already home taught, was telling the truth when he said: For every Paul, for every Enos, and for every King Lamoni, there are hundreds and thousands of people who find the process of repentance much more subtle, much more imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life. They live quiet lives of goodness, service, and commitment. They are like the Lamanites, who the Lord said "were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not" (3 Nephi 9:20). ["A Mighty Change of Heart," Ensign, October 1989, p. 5] As if he knew my concern, and yours, to discern whether we were moving toward Christ, Elder Tuttle took me to a scripture. The reference is written in the margin next to the beginning of the fifteenth verse. Here is all it says: "Alma 5:14, 15, 26-31." And then these words, written very small: "Born again and retaining remission. How do you know?" "How do you know?" That was whispered to me by a woman after a stake conference, with tears running down her cheeks, when she said: "I've tried so long. I've done everything I know how. Why don't I feel the peace of forgiveness? I want to feet forgiven. I want to feel clean again. I want to feel I can stay that way. How do I know?" It was asked in a letter that came to my desk recently. It was asked the other night on the phone in what began as a call about business. And with tears in his voice, a young man asked, "Well, how will I know? How do you know?" Alma the high priest raised that very question, and he answered it as he taught the people in Zarahemla. Here is the reference, starting with Alma 5:14: And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body? [Alma 5:14-15] As Elder Tuttle read those words that day, I knew what I wanted. I wanted the Master's image in my countenance, perhaps not visible to others, but so that I might look forward with the eye of faith to that grand reunion. I wanted to have confidence that I would someday and somewhere hear the words: "Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth" (Alma 5:16). Now, sometimes when you read scriptures, your mind may wander. In fact, I have been watching some of you. I realize I have been testing you. You have heard a lot of scripture. My mind didn't wander that day as Elder Tuttle moved over a page to read the twenty-sixth verse. I wanted to hear how I would know that the Atonement was working in my life. I wanted to know how to retain a remission of my sins. Here is what he began to read: And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, and will come to redeem his people from their sins? Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life. Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared, and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come;for such an one is not found guiltless. And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions? Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved! [Alma 5:26-31] Think of those words: Humble, stripped of pride, stripped of envy, not making a mock of my brother, garments cleansed. Have you experienced the change of heart? I learned a long time ago that it is hard to know how you are doing in being born again and why it is not easy. Once, as a bishop of a ward, I worked with a young man not much older than many of you. He'd made great mistakes and had been moved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to make long and painful repentance. We were down to the weeks before he was to be married in the temple. I had long before forgiven him in the name of the Church and had given him his temple recommend. Yet he remembered that I had said, "The Lord will forgive you in his own time and in his own way." But now he was deeply concerned. He came to my office and he said: "You told me that the Lord would someday let me know that I was forgiven. But I am going to the temple to marry a wonderful girl. I want to be the best I can be for her. I need to know that I am forgiven. And I need to know now. Tell me how to find out." I said I would try He gave me a deadline. My memory is that it was within less than two weeks. Fortunately, I already had a trip scheduled. During that period of time I went to Salt Lake City, and there I found myself seeing Elder Spencer W Kimball, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, at a social function. It was crowded, and yet he somehow found me. He walked up to me in that crowd and said, "Hal, I understand that you are now a bishop. Do you have anything you would like to ask me?" I said that I did, but I didn't think that was the place to talk about it. He thought it was. It was an outdoor party. My memory is that we went behind a shrub and there had our interview. Without breaking confidences, as I have not with you, I outlined the concerns and the question of this young man in my ward. Then I asked Elder Kimball, "How can he get that revelation? How can he know whether his sins are remitted?" I thought Elder Kimball would talk to me about fasting or prayer or listening for the still small voice. But he surprised me. Instead he said, "Tell me something about the young man." I said, "What would you like to know?" And then he began a series of the most simple questions. Some of the ones I remember were: "Does he come to his priesthood meetings?" I said, after a moment of thought, "Yes." "Does he come early?" "Yes." "Does he sit down front?" I thought for a moment and then realized, to my amazement, that he did. "Does he home teach?" "Yes." "Does he go early in the month?" "Yes, he does." "Does he go more than once?" "Yes." I can't remember the other questions. But they were all like that--little things, simple acts of obedience, of submission. And for each question I was surprised that my answer was always yes. Yes, he wasn't just at all his meetings: he was early; he was smiling; he was there not only with his whole heart, but with the broken heart of a little child, as he was every time the Lord asked anything of him. And after I had said yes to each of his questions, Elder Kimball looked at me, paused, and then very quietly said, "There is your revelation." Sufficiently humble. Stripped of pride. Stripped of envy. Never making a mock of his brother. When I went back to the young man and told him what I then knew, he accepted it. But he may have simply had to take my word for it. You see, it's hard to feel that you are sufficiently humble. If you did, you might not be. He went forward with his marriage. I've seen him since. To me he still looks as he did on the front bench before a priesthood meeting. My guess is that he has retained a remission of his sins. I don't know if he knew then or if he knows now with the certainty he wanted, but I am sure of something. When that change of heart comes to me and to you, when we are cleansed and blameless before God, it will be because we have been made pure by the blood of Christ. And I know what I can and must do. I must be baptized by a servant of God holding the true priesthood, I must have received the gift of the Holy Ghost by that same power, and then I must have exercised faith in the Savior long enough and carefully enough that his grace will be sufficient for me. And I know at least one way to know that is happening in your life, or in mine. You will have put yourself so often in the Master's service, bringing the cleansing companionship of the Holy Ghost, that you will be on the front row, early, whenever and wherever the Master calls. It will be gradual enough that you may not notice. You will be humble enough that you may be reluctant to believe it is happening. But those with spiritual discernment who love you will know. And the Savior and our Heavenly Father will know. And that is enough. Invite the Holy Ghost into Your Life Here is another of those scriptures from Elder Tuttle, marked in the margin. It describes an evidence you and I can have that we are on the way to that better, higher life: For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. [Mosiah 3:19] When I read that scripture I see the face of that young man on the front row, early to his meeting. I bear you my testimony that you can invite the Holy Ghost into your life, and because you have been promised that gift by authorized servants of God, he will come. I bear testimony to you that you can be cleansed by the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I bear testimony that the yearning you've felt for something better is a yearning to come unto Christ. And I bear testimony that this promise is true in the twenty-third verse of the nineteenth section of the Doctrine and Covenants: "Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me." I pray that you and I will make the choices tonight and tomorrow and as long as we live that will bring the influence of the Holy Ghost into our lives in the service of the Master. I testify that as we do, we will feel the cleansing that comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and with it the confidence that we are coming unto him. And when we are there, with him and sanctified, we shall never hunger nor thirst again. My hope is that you will put yourself in the way tonight where the Holy Ghost will go with you. A telephone call, a visit, or a letter you could write to someone God has asked you to serve would do that. I've promised you one miracle: you will feel the companionship of the Holy Ghost. But I have to warn you about expecting another miracle. Even with that help, the help of the Holy Ghost, you may not say the words or give the service that will bring a mighty change in their lives. Remember that President McKay said that at "sometime" in their lives there is an irresistible desire to rise to a higher, more beautiful world. That sometime may not be tonight. But go anyway. And go again. And then when the sometime comes, you will be there, and you will be their friend, and then you can testify to them that the longing they feel for something better is to come unto Christ. You can tell them how. And you will have been showing them how. I have one other plea, one other hope for you: don't ignore the impulses that come to you to rise above yourself into a higher and more beautiful world. Growing up, getting educated, seeing the world, and almost everything that happens to you will push you toward saying to yourself: "Oh, that was just a dream. That's not possible. I could never change that much." You can. The Savior promised: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). He can and he will. I bear you my testimony that God lives. He is your Father. You want to go home. You want to be with him. The only way you can be with him in the way you want to be is to become clean and spotless. I bear you my testimony that Jesus is the Christ. The Atonement is real. I bear you my testimony that the Holy Ghost will come to you in the service of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as you bear testimony. I bear you my testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I bear testimony that the priesthood is on the earth. The keys are here. President Benson is a prophet of God. I pray that you may without fear and with confidence go forward to serve. And I pray for this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. UNLOCKING THE DOORS M. Russell Ballard M. Russell Ballard is a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This devotional address was given on 14 November 1989 in the Marriott Center. Two weeks ago, President Dean L. Larsen and I returned from South America, where we visited with members and missionaries in Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia. I am happy to report that the work continues to go forward in spite of the current violence present there. Many of you served your missions in those countries, and I know you are concerned about what is happening in South America. For many years we have enjoyed relative peace while doing missionary work in the world. However, in some places today we find it necessary to teach members and missionaries how to protect themselves in a world of increasing violence. The Prophet Joseph Smith saw the challenges of doing missionary work in this dispensation. From Small Beginnings May I share with you this morning the remarkable growth of the Church, as prophesied by the Prophet Joseph Smith. One hundred eighty-three years have now passed since the Prophet's birth. We must never forget his perseverance in the face of incredible hardships and opposition to bring forth the priesthood, new scriptures, complete doctrines, full ordinances, and covenants to exalt men and women through membership in the restored Church of Jesus Christ. In the earliest years of the development of the Church, at a time when its enemies already were making great efforts to stop the work, the Prophet knew that no enemy present or future would have sufficient power to frustrate and stop the purposes of God. Even Joseph's closest associates in those early years did not understand that the Church would roll forth from small beginnings to fill the entire world as prophesied by the Old Testament prophet Daniel (see Daniel 1). At age twenty-seven, Wilford Woodruff was present at a meeting called by the Prophet Joseph in Kirtland, Ohio, early in 1834. At this time, the Saints who had gathered in Missouri were suffering great persecutions. Mobs had driven them from their homes in Jackson County Some had tried to establish themselves in neighboring counties, but persecutions followed them. The Prophet had announced the intention to go to Missouri and had enlisted a number of volunteers to go as Zion's Camp to rescue the Saints there. Wilford Woodruff gives a vivid description of the Prophet's message to the elders who met in preparation for the Zion's Camp march: On Sunday night the Prophet called on all who held the Priesthood to gather into the little log school house they had there. It was a small house, perhaps 14 feet square. But it held the whole of the Priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were then in the town of Kirtland, and who had gathered together to go off in Zion's camp. That was the first time I ever saw Oliver Cowdery, or heard him speak, the first time I ever saw Brigham Young or Heber C. Kimball, and the two Pratts, and Orson Hyde and many others. There were no Apostles in the Church except Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. When we got together the Prophet called upon the Elders of Israel with him to bear testimony of this work. Those that I have named spoke, and a good many that I have not named, bore their testimonies. When they got through the Prophet said, "Brethren, I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and the kingdom than a babe upon its mother's lap. You don't comprehend it." I was rather surprised. Then the prophet said, "It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America--it will fill the world." [CR, April 1898, p. 57] You will detect in this statement by Joseph Smith no element of cautious forecasting. He certainly did not predict future growth based on past trends. He gave a bold statement, a prophecy--given by the Spirit of the Lord. You may remember that the Articles of Faith first appeared in a letter that Joseph Smith wrote to Mr. John Wentworth, the editor of a Chicago newspaper. In the Wentworth letter, which was dated 1 March 1842, Joseph Smith wrote a vision of the destiny of the Church in a profound prophecy. He wrote: The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done. [HC 4:540] Since the organization of the Church in 1830, nearly sixteen decades have passed. We have had 158 years to observe what has happened in the fulfillment of his prophecy. Together, let us see how the truth of God has swept the nations despite persecutions and opposition. Let us see how continents and countries have been penetrated and what peoples of the world have heard the gospel sound in their ears. Let us also review selected examples of opposing efforts of the "unhallowed hands" of the enemy: how persecutions have raged, how mobs have combined, how armies have assembled, and how calumny has defamed. (In case you are not familiar with the term calumny, it is a false charge or misrepresentation given maliciously to damage another person's reputation.) In the Face of Opposition Although the Church began its first decade with only six members, "unhallowed hands" made every effort to stop the spread of the gospel and destroy the Church in its infancy Joseph Smith soon learned how mobs may combine. From Church history we read: Certain residents of Hiram, Ohio, vented their personal feelings with mob action directed against the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon. Stimulated by whiskey and hidden behind blackened faces, a gang of more than two dozen men dragged Joseph from his bed during the night of March 24, 1832. Choking him into submission, they stripped him naked, scratched his skin with their fingernails, tore his hair, and then smeared his body with tar and feathers. A vial of nitric acid forced against his teeth splashed on his face; a front tooth was broken. Meanwhile other members of the mob dragged Rigdon by the heels from his home, bumping his head on the frozen ground, which left him delirious for days. The Prophet's friends spent the night removing the tar to help him keep a Sunday morning appointment. He addressed a congregation that included Simonds Ryder, organizer of the mob. [James B. Allen and Glen M. Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1976), p. 71] Ryder was a convert who disaffected because the Prophet Joseph misspelled his name. A year later, another mob destroyed the Evening and Morning Star printing office, interrupting the publication of the Book of Commandments, a collection of divine revelations received through Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith also learned how calumny may defame. In 1834, Eber D. Howe published Mormonism Unvailed, the first anti-Mormon book. lt included a variety of old and new charges against Joseph Smith's credibility and tried to undermine the veracity of the Book of Mormon. The Saints in Missouri found out in a tragic manner how the armies of the enemy may assemble. In 1838, Governor Lilbum W. Boggs of Missouri issued the infamous "Order of Extermination," and our history records the tragedy at Haun's Mill. Despite intense opposition against all efforts to erect the standard of truth, 597 missionaries were set apart during the 1830s, and nearly 20,000 converts joined the restored Church during that first decade. Missionaries taught and baptized people in most of the states then in the Union, and both Canada and Great Britain were opened to the preaching of the gospel. The gospel message penetrated two continents and began to sweep across three nations. Heber C. Kimball was one of the great missionaries in the early years of the Church. He was a friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith and a relative of Brigham Young. He was tall and he was bald even when he was young. People liked to tease him about his baldness, and he one time gave the following explanation of how he lost his hair. Shortly after joining the Church, Heber was called as a very young man to serve a mission to Nova Scotia. He traveled the entire 1,500 miles from his home in New York on foot, with his valise on his back. Heber said of this mission: Soon after I started I found that I was rather unlearned, though I knew that before, but I knew it better after I started. I began to study the Scriptures, . . . and I had so little knowledge that the exercise of study began to swell my head and open my pores insomuch that the hairs dropped out; and if you will let your minds expand as mine did you will have no hair on your heads. [JD 4:107; quoted in Leonard J. Arrington's Church History and the Achievement of Identity] Heber C. Kimball was a man of great faith and good humor. I hope for those of you whose hair is thinning that it is for the same reason. These early missionaries succeeded in the face of all opposition because they had the unwavering faith to open their mouths and declare the truth and because they took with them the mighty sword of the Lord's Spirit (see D&C 27:16-17). They remembered the baptismal covenant to "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places . . . even until death" (Mosiah 18:9). The same year that Lorenzo Snow set out on his first mission, the Prophet Joseph Smith gave Heber C. Kimball a very significant missionary assignment. The Prophet Joseph approached Heber while the latter was seated in the Kirtland Temple. Joseph said: Brother Heber, the Spirit of the Lord has whispered to me: "Let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and open the door of salvation to that nation." [Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, Inc., 1967), p. 103] The First Presidency and the Twelve hold the keys for opening the nations to missionary work (see D&C 107:35). When the pattern has been followed of calling an apostle to open a land to the preaching of the gospel, great success has resulted. Heber C. Kimball baptized more than one thousand converts in the western part of England during his mission. He and his companions laid the foundation for future growth in that great nation. Of this early work, Joseph Smith said: The work in which we are unitedly engaged is one of no ordinary kind. The enemies we have to contend against are subtle and well skilled in manoeuvering; it behooves us to be on the alert to concentrate our energies, and that the best feelings should exist in our midst; and then, by the help of the Almighty, we shall go on from victory to victory, and from conquest to conquest; our evil passions will be subdued, our prejudices depart; we shall find no room in our bosoms for hatred; vice will hide its deformed head, and we shall stand approved in the sight of heaven, and be acknowledged the sons of God. [HC 4:231] During the 1840s, persecutions continued to rage, especially against the Prophet Joseph Smith. In 1841 he was arrested in Illinois on a fugitive warrant issued by Governor Boggs of Missouri, but Judge Stephen A. Douglas of Quincy, Illinois, ruled the writ ineffective and released the prisoner. A year later, John C. Bennett, mayor of Nauvoo, plotted to assassinate the Prophet. After the plot failed, Bennett resigned as mayor, was expelled from the Church, and later wrote a scandalous account entitled The History of the Saints; or an Expose of Joe Smith and the Mormons. The Persecutions culminated on 27 June 1844. Joseph and Hyrum were killed by a mob that rushed Carthage Jail. In the midst of all these difficulties, 1,454 missionaries were set apart during the 1840s. Church membership grew to more than 48,000. Missionaries made initial visits to Australia, India, Jamaica, South America, and Germany. Although the early work in these countries was limited and resulted in only a few scattered conversions, the servants of the Lord began learning valuable lessons about how to reach out to people of different cultures. In 1841, Orson Hyde visited and dedicated Israel for the gathering of the Jews. Despite the great difficulty of travel, the restored gospel penetrated three more continents. During the 1840s Wilford Woodruff, who had been tutored by the Prophet Joseph and later ordained an apostle, was sent as a missionary to England. The success of his missionary work in southern England in 1840 may be unparalleled. Because of the great faith of Wilford Woodruff, Heber C. Kimball, and other missionaries and their ability to follow the promptings of the Spirit, the truth of God began to sweep a nation and sound in many ears. Although much of the energy of the Saints in the 1850s was devoted to the migration to Utah and the development of a new home, missionary work continued, as did the persecutions. In May 1857, Elder Parley P. Pratt of the Council of the Twelve was assassinated while on a mission in Arkansas. In the same month, United States President Buchanan issued orders for an army to assemble at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to march to Utah on false assumptions that the people of Utah were in rebellion against the United States. This was the beginning of the so-called "Utah War." Two months later, in July, Brigham Young received word that an American army, under the command of General Albert Johnston, was approaching Utah. Church leaders took the position that they had violated no laws and decided to allow no military "invasion" to drive them from their homes. In June 1858, after having been stopped for the winter by delaying tactics of the Mormons, General Johnston's army finally entered the Salt Lake Valley, but did so peacefully In the 1850s, 705 missionaries were set apart. Missions of the Church were opened in Scandinavia, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Hawaii. Initial missionary work began also in such parts of the world as India, Hong Kong, Thailand, Burma, South Africa, and the West Indies. Many of these efforts were discontinued after a few years. However, the Scandinavian Mission organized in 1850, baptized about a thousand converts each year during the decade, mostly in Denmark. Missionaries in Britain baptized more than 15,000 converts, who then left for Utah between 1849 and 1857. At the end of the decade, missionaries were teaching the gospel in fifteen nations and two territories. Worldwide Church membership numbered more than 57,000. Members of the Church enjoyed little public favor in the early years of our history. However, "attitudes improved somewhat during the 1860s, partly because the Civil War diverted attention elsewhere, and partly because of Mormon cooperation in building the transcontinental railroad. But that didn't last. Polygamy debates led to the Edmunds-Tucker Act, bringing the Church in the 1880s to a low point in terms of public contempt" (William B. Smart, "Changing Attitudes," Church News, 5 January 1980). President John Taylor and the Saints of his day certainly experienced how persecutions may rage. The Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887 "seemed designed to destroy the Church itself, eliminating both polygamy and the influence of the Church on Utah's political life" (Allen and Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints, p. 404). Among other stringent provisions, the law disincorporated the Church, abolished female suffrage, and ordered the confiscation of practically all Church property. Outside of Utah, unhallowed hands continued to oppose the work. In Georgia, Joseph Standing and his missionary companions were walking on a public road near the county line of Catoosa and Whitfield counties when they were compelled by a mob to go to an isolated spot in the woods. Elder Standing was shot by a mob member when he put up some resistance to move to another spot. Notwithstanding this and other acts of persecution, in the three decades from 1860 to 1890, 4,458 missionaries were set apart. Worldwide membership grew from 57,000 to 183,000. Four stakes developed into twenty-two stakes. At the end of the 1880s, missionaries were serving in twenty nations and three territories. During this decade, doors were opened, and sustained missionary efforts began in the Netherlands, Iceland, Finland, Belgium, and Samoa. For varying periods, from a few months to twenty-five years, missionaries labored also in Armenia, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Burma, and India. The forty-year period from 1890 to 1930 brought some improvement in public attitudes toward the Church: The Manifesto disclaiming polygamy in 1890 helped reverse the trend. So did an active public relations campaign for statehood, ushering in a period of less-bitter but still generally hostile attitudes, running from 1890 to the late 1920s. The Church and its doctrine were still disliked during this period, but [news] articles began to speak of the people themselves as basically good with high potential. This was the period during which B. H. Roberts and Reed Smoot were elected to Congress but Reed Smoot had to fight to be seated.... The national debate hurt the Church image badly, but it gradually improved during a long career in which Reed Smoot became one of the country's leading senators. [Smart, "Changing Attitudes"] Opposition to the Church heated up in early 1922, owing in some part to the influence of the movie entitled Trapped by the Mormons. The uneventful days of tracting in the British Mission were a thing of the past. On 10 January 1922, Ezra Taft Benson mentioned in his journal, without elaboration, the movie's author: "Winnifred Graham on our track again." The next day Elder Benson was evicted from one house, and a week later still "more stories of the terrible Mormons were being circulated." On Sunday, January 29, someone attempted to break up one of their meetings. A week later he wrote, "Tracting in South Street, women rather excited, afraid they're going to be taken to Utah." Moving This Great Work Forward Persecutions still raged in the twentieth century. But the truth of God continued to go forth boldly as Joseph Smith had prophesied. On 3 September 1925, President Heber J. Grant announced that the First Presidency had decided to open missionary work in South America. Following the Lord's pattem for unlocking the doors of the kingdom in all nations, the First Presidency called Elder Melvin J. Ballard, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and my own grandfather, along with Rulon S. Wells and Rey L. Pratt of the First Council of the Seventy to go to South America. They were called to dedicate the land for the preaching of the gospel, to open a mission there, and to lay the foundation for establishing the Church in that vast continent. After a three-week journey by ship, covering more than seven thousand miles, the three missionaries arrived in Buenos Aires in December 1925. On Christmas moming of 1925, at 7:00 a.m., Elder Ballard dedicated the land. The missionary work was very slow and difficult in those early months. Of the sixteen people attending the first Church meeting, almost all were German immigrants. In the first ten months while grandfather was there, the missionaries saw only a small handful of converts join the Church; perhaps only one or two of them were native Latin people. However, before leaving South America on 4 July 1926, Elder Ballard prophesied: The work of the Lord will grow slowly for a time here just as an oak grows slowly from an acorn. It will not shoot up in a day as does the sunflower that grows quickly and then dies. But thousands will join the Church here. It will be divided into more than one mission and will be one of the strongest in the Church. The work here is the smallest that it will ever be. The day will come when the Lamanites in this land will be given a chance. The South American Mission will be a power in the Church. [Melvin J. Ballard, Crusader for Righteousness (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), p. 84] Brothers and sisters, many of you are aware of the remarkable growth of the Church in South America. During the forty years from 1890 to 1930, 31,449 missionaries were set apart for fulltime missions. Worldwide Church membership more than tripled from 183,000 to 663,000. Thirty-two stakes developed into 104 stakes. By the end of the 1920s, missionaries were serving in twenty-seven nations and three territories. Significant new missionary efforts were begun in Japan, Bolivia, Brazil, and the island country of Tonga, in addition to the new efforts in Argentina and South America that I have just described. Beginning in 1930, national attitudes toward members of the Church entered a new stage: Several factors brought it on. Radio began carrying throughout the country broadcasts of the remarkable Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The Church's care-for-our-own teachings that led to a new vigor in the Welfare system during the depths of the depression conveyed an impression of character and independence. For the first time, the balance of magazine articles about the Church became, in the mid-30s, more positive than negative. [President] Heber J. Grant did much to lift the image of the Church with national business and political leaders. Attitudes improved steadily during the following years as the Church's patriotism and loyalty were demonstrated during World War II, as Mormons became prominent in government, business, sports, and other fields, and as a growing missionary system and membership brought Mormons into neighborly contact with much of the population. [Smart, "Changing Attitudes"] During the four decades from 1930 to 1970, 106,799 full-time missionaries were set apart. Worldwide Church membership increased fourfold from 663,000 to 2,807,456. More than one million new members were added just in the decade of the 1960s. One hundred and four stakes developed into 630 stakes. By 1970, missionaries were serving in forty-three nations and nine territories. During this forty-year period, the South American nations of Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela were opened to missionary work. Church leaders reopened missionary work in Chile. In Central America, servants of the Lord unlocked the nations of Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In Asia, major new efforts began to bear fruit in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and the Philippines. Of course, persecutions will always be with us, just as the Prophet Joseph prophesied. In recent years, the Church has been attacked openly by the producers of the film The Godmakers. A concerted effort by this band of enemies of the Church is underway at this very hour. During recent media coverage of forged documents related to Church history, Elder Dallin H. Oaks detailed instances of blatant misrepresentation and distortion (remember how calumny may defame) and how corrective information was ignored by prominent newspapers such as the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Malicious charges leveled against prominent leaders of the Church have not ended. The adversary has not ceased to work. Today we continue to face opposition, and we can expect it to continue as we endeavor to move this great work forward. The Challenges of Continuing Growth Nevertheless, we are now seeing a great acceleration in the fulfillment of Joseph Smith's prophecy that the "Truth of God will penetrate every continent, visit every clime, sweep every country, and sound in every ear." President Spencer W. Kimball led the Church to new heights in carrying the gospel to the people of the world. The Church called many more missionaries, and a greatly increased number of missionaries from their native lands were enlisted into the work. President Kimball called for a widened vision of the work and asked members of the Church to lengthen their stride in moving the gospel across the face of the earth. He called upon the Church to use all of the media--newspapers, magazines, television, radio--in their greatest power to convey the gospel message to the unreached millions throughout the earth. During the fifteen years from 1970 to the end of 1985 when President Kimball died, 230,195 missionaries were set apart to serve full-time missions, more than double the number set apart in the preceding forty years. Worldwide Church membership grew from 2,807,456 to 5,919,481--three million additional members. The number of stakes increased from 630 to 1,582. Missionary work was opened or reopened in many countries including India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Micronesia, Kiribati, and other island nations in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Conversion miracles were happening in many lands. I give an example from my own ministry. During the last week of January 1988, the First Presidency sent me to Lima, Peru, where we had eleven stakes of the Church. Because of the rapid and healthy growth of the Church in that city, I and the Area Presidency had the privilege of organizing seven additional stakes in one weekend to make a total of eighteen stakes. I truly saw my grandfather's and Joseph Smith's prophecies fulfilled. A miracle had been accomplished there by the power of the Lord's Spirit working through his authorized servants, the missionaries. In the continent of South America, the one mission organized in 1925 has now been divided into thirty-eight. The sixteen people present at the original Church meeting now have multiplied many times over into a Church membership in South America of more than 900,000 people organized into more than 200 stakes of Zion. The three missionaries who arrived in Buenos Aires in 1925 have swelled into an army of 5,650. Four temples are now in operation, with more to be constructed in the future. We now are led by another great prophet-leader, President Ezra Taft Benson. During the three years that he has presided over the Church, fulfillment of prophecy is apparent to every spiritually attuned observer. During the short period, almost four years now, 90,000 missionaries have been set apart and sent into the world to proclaim the glad tidings of the Restoration. Worldwide Church membership has now increased to more than 7,000,000. We now have 1,736 stakes of Zion. Our current force of 40,000 missionaries, serving in 226 missions in eighty-eight nations and twenty-two territories, has brought by the power of the Spirit more than 256,000 convert baptisms in 1988. Converts for 1989 will likely exceed 300,000. The Book of Mormon is being distributed and read as never before in our history. The day of 50,000 to 60,000 full-time missionaries is not far off; the work will continue to grow and prosper throughout the world. You probably have read about the near--miraculous approval given to the Church by the government of the German Democratic Republic to allow foreign missionaries to teach in the German Democratic Republic and to allow their youth to serve outside their country. In recent years, the Lord's servants have unlocked the door and opened the work in Poland, Hungary, and Yugoslavia as well. They have opened many nations of Africa, including Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Zaire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, and the Ivory Coast. Twenty-two nations and territories have been opened in just the last five years. Many others have been opened and will be opened to the preaching of the gospel. I feel the same as Orson Pratt when he said in 1859: How could a young man, inexperienced as Joseph Smith was, have had all this foreknowledge of future events, unless he was inspired of God? . . . How could he know, if a church should arise, that it would have any influence beyond his own neighbourhood? How did he know it would extend through the State of New York, where it was first raised? How could he know that it would extend over the United States, and much more, that it would go to all nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles? ... To prophesy that a church would arise and have place in all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles, and then to prophesy that the "mother of harlots" would gather together vast multitudes among all these nations and fight against the Saints, is taking a step far beyond what an imposter would undertake, if he were disposed to successfully impose upon mankind. [JD 7:182-83] I wonder what Brother Pratt would add if he saw the growth of the Church in our day. This review of Church growth from the Prophet's time to ours is one more reason we know without question that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. When Elder Larsen and I witnessed firsthand the profound growth of the Church in the face of the current violence and challenges in South America, my testimony was expanded greatly. My testimony to you students is that this is the Church of Jesus Christ, and the Savior's work will continue to roll forth in the world. Those of you who are preparing to serve the Lord as missionaries, I call upon you to prepare well. Your day in Church history is yet to be written. It will be what you make of it. To those of you who have returned from your missionary service, remain true and faithful, for you will lead the Church in the coming years with the challenges of continued growth. Oh, that I would have the power to open your eyes and cause you to see the vision of what yet lies ahead. Many of you sitting here as students of Brigham Young University will carry a remarkable role in fulfilling the prophecies of the Prophet Joseph Smith until that day does come when the great Jehovah shall say, "It is enough." God bless you my beloved young people that your faith may be strong and powerful, that you will be up to that responsibility that will surely be yours. I testify to you that I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He presides over this work. He is directing it through his prophets and his apostles here upon the earth. To this I testify, leaving my witness and blessing with you that we will not shrink from our responsibility in writing the future history of 1989 until the great Jehovah comes once again. For this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. REFLECTION AND RESOLUTION Russell M. Nelson Russell M. Nelson is a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This fireside address was delivered on 7 January 1990 in the Marriott Center. The title of my message tonight is "Reflection and Resolution," for indeed this is a time for reflection on activities of the past, and for resolution pertaining to the future. This evening is a real milestone--the first Sabbath day of new semester, of a new year, and of a new decade. We are pleased to be accompanied by several members of our family, including my father. We had my father, Marion C. Nelson, seated on the stand. Then he felt a little immodest about doing that, so he preferred to sit by the family. But I'd like my father to stand. I want you to know that in four days we will, as a family, celebrate his ninety-third birthday. We enjoy the blessings of both his reflections and his resolutions. Speaking of age, I'll relate a spoof attributed to an elderly person who was not as sharp as my father. This gentleman, who was a bit absent-minded, quipped that "old age isn't all bad; your forgetfulness allows you to greet new friends every day, and you can even hide your own Easter eggs." When We Were Young But tonight we should not speak much of age. You are young, and life's exciting challenges are yet before you. Sister Nelson and I reflect on times when we were young. We met during our university days. Dantzel was a campus queen when I fell in love with her. I proposed to her while we were picking peas in a pea patch. Then and there we made a resolution that temple marriage was a must for us. By the time I entered medical school we had become very good friends. Often, after I had spent a morning in the anatomy lab with its pungent aroma of formaldehyde, we ate our sack lunches together on the campus lawn. She always preferred for me to sit downwind from her. We were married when she was a senior and I had graduated, but I was being recycled--as a sophomore once again, this time in medical school. We were so young that my father even had to sign my marriage certificate. Early married life on the campus was wonderful. With our limited means, we could only afford to share a can of soup for lunch. We really worked hard. She received her baccalaureate degree at age twenty, and I became a doctor of medicine at twenty-two. I thought I knew so much. My parents thought I knew so little. We traveled east for what we thought was to be one year of internship. That year expanded to many years of postdoctoral education, research, and military service. My academic appointments took us to major cities of the central and eastern sectors of the United States as President Taylor has mentioned. In all, more than twelve years elapsed from the time I received my doctor of medicine degree until I was finally able to enter private practice. By then we had six children. But never through that long period of study did Sister Nelson murmur about the lack of material possessions. Oh yes, there was one exception. I remember a night in Boston when we were walking down Boylston street. She pressed her nose against the windowpane of a furniture store and asked, "Do you think we will ever be able to afford a lamp?" As you've been told, our family grew to include nine daughters and one son. Our son has applied for admission to BYU, well aware of the fact that competition is keen for scarce seats here and that enrollment at BYU is a great privilege available only to a fortunate and steadily diminishing percentage of the youth of the Church. To each of you I feel a special debt of gratitude. In my apostolic calling I speak with rulers, magistrates, and ministers of many countries. My assignments in 1989, for example, took me to twenty-one different nations. Wherever I go, BYU has a remarkable reputation, for which I thank you. It is known for good among many nations. Truly, the world is your campus. A New Year, a New Decade Now, if I had the wish of my heart, I would welcome a private hour with each of you. I would like to hear your own reflections and then listen to your resolutions for this new year and for this new decade. Somehow I don't see you as a vast and faceless congregation. I see you as an assembly of individuals, each one a person with unique talents, hopes, challenges, and a powerful potential beyond even your fondest dreams. I would like to share with you a vision of what each of you can become in your own special way. A proverb of warning applies just as much to you as it did to me in the surgical operating room: "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18). I would like to provide such vision. So let's follow the pattern of the Lord, who often chose to instruct his disciples on a high mountain. He also took Moses to a mountain to see the scope of the work that was ahead (see Moses 1:1). To another high mountain the Lord later took Peter, James, and John (see Matthew 17:1). There, power and authority, vision and purpose were given to them to qualify them for the work (see also Isaiah 40:9; Ezekiel 40:2). I would like to share a similar vision with each of you. Let us imagine that you and I are alone together on a mountaintop. William, let's start with you. We reflect first on your accomplishments that have brought you here. I met you initially as a handsome and bright elder on your mission. You rendered such wonderful service. Many people now understand the gospel because of you. Some have even joined the Church. They and their posterity will always hold your name dear to their hearts. Reflections on your mission should always give you a sense of deep satisfaction. Now, William, what will your resolutions include as you begin a new semester, a new year, and a new decade? What would you like to be? Have you gone to a quiet, secluded spot to be all alone? Have you found your own "Sacred Grove" equivalent, where you can pour out the secret longings of your soul in prayer to your Father in Heaven? Have you really conversed with God as one man speaks to another? Have you really declared your allegiance to him and your availability to him, without any reservation? Have you said, "Here I am Lord! Use me!"? Have you pleaded with him, and as you did, have you put behind any counterfeit cliche's that may have been part of your prayers in the past? Have you cleanly and completely declared your commitment to be a saint, an elder, a righteous disciple through good times and bad? Such a resounding resolution would bring joy to your Heavenly Father. Now I see Mary--beautiful Mary. You and your future husband plan to be sealed in the temple. I reflect on days when you were small and so full of fun. Now you are a woman, mature and wise. What will you resolve in your heart to be? You will surely help your husband honor his priesthood as you share its blessings together. I already know of your commitment to chastity. It is the powerful protector of virile manhood and the crown of beautiful womanhood. You will continue in your resolve to be clean--to avoid flirtatious or flippant behavior unbecoming a lovely daughter of God. You and your companion should resolve never, never to make uncomplimentary comments about one another to anyone at anytime. Good habit patterns are best established during your courtship. Never stoop to demeaning words that hurt. Together, resolve now to make of your home a place of prayer. Make it a sanctuary of faith where servants of the Lord are always welcome and where scriptures are read and discussed together. You will both want to grow in true spiritual symmetry. Remember, Mary, your partner's feelings about paying tithing will be in a large measure shaped by your attitude. Words of encouragement from you will help him feel confident in his commitment to tithe, especially during your early years together when pocketbooks are so thin. Plan to introduce yourselves to your new bishop with resolution to help build the kingdom in the fraction of the frontier where you are called upon to live. Calls in the Church are not only opportunities to help others, but they will bless your lives, too. The Lord said, "Thy duty is unto the church forever, and this because of thy family" (D&C 23:3). Now is the time to make that resolution to continue to serve the Lord. God bless you, Mary and your partner, and may you always remain best friends. Next I would like to visit with Natasha. Your last name is usually mispronounced because of its roots in eastern Europe. Think of what has happened in that part of the world during the historic year of 1989. Surely your reflections include gratitude for recent events, not only in your country but in neighboring nations as well. In 1989 ground was broken for a new Latter-day Saint chapel in Warsaw, Poland. The foundation is now in place. Throughout Poland our missionaries are doing well. During 1989 our missionaries entered the German Democratic Republic. Hundreds of grateful converts of the Church have since been baptized. New chapels are bulging with faithful Saints who have made covenants to come unto Christ. Also in 1989, native sons from the German Democratic Republic entered the mission field to serve in England, Canada, Argentina, Chile, and the United States of America. The holy temple in the German Democratic Republic, dedicated in 1985, has become a beacon of faith, blessing that country and its neighboring nations. In Hungary, the first LDS chapel was dedicated less than three months ago. There, too, missionaries have been remarkably successful. In calendar year 1989, the following countries have abolished constitutional guarantee of communist supremacy and have legalized a multi-party system with free elections: Lithuania (one of fifteen Soviet Republics), Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, Bulgaria, and Romania. Freedom to vote is closely related to freedom of worship. Both will be doubly welcomed by people who have waited so long. The year 1989 was one of enabling. The year of 1990 will be one of implementing. Apostolic blessings and dedicatory prayers were offered in many other countries--all evidences of the growth of the Church, not only in your area but in other parts of the world as well. The year 1989 was truly remarkable. Church membership has just passed the seven million mark. Conservative projections indicate that by the year 2000, the Church will have doubled in size. Its membership will then number at least fourteen million. While we now have 1,730 stakes, by the end of the decade there will be more than 3,600 stakes and many more temples. We will be precisely on course in fulfillment of scriptural prophecy that this work will eventually and literally fill the earth (see D&C 65:2). Can you possibly imagine what could happen in ten more years like this last one? The next decade could have Pentecostal potential. Truly the hand of the Lord is apparent. He said, "I will hasten my work" (D&C 88:73), and that time of hastening is upon us. In light of these reflections, Natasha, what will be your New Year's resolutions? Keep your eye on this big picture. But while you survey large fields, cultivate small ones. Prepare to serve. Take full advantage of your opportunity for an education; it will be invaluable to you. I don't think it matters much whether you study to become a librarian, a lawyer, or a musician. Complete the course you have begun, and then God can use you to bless people with the fruits of your education. Next, I would like to visit with Peter. As a relatively recent convert to the Church, you are so happy with the truths of the gospel that have expanded your mind. As you reflect on your past, Peter, remember that before you found the Church, you had many doubts. But your confusion departed when you discovered the fulness of the gospel. Ignorance was replaced by information, and then by conviction. Next came repentance. You became converted--changed--never to return to the ways of the spiritual skeptic who is devoid of faith. Your choice of a career is yet a bit uncertain. That can be frustrating at times. But much more important than what you do is what you are. To be your best, will you quietly and personally resolve to remain a believer? Will you continue to nurture your faith in God? Keep your faith strong enough to defend attacks upon your religious conversion? Beware! Wherever you go, there will be clever destroyers of faith, many even masquerading as fellow believers. Your love for research is a great gift. Cultivate it. As you continue your advanced studies in this university, and perhaps elsewhere, resolve now, Peter, to know what you will do when confronted with ideas contrary to established doctrines of the Lord. Resolve now how you will react to those who stir up contention and contest the teachings of the prophets. Prepare now for the possibility that people of prominent status will deny their own Creator. Their skeptical teachings try to diminish the divinity of the mission of the Savior and even try to nullify the doctrine of the Atonement. Resolve now to be steadfast. Be like Nephi of old, who did "liken all scriptures unto [himself]" (1 Nephi 19:23). Resolve now never to compartmentalize your faith. Faith is not to be separated from your works but is to be an integral part of your works. May I share with you some reflections of my own? Years ago, in my research career in a scientific discipline I helped to develop, I found success by applying truths gleaned from the scriptures. Let me explain. When I first started medical school, we were taught that one must not touch the heart, for if one did, it would stop beating. But later I pondered the scripture that tells us that "all kingdoms have a law given; ... and unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions" (D&C 88:36, 38). I also pondered the scripture that certifies "when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (D&C 130:21). With these scriptures in mind, I concentrated on the "kingdom" of and the blessings of the beating heart. I knew that the function of even this vital organ was predicated upon law. I reasoned that if laws applicable could be understood and controlled, perhaps they could be harnessed ultimately for the healing of the sick. To me, this meant that if we worked, studied, and asked the proper questions in our scientific experiments, we would be blessed to learn the laws that govern the beating of the heart. In 1949 our team of researchers presented at the American College of Surgeons the report of the first successful use of an artificial heart-lung machine. It had sustained the life of an animal for thirty minutes without the animal's own heart powering its circulation. In the decade of the 1950s, successes in the laboratory with animals were extended to human beings. Today, many of those laws governing the heart have been learned. As a result, delicate repairs are performed on damaged valves and vessels. The heartbeat can be temporarily turned off and then turned on again-provided the laws are obeyed upon which that blessing is predicated. Hundreds of thousands of open-heart operations are now performed throughout the world every year, thereby extending life for many. But you should know that it was through understanding gained from study of the scriptures, and "likening" them to this area of my interest, that I was able to make the advances I did in the field of heart surgery. But more about that later. Bless you, Peter, in your desire for excellence in scientific research. Liken the scriptures to the kingdoms that pertain to your own studies. Quietly effect a warm fusion of your faith with your scholarship. Then you will have power, even the power of God, which will bless you and enlighten your way. In the next concourse I see Dorothy. And I think I can see Dave seated beside her. You don't have plans for marriage at the moment. That day seems far, far in the future. Meanwhile, your reflections contain a mixture of both sweet and sour memories. Sweet are the happy times of your youth, but sour are the deeds of "friends" who weren't really friends after all. Some placed sordid temptations before you for which you were ill-prepared at the time. Tonight, on the milestone of this Sabbath evening, what will each of you resolve to be? Now is the time to shape your behavior to your hopes. It is not always easy. I can empathize with you. Years ago, while I served as a young intern in a large medical center, I attended a Christmas party. The host was the chief of surgery. I had made a major commitment to work for and be loyal to him and his world famous institution, which had produced many of the great surgeons, scholars, and researchers of our generation. At the party, the chief's head resident offered alcoholic beverages to Sister Nelson and me. Of course, we politely declined. Minutes later he returned with a more persuasive pitch: "Take a drink," he said, "or the chief will be offended." Again we declined. Our refusal infuriated the head resident. Red-faced and indignant, he said, "Nelson, you take this drink or I'll make life around here mighty miserable for you!" I simply replied, "You do what you must, doctor, but I will do what I must." I fulfilled my promise, and he fulfilled his. He saw to it that I had no vacation that year. His responsibility to prepare the schedule of assignments and on-call duty bore the stamp of his vitriolic vengeance against me. But now, as I reflect on this matter some forty years later, I would not trade places with him today, or ever. Dorothy--and you too, Dave--remember that decisions are best made before the time of testing, whether those resolutions concern forsaking drugs, alcohol, and other addicting substances, or pornography, which can become an addiction of the mind. Resist any temptations of lust disguised as love. Instead of vice, let virtue garnish your thoughts. To all the Dorothys and Daves here, I urge you to choose companions well and cherish those friends who lift you and make you better in their presence. And be such friends to one another. In the next section I see Richard. Reflect upon your parents. They sacrificed much so you could be here. I met them both in a stake conference a long distance away. A little unrealistically but very hopefully they said, "When you go to BYU, look for our son, Richard. We are so proud of him." So Richard, I bring regards from your parents. What will you resolve to be? If I can read your thoughts correctly, you are committed to strive for personal righteousness. That is a wonderful goal. But it is a little more difficult to measure than a goal to shed ten pounds of unwanted weight, or to run or to swim a measured distance. Come with me to the high mountain, and I'll suggest some ways in which you can measure your progress toward personal righteousness. To begin, ask yourself, "What do I think of when I partake of the sacrament? Do I really concentrate on the atonement of Jesus Christ? Do I comprehend the magnitude of his sacrifice and the magnificence of my future as I take upon myself the name of Jesus Christ and resolve to keep his commandments? As his witness, do I worthily partake of the broken bread in remembrance of his broken body? Do I worthily partake of the water, blessed and sanctified to the souls of all those who drink of it, in remembrance of his blood shed for us? You can recognize progress each week as you thoughtfully, regularly, and worthily partake of the sacrament. Here's another spiritual yardstick: How do you feel about the Sabbath day? I'll share some of my personal reflections with you. When I was your age, I wondered just what activities were appropriate for the Sabbath. I read lists of do's and don'ts, all compiled by others. But now I have a much better understanding, which I gained from two Old Testament scriptures. One is from the book of Exodus: The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ... my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. [Exodus 31:12-13] A similar message is in the book of Ezekiel: I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.... I am the Lord your God;... ... hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God. [Ezekiel 20:12, 19-20] Pondering these scriptures has helped me to understand. My behavior on the Sabbath constitutes my sign to the Lord of my regard for him and for my covenants with him. If, on the one hand, my interests on the Sabbath day are turned to activities such as pro-football games or worldly movies, the sign from me to him would clearly be that my devotions do not favor him. If, on the other hand, my Sabbath interests are focused on the Lord and his teachings, on the family, or on folks who are sick or poor or needy, that sign would likewise be evident to God. I have concluded that our activities on the Sabbath will be appropriate when we honestly consider them to be our personal sign of our commitment to the Lord. Next, Richard, prepare to do work of real worth for your fellowmen. This is one of the fundamental reasons for enrollment at this institution of higher learning. The critical difference between your just hoping for good things for mankind and your being able to do good things for mankind is education. I'll share another personal reflection. Many years ago when I was a young intern, we had a wonderful neighbor lady named Netta Davis. She had a serious heart condition--a diseased mitral valve--destroyed in her youth by the ravages of rheumatic fever. Her husband, Don, was a fellow physician. Because he and I were usually at the hospital, Netta and my sweetheart, Dantzel, became very close friends. Sadly, as the years went by, Netta's strength ebbed. Her congestive heart failure worsened. Her little body finally died because of this malfunctioning valve. This was long before the advent of surgical repairs within the heart. Such was hardly dreamed of in those days. But Netta's passing changed my life. I determined that her death was not to have been in vain. Then I joined forces with a small team of researchers at a well-known university. Together we embarked on a project to develop an artificial heart-lung machine, as I mentioned earlier. The ultimate purpose of this effort was to allow repairs to be made within the empty heart while the circulation of the patient's blood was temporarily maintained by the apparatus we were developing. To make connectors for tubing, I learned quite a bit about glassblowing. And I learned how to operate lathes, drill presses, and other machines required to make pumps, valves, and cylinders. With my associates, I also had to learn the physiological requirements for oxygenation of the blood and the requirements for blood flow to and oxygen consumption of the tissues. We had to learn how to anticoagulate the blood and then reverse the anticoagulation so normal clotting could again be restored. And we learned the hard way that bacterial contamination could destroy an otherwise successful experiment. Incidentally, the conquering of that problem was the project for my Ph.D. thesis. Long years elapsed before we were able to graduate from the laboratory to practical application in the operating room of a hospital. But finally it happened in 1951. The human heart could be opened. In the years that followed, thanks also to research in laboratories and clinics at many other universities, defective valves and other components could be repaired. The pioneering road was long and rugged. More than eight years elapsed from the time I received my doctor of medicine degree before I performed the first successful open-heart operation in Utah in 1955. Netta Davis did not die in vain. Her desperate need motivated me as nothing else could. I thought of her the day I operated upon the heart of President Spencer W. Kimball. In a real sense, it was partially because of Netta that I was able to perform that operation President Kimball needed. So, Richard, maintain your motivation and perseverance to do work of worth. It will be a measure of your individual righteousness. No matter what your career may be, the long hours of sacrifice and effort required to achieve excellence are really worth it. Meanwhile, in your quest for personal righteousness, go periodically to the mountain of the Lord's house--his holy temple. There, learn of him. Covenant with him. There and wherever you are, pray to our Heavenly Father in the name of his Son. Merge your faith with your scholarship to give a spiritual depth of focus to all of your righteous desires. Richard, if you will do these things, you will develop an "eye single to the glory of God" (D&C 4:5). Then you will really have 20/20 vision! As we all contemplate resolutions for a new year, let us reflect on such a special behavioral blueprint given by revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith during the Christmas-New Year holiday season of 1832-33. These verses from section 88 are worthy resolutions equally applicable in our day for this new year and for the next decade. The Lord said: Cease from all your light speeches, . from all your lustful desires, from all your pride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings.... See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires. Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary, arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated. And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace. Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come ... and receive you unto myself. [D&C 88:121, 123-126] Upon each of you, my beloved brothers, sisters, and fellow students, I would like to invoke a blessing as you commence this new decade of your lives. Learn from your personal reflections. Let them help you understand who you are, from where you have come, and what God expects you to be. Let your resolutions strengthen your future. Cherish the privilege of education in this institution. Feast on the words of Christ. Apply his teachings in your lives. Then you will achieve your greatest potential for good. You have been reserved for this time and place in order that the nations of the earth shall be blessed through your efforts. I testify to you that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that this is his Church, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God, that each succeeding prophet has been a chosen instrument in the hands of the Lord for preparing his people for his second coming. Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. FIND BEAUTY IN THE STORM Rex E. and Janet G. Lee BYU President Rex E. Lee and his wife, Janet, gave this devotional address on 23 January 1990 in the Marriott Center. JANET: We welcome you back to a new semester and a new year. For us, as for many of you, last semester was a first time BYU experience. And we really loved it. Over the years, Rex and I have shared many things, but since his training is in law and mine in education, we have never shared a job. Now, for the first time, we are even sharing that, and it has been one of many unanticipated joys that we have experienced over the last six months. Rex: It reminds me of something I think Willie Mays said right after he started playing professional baseball: "I can't believe they pay me for doing something that's so much fun." Maybe I shouldn't describe a job that is so demanding as fun, and in some respects it isn't, but on balance I agree with Janet; I've never done anything that I have enjoyed more. Janet: Today we want to tell you a story. In a very real sense, it is a love story--our love story. We want to discuss with you some of the things that we learned, together, from the most trying and unpleasant experience that either of us has ever had, our experience with cancer. Rex made a brief allusion to it in his devotional talk last fall, and several news commentators have reported on some aspects of that experience. But we have never publicly given our own account of what happened and what we learned during that time. Some aspects of it are not easy for us to talk about. But we have decided that we want to tell that story. We want to do it only once, and you are the right audience. We really do feel a close identification with you. To be sure, we do not know each of you personally, but we have felt the warmth of your spirit and your sustaining influence and interest as we have taken on our new responsibilities. Rex: We recognize we are not the only ones who have suffered adversity. Many of you, though much younger, have already endured trials at least as great, and in some cases greater, than the one we went through two years ago. But there are lessons we can learn from adversity, and we can all learn by sharing these lessons with each other. Janet: The spring of 1987 was probably the happiest and certainly the most prosperous time of our marriage. We had moved back to Provo from Washington, D.C. Rex loved his work, both teaching at the law school and arguing Supreme Court cases. My life was easier and more pleasant than it had been in years. All seven of our children were doing well and living in Provo. We had our daughter's wedding in April and were looking forward to our son's marriage in June. Rex: On May 18 I wrote in my journal, "Life is interesting, enjoyable, and busy. I cannot imagine any combination of activities and circumstances that could make me as happy right now as I am with the combination I have. I love living in Provo, being a bishop, being on the BYU law faculty, being a Sidley & Austin partner who does mostly Supreme Court work, and married to Janet with whom I have seven wonderful children. This isn't just a Pollyanna statement. Life could not be better." Janet: My journal entry at about the same time was: "Washington was wonderful, but it's great to be back in Provo. Our lives have never been busier, but also never happier. A day never goes by without realizing how very blessed we are. Life is as close to perfection as it can get in this life. It makes me uneasy. I feel there must be a challenge ahead. I know the cycle well. Each time our lives become too easy, it is time to grow again." Rex: And then came the rapid-fire events of the morning of Monday, June 22. For several weeks I'd had a pain in my back, which over the weekend had become unbearable. My friend, jogging partner, and personal physician, Lyman Moody, wanted to run some tests at the hospital, which had to be done very early in the morning because by 10 a.m. we had to leave for our son's wedding reception in Boise. An X ray was followed by a CAT scan, and as I came out of that, I heard Lyman say to another doctor over the phone: "Then they are definitely destructive lesions." Destructive lesions? I'd never heard that phrase before, but my friend confirmed my worst suspicions: I had cancer. Janet: I was just hanging up the telephone when Rex opened the door, calling my name. "Do you know?" he asked. Holding back tears, I whispered yes. Although his pain was severe, Rex spent the next several hours writing a legal brief and making financial calculations for the survival of his young family without him while I drove silently to Boise in my own world of pain. Both of us thought we were spending our last summer together. In my journal, I described the rest of that week--after we returned from Boise--as follows: "The past several days have been a blur--tests and more tests, each confirming the diagnosis: Cancer! Lymphoma! T-cell immunoblastic lymphoma, in the final stage! All such ugly, terrible, ruthless words. I wish we could run away, but where can we run? There is no way to run away from truth--from the awful facts. In a few short days, my beautiful, wonderful life has been shattered, and I am terrified!" It was also during that week that we made the very difficult decision about where to take the treatments. Thanks to some unsolicited efforts by one of Rex's law partners, we found that he was entitled to full, all-expense-paid treatment at one of the nation's premier cancer treatment centers, the National Cancer Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. It was not an easy decision. We had the highest confidence in our local doctors, and it would have been easier to stay here in our own home with our own family. But Washington was also our home--we had moved from there only ten months earlier. Rex: The irony was that though I had spent seven years in government service, it was not that service that entitled me to free treatment at NIH, but rather the fact that I had one of the kinds of cancer that NIH was studying at the time. So, it's not whom you know but what kind of cancer you have. For exactly four months, July through October 1987, my twenty-four-hour-a-day home was the NIH hospital, where I underwent the most intense dosages of chemotherapy and radiation that in the opinion of my doctors my body could absorb and still survive. My principal physician, Dr. Richard Rosenberg, told me that what they were doing was bringing my body just as close to death as they could without pushing me over the line. And then they hoped I would be able to make it back. In short, those were not recreational drugs they were giving me, and I've never been so sick or so debilitated in my whole life. But even in those four months some things happened that were among the most memorable and most pleasing of our lives. Janet: Among them was the realization of what dear friends we have, how much they mean to us, and how much they truly care for us. For example, special fasts were held in the wards of some of our college friends, many of whom resided thousands of miles away. The entire stake where Rex grew up in Arizona had a daylong fast, as did our home stake in Provo. Our ward had several. The mother of a longtime colleague at the Department of Justice persuaded her Protestant congregation to do the same. Rex's mother, brothers, aunts, uncles, countless cousins, and our own children submitted to blood tests in an effort to find a possible donor for a bone marrow transplant. Rex wanted very much to remain a bishop; this was made possible because of extra-mile efforts by his two counselors. Both our stake president and Rex's father gave him blessings, assuring him without qualification that his time had not come, that the Lord had other things for him to do in this life. Our Utah and Virginia friends helped with our children, giving untold hours of loving service. Hundreds of cards and letters were sent, wishing us well and expressing love and cheer. The sisters in our Provo ward made a beautiful quilt bearing the names of all the families in our ward. It is displayed in our home and will always be cherished for its excellence in workmanship and its symbol of love. Several very helpful insights were contained in letters we received. My sister Lois encouraged me to find beauty in the storm. She reminded me of a time as children when we feared the dark clouds, explosive thunder, and rain slamming against our windows. As the storm passed, however, a contrasting cleansing calm settled and the sun shown again, now clearer and brighter than before. The next time the storm clouds gathered, we were not afraid. "Remember, dear sister," she said, "the storm exposes some surprise jewels of insight and compassion for others as well as individualized lessons born of sacrifice rendered all the dearer. Find beauty in your storm." That metaphor seemed to summarize our whole experience and helped me find something beautiful within my darkest days. Our good friend Larry Wimmer, who had recently gone through a similar experience with his wife Louise, sent us a piece he had written entitled "When Someone You Love Has Cancer." This thought from his essay seemed especially pertinent: "Commonly, it is believed that there are winners and losers in the battle against cancer. Louise eventually died of her disease, but she did not lose. In life and in death, Louise was a winner who taught us how to live, how to suffer if that be our lot, and eventually how to die." But the most focused and the most heartwarming of all the efforts came from our immediate family. Remember that while we were in Bethesda, the children were in Provo, and four were still living at home. The three married couples helped with the younger ones. When school started, our youngest came back to live with me, and one of our newly married couples moved into our home, taking over everything from laundry to parent-teacher conferences while carrying full schedules at BYU. Each child did his or her part as they pulled together to make life work. Rex: One day in August, our home teacher in Provo called and asked how long we would be in Bethesda. I told him it certainly would be several months and might be as long as Christmas. He said something to the effect that that was too long to be without our children. The next thing we knew he had arranged to fly all seven of them back to see us. His plane and pilot waited in Washington for several days while the children visited with us. For those of you who are trying to think of something nice to do for your home teaching families, you might keep that one in mind. Janet: One of the most touching personal incidents involved one of the nurses, Juildene Ford. Probably the most serious continuous threat was infection because the chemotherapy almost destroyed Rex's immune system, which was already dangerously low long before he had cancer. I called the hospital once in the early morning hours when I knew he had been running a fever that the antibiotics had not been able to control. Ms. Ford responded: "He's going to be okay now. Let me tell you what happened. During the night when his fever continued to climb, I went into the nurse's station and prayed, 'Lord, this is a good man. Let him live.' After only about twenty minutes I went back in his room to take his vital signs. His fever had begun its decline, and now it is almost normal." I could barely pronounce a choked-up thank you. I hung up the phone and cried with relief. Rex: I have often wondered if Ms. Ford--for whom I developed a great fondness--saved my life that night. Probably no more so than the hundreds of others in LDS or other congregations across the country who were praying for me. But my doctors--who may or may not have had any religious convictions--were as convinced as I am that those kinds of things really do make a difference. Their explanation was different from the one you or I would have given, but the result was the same. Janet: There was one particularly pointed illustration of that fact. In November, after Rex had left the hospital but was still spending most of each day there as an outpatient, one of the greatest concerns was his extremely low platelet count, which endured for weeks. One Sunday Rex asked permission to go to church, a luxury he had not experienced for months. Dr. Rosenberg granted permission on the condition that he have a blood test first and then call from the chapel two hours later when the results were in to determine if he would have to return to the hospital for a platelet transfusion. Rex made the call and learned that his platelet count had more than tripled. The next Sunday when Rex was given permission to leave for a while and asked for instructions, Dr. Rosenberg said, "I have only one: Go to church." Rex: We learned so many things during those months and also during the more than two years that have intervened. You probably won't want to consider cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation as a kind of academic steroid. But in my case, at least, they enhanced my capacity to gain knowledge. In the time remaining, we would like to tell you of just three of the many things we learned. First, one of the enduring questions coming out of this experience has been, and continues to be, why me? Actually, included within that simple little two-word question are two subparts. The first is, Why was I the one who got cancer? That one, interestingly enough, was never one I asked myself. But many of my friends did ask it, some of them with a tinge of resentment, and some with more than just a tinge. The second subpart of the "why me" question is, Why did I survive, when others, every bit as worthy, every bit as needed by their families, and for whom just as many family and friends prayed just as fervently, are not alive today? That second question is the one that I asked. Janet: With regard to the first question, Why did Rex get cancer, we found our friends' comments were based on two quite opposite premises. The first, and probably the more common, was that bad things--or at least really terrible things like cancer just shouldn't happen to good people. That is a notion that has very ancient roots. Rex: Consider Job. His friends had basically the same notion as our friends had, except they were more blunt and less charitable in the way they expressed it. In their view, his terrible illnesses were a manifestation of his wickedness. Some of our friends were more charitable toward me, but the premise was the same. Similarly, the Savior was asked, concerning a blind man, "Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2). I received a card from a longtime friend at the Justice Department with whom I have carried on a longstanding and goodnatured banter about the net value of my Mormon lifestyle. His card contained a six-word variation on this basic theme that some have held from Job's day to ours. His card said, "Well, so much for clean living." Janet: The other assumption, made by another group of friends, was quite the opposite from the first. In their view, Rex's cancer was due to his righteousness, rather than the lack thereof. He was being tested because he was so valiant. Rex: It reminded me of Elder Dallin Oaks' story about the man who was being ridden out of town on a rail and commented that if it weren't for the honor of the thing, he would just as soon walk. For me, the answer to the first aspect of this "why me" question seems fairly clear. I got cancer not because I was particularly wicked or because I was particularly righteous. The Savior himself made that clear in his answer to the question about the blind man. The Savior explained, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him" John 9:3). We believe that what this and other scriptures teach is that the plan under which we are here necessarily assumes that we are on our own as to many matters, and one of those is susceptibility to serious illness or other disasters. If our Heavenly Father intervened to spare the really good ones from those kinds of experiences, much of the effect of this life's developmental and testing process would be blunted. If it were readily and objectively determinable that living a certain kind of life--either good or evil--in effect immunized a person from many of life's crises, it would be much easier to persuade people to live such a life. As it is, the case must be made exclusively on the merits of living a good life. What about the second question, not the one my friends asked but the one that I asked myself: Why didn't I die two years ago? Here again, my friends--this time by the trainload--have been willing to supply the answer. My life was preserved, they say, because there were important things for me to do here, specifically, to fill the position that entitles me to be speaking before you on this occasion. I think in her heart that is what Janet believes. I respect that view. I acknowledge that it may be correct. I am reluctant to announce unequivocally that it is, however, for three reasons. First, it seems inappropriate and immodest for me to take that view. Second, every argument--and I mean every argument, including the one that the Lord needed a BYU president to succeed Jeff Holland--that could be made as to why I ought to be left on this earth can also be made for my friend Terry Crapo, whose cancer took his life almost eight years ago. And finally, the only thing that is really certain is that we just don't know why some people recover from serious illness while others, with the same illness, the same worthiness, and the same faith and prayers, do not. Both the scriptures and my own personal experiences and observations make it very clear that formal, extraordinary efforts (principally fasting and prayer) to invoke divine intervention on behalf of loved ones are proper, should be undertaken, and frequently bear fruit. But for the same reasons already explained in connection with why some of us acquire these afflictions in the first place, we cannot be assured this will always be the case. Otherwise, two of the fundamental premises of this existence--the need for independent earthly experiences and the need to be tested--would be frustrated. What I do know is that I am alive, able to live outside a hospital, away from an I.V. pole, to work in a job that I love, to jog, and to live with a family that I love and particularly with a wife who during less happy times gave me a new insight into what love really means. Far more important than knowing why this recovery happened is taking full advantage of the fact that it has, in fulfillment of the most fervent prayers that I have ever offered. Janet: Through all of this, I learned how to really pray. Now, like most of you I had been praying since I was two or three and through the years had learned the fundamentals of expressing gratitude for blessings received as well as asking for what was needed. There had been times when I not only prayed with real intent but had listened carefully for answers that gave new direction to my life or helped me know I was on the right path. Now, for some reason, faced with a frightening ordeal, I forgot much of what I had learned and became a child again. During those first few days, as I look back now, I must have sounded like a two-year-old, demanding and insisting that I have my way. "Please, Heavenly Father," I would beg over and over, "make him well." I had to pray. I knew nothing else to do. No one on this earth could help me. But such a prayer did not offer the healing balm that I needed for my wounded spirit. Prayer had always brought relief, but there was no peace for my soul. Soon, without realizing it, my prayers took on another focus. I began to instruct, reason, even bargain with the Lord. "Surely," I would plead, "there are things on this earth for him to do. He is still useful here. Send him anywhere, ask him to do anything, and I will be at his side helping him. Take away everything we own, but please leave him here. Canst thou see how much I need him, how much I love him? Please let him live." Again peace did not come. Then one day, after I had been fasting, I went into a wooded area across from the hospital. I knew many others had been fasting, too, and I felt strengthened as I found a quiet place to pray. I don't know why, but for the first time since Rex's diagnosis my prayer was significantly different. "If it be thy will," I began, "let Rex recover from his cancer. Thou knowest the desires of my heart, but I recognize that I do not understand all things. Please strengthen me to meet the challenges ahead, and calm my troubled heart." Finally, peace came. This same type of prayer became my greatest source of strength during the ensuing months. Sometimes I would awaken in the night frightened and alone, in need of help. Although Rex had been told in blessings that his time had not come, reality seemed to indicate otherwise. It was at these times--when I could not shut out the doctors' diagnosis--that I would fall on my knees in prayer, asking for the strength and peace that would always follow. I realized more fully than ever before that changing the circumstances is not always an option, but being given the strength to deal with what we are facing is the greatest blessing of all. Scriptures I had known and loved for years took on new meaning. Certain passages seemed to be speaking directly to me and would be recalled when I needed them. "Be of good cheer," I would remember from the Doctrine and Covenants, "for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you" (D&C 61:36). I used to think that faith in God came in the form of feeling certain that life would be as I wanted it to be. I have grown to understand that to have ultimate faith in God is to know he is with us and will give us unfailing strength to help us through life's challenges. My greatest strength came not in knowing for a surety that Rex's cancer would be cured forever but in putting aside anxious thoughts as my faith in God matured. Rex: The final thing we learned that we want to talk about today is something that each of us may describe in different words, but I will call it the real meaning of love. Like many of you, Janet and I first fell in love when we were students at BYU. Over the years, our love matured. But my most profound insight into the meaning of love developed two years ago in the 3-B-South wing of the NIH hospital. I have concluded that we achieve the ultimate in love for someone else when that other person's welfare, happiness, and sometimes even survival are in every respect just as important to us as our own. The Savior told us that the greatest commandments are to love our Heavenly Father and to love other people as ourselves. He was the only person who ever attained that measure of love for all people, and that is why he was willing to do what he did for us. For most of us, we certainly care for other people, and the level of our concern and affection varies from person to person. But how many people do you know for whom you can literally say that you care just as much about them as you do about yourself--that their welfare and happiness are truly as important as your own? In the summer and fall of 1987 it became very apparent to me that I am the recipient of the fullest possible measure of love from at least one person. Those of you who have spent any time in a hospital know how much fun it is. During those four months, July through October, I had no choice. I had to stay there. But day after day, Janet was there also, not just part of the time, not just in the morning or the afternoon, but all day. I would tell her, "Look, I can't leave this place. But you can. I'll be fine without you for a morning, an afternoon, or even a day. Get out of here and preserve your own sanity. Go see your friends. Go sightseeing. Go to the park. Go anywhere. Certainly I would if I could." And friends would call, inviting her to go places. She usually found ways to turn them down. Occasionally she went, at their insistence and mine. When she got back, she would invariably tell me she had felt uncomfortable all the time she was away. At first I thought that was positively weird. And then I began to realize: This was no put-on. She wasn't just trying to make me feel good. As astounding as it was to me, Janet really preferred to be there in that miserable hospital with me. My life, and every aspect of my welfare and happiness, were just as important to her as they were to me. And that, my friends, is love. It is also a part of our experience that I will never forget. Janet: Watching someone suffer, and helping in the care of a possibly terminally ill loved one, had been one of my greatest fears. How could I ever give care and love under those circumstances and not fall apart emotionally? I had read books and articles about strong people who became stronger through a family crisis, but I didn't want to become strengthened in that way. To me, it seemed far less distasteful to fight severe illness myself than to suffer through it with someone I love. When faced with the threat of losing my husband and the demands of his care, I was surprised to discover by-products of my trauma that gave me strength. Instead of being repelled by the effects of chemotherapy, my love for him intensified. As I applied cool towels to Rex's fevered brow or rubbed his legs and feet, a new dimension to our love appeared. He had helped me through seven pregnancies and births. Now I was getting a chance to care for him. Rex: It wasn't the same. I performed for a few hours at a time. She was there for months. There was also a qualitative difference. She learned enough about my kind of cancer that she actually became something of a collaborator with the doctors. Janet: My love for him increased each day as I administered to his needs. Now please don't think that what I did was entirely unselfish. While serving him I felt my greatest peace. I was in torment when I left his room. Nights were agony for me. My only joy during those months came in making him happy, comfortable, or in helping him with his work. When his cancer was first diagnosed I had envisioned sitting by his bed, holding his hand, and gazing into his eyes while we told each other how in love we were (like in the movies). This lasted for about forty-eight hours. It then appeared there were other needs--especially for him. Even confined to a hospital bed, he needed to feel that he was an important part of ongoing life. He needed to work, to be productive. Rex: She's wrong. The fact is, I was essential to the cause of right, truth, and justice in America's courtrooms. Janet: I was horrified when he first suggested that we set up an office in his room. I thought working would be too difficult for him and the most romantic words he would speak to me would be, "Will you please read from pages two through five of this legal brief." But as I sat on the foot of his bed facing him, reading what he was too sick to read for himself, I felt a powerful outpouring of love and admiration for him. Sometimes he would close his eyes and I would think he was asleep, only to hear him interrupt to make a pertinent comment. This went on for months, with days when he could work only a few minutes, and days when he could barely hold up his head to take a bite or two of distasteful, often rejected, but much needed nourishment. I was fearful that working would take a negative toll on Rex, yet this hospital office served him well. It was there he prepared for a Supreme Court case argued early in October. On the day of the argument, we literally unhooked his I.Vs, got him out of bed, dressed him, and took him to the Supreme Court. A nurse went with us carrying a bag full of medicine to meet any emergency. The Supreme Court clerk's office had a stool for him, in case he couldn't stand for the full half hour. He didn't use it. We were all frightened, but I sincerely believe that this was one of many experiences that helped to save his life. He was a vital, needed part of society. There were painful tests, treatments, X rays, CAT scans, ever-present nausea, and those endless I.Vs and transfusions. Rarely did he ever lose his sense of humor or curiosity about his disease and treatment. He joked with the doctors and nurses even during the most grueling procedures. Before his illness when I had read about others in my circumstance, I often thought that given their situations I would want to leave or run away. My comfort came in being there, in comforting my husband, talking to the doctors and nurses, being informed, and helping make decisions about his care. To watch his strength, humor, and indomitable spirit in the face of all he was going through made me love and admire him in a way that was never before possible. I realized that his failing body was only the temporal part of him as I grew to know his spirit more intimately. He was completely bald, his face was swollen from medication, and he had lost over twenty-five pounds. He looked like an old man in his feeble attempts to walk. His shoulders slumped, and he shuffled his feet as he slowly pushed his I.V. pole trying to get in a few minutes of daily exercise. Was this the same handsome husband who only weeks before had run with me and joked when I asked how it would feel if one of us would someday not be able to join the team? "Oh, I'll describe the run to you when I get back," was his quick reply We laughed like children in the warm spring sunshine, unaware of what was ahead. I loved him with all my heart. He was strong and healthy and still young after twenty-eight years of marriage. How could I ever love him more? That was the last time we ran together before he was hospitalized, and as I sat by the bedside of someone who barely resembled my husband, I knew that I loved him more completely than I had ever loved before. I also gained a deeper understanding of our Heavenly Father and his love for us. How could I have ever missed this part of our lives together? I would not have chosen this way to learn the lessons I was learning, but I was there and I had to take a crash course in many things. The alternative to learning was to fail the most important test I had ever been given. Rex: She's right. It was a test. And it may not yet be finished. As students, you know about tests. You take a lot of them. Whether they occur in the classroom or some other place, tests will always be experiences from which we should learn. We learned some things from this test of ours. We learned about love, about prayer, about each other, and about ourselves. We don't seek life's storms, but they will come. And we can find beauty in them. That our Heavenly Father will help us to understand and appreciate not only tests but also life itself, of which tests are an important part, is our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. THE CHILDREN OF CHRIST Neal A. Maxwell Neal A. Maxwell is a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This fireside talk was given on 4 February 1990 in the Marriott Center as part of the Book of Mormon Symposium. This address will attempt to "survey the wondrous cross" by focusing on the Christology in the book of Mosiah, using not only the words of King Benjamin, Mosiah, Abinadi, and Alma the Younger, but scriptures that lie in the suburbs of Mosiah and other related scriptures. The final focus will be on the requirements for our becoming what King Benjamin called "the children of Christ," which is my text (Mosiah 1:11; 5:9, 11; 26:18). Left unexplored are other possibilities, such as some our LDS scholars are reconnoitering. For instance, the biblical term mosiah was probably a political designation; it also is an honorific title in Hebrew meaning savior or rescuer (FARMS Update, April 1989). Not bad for a bright but unschooled Joseph Smith who, while translating early on, reportedly wondered aloud to Emma if there were walls around Jerusalem (The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, vol. 4, 1873-1890 [Independence, Missouri: Herald House, 1967], p. 447). There is so much more in the Book of Mormon than we have yet discovered. The book's divine architecture and rich furnishings will increasingly unfold to our view, further qualifying it as "a marvellous work and a wonder" (Isaiah 29:14). As I noted from this pulpit in 1986, "The Book of Mormon is like a vast mansion with gardens, towers, courtyards, and wings (Book of Mormon Symposium, 10 October 1986). All the rooms in this mansion need to be explored, whether by valued traditional scholars or by those at the cutting edge. Each plays a role, and one LDS scholar cannot say to the other, "I have no need of thee" (1 Corinthians 12:21). Professor Hugh Nibley has reconnoitered much of that mansion, showing how our new dispensation links with the old world. There is not only that Nibley nexus, but also one between him and several generations of LDS scholars. Scriptures of the Restoration The book of Mosiah begins with a father instructing his sons, just as was done in ancient Israel. Alma the Younger remembered a critical Christ-centered prophecy of his father, you'll recall (see Deuteronomy 6:7; Alma 36:17-18). The book of Mosiah ends as the successor son approaches death, having sought to "do according to that which his father [King Benjamin] had done in all things." As a result, Mosiah's people "did esteem him more than any other man" (Mosiah 6:7; 29:40). So did the Mulekites, who accepted him as their next king, though he was an immigrant among them. Within the book's sixty-plus printed pages occur not only family and political drama, but some stunning verses of Christology concerning the role, mission, and deeds of Jesus Christ. The Christology of the Restoration, brothers and sisters, restructures our understanding of so many fundamental realities. A significant portion of King Benjamin's towering sermon was given to him by an angel, and angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost (Mosiah 3:2; 2 Nephi 32:3). At its center is the masterful sermon about the exclusive means of salvation: There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. [Mosiah 3:17; see also Mosiah 4:7-81 It is not only the divinity but also the specificity of King Benjamin's sermon that marks it. Hence Father Helaman, in sending his two sons, Lehi and Nephi, on a mission to the land of Nephi, exhorted them to "Remember, remember, my sons, the words which King Benjamin spake unto his people" (Helaman 5:9). In Restoration scriptures, not only is salvation specific, but so also is the identity of the Savior as various scriptures foretell. A savior was to be provided in the meridian of time (Moses 5:57). His name was to be Jesus Christ (2 Nephi 25:19). Christ volunteered for that mission premortally (Abraham 3:27). He was to be born of Mary, a Nazarene, but in Bethlehem--a fact over which some stumbled in the meridian of time (John 7:40-43; see also Micah 5:2, Luke 2:4, Matthew 2:23, 1 Nephi 11:13, Alma 7:10). There would even be a new star celebrating his birth (Helaman 14:5, 3 Nephi 1:21). And then we learn from the holy scriptures of the sacrifice of the Father's Firstborn premortally; his Only Begotten Son in the flesh was the sacrifice of a Creator-God. The Atoner was the Lord God Omnipotent, who created this and many other planets (D&C 76:24, Moses 1:33, Mosiah 3:5). Therefore, unlike the sacrifice of a mortal, Christ's was an "infinite atonement" made possible, declared King Benjamin, by the infinite goodness and mercy of God (see Mosiah 4:6; 2 Nephi 9:7; Alma 34:10, 12; Mosiah 5:3). Ironically, the Mortal Messiah would be disregarded and crucified, said Benjamin and Nephi: And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name, and even after all this they shall consider him a man, . . and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him. [Mosiah 3:9] And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it, and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. [1 Nephi 19:9] This pattern of denigrating Jesus that existed in the meridian of time has continued in our time as noted in this next quotation: The sweetly-attractive human Jesus is a product of 19th-century skepticism, produced by people who were ceasing to believe in Jesus' divinity but wanted to keep as much Christianity as they could. [C. S. Lewis, Letters of C. S. Lewis (London: Geoffrey Bles Ltd., 1966), p. 181] However mortals regard him, there is no other saving and atoning name under heaven! (See Mosiah 3:17, Moses 6:52.) O remember, remember, . . . that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world. [Helaman 5:9] All other gods, brothers and sisters, fail and fall, including the gods of this world. Currently we are seeing Caesars come and go-"an hour of pomp, an hour of show." The Christology of Restoration scriptures constitutes the answer to what Amulek called "the great question," which is: Will there really be a redeeming Christ? (See Alma 34:5.) If, as Abinadi declared, Christ were not risen as the first fruits with all mortals to follow, then life would end in hopelessness (Mosiah 16:6, 7). But he is risen, and life has profound purpose and rich meaning! One day, said King Benjamin, such knowledge of the Savior would spread: The time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. [Mosiah 3:20] This spreading is happening in our day at an accelerated rate, brothers and sisters. At a later day, divine disclosure will be total and remarkable: And the day cometh that ... all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth. [2 Nephi 27:11] There will be so much to disclose that we don't now have. All the prophets have testified of the coming of Jesus Christ (Mosiah 13:33). Jesus, the Lord of all the prophets, even called them all "my holy prophets" (3 Nephi 1:13). How could he, as some aver, merely be one of them? Worse still, some consider Jesus only as another "moral teacher." Pronouncements such as Abinadi's underscore Jesus' transcending triumph: And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men-- Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children Of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taking upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice. [Mosiah 15:8, 9] It is very significant, brothers and sisters, that leaders and founders of other world religions made no such declarative claims of divinity for themselves, though millions venerate these leaders. No wonder the Book of Mormon was urgently needed for "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ" (title page). Such testifying is the purpose of all scripture. The Apostle John stated: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. [John 20:31] Of the Christ-centered plan of salvation, Nephi declared, "How great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth" (2 Nephi 2:8). Jesus is even described as the Father, because he is the Father-Creator of this and other worlds. Furthermore, he is the Father of all who are born again spiritually (see D&C 76:24). When we take upon ourselves his name and covenant to keep his commandments, we then become his sons and daughters, "the children of Christ" (see Mosiah 5:3-7; 15:1-5; 27:24-29). In addition, since he and the Father are one in attributes and in purpose, Jesus acts for the Father through divine investiture, sometimes speaking as the Father (see D&C 93:3-5). The world desperately needs such divine declarations and instructions concerning why we are here and how we should live--concerning what is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is false. Much needed, too, is the Restoration's verification of the reality of the Resurrection. Much needed, too, is the Restoration's clarification as to the nature of God and man. Likewise, much needed is the Restoration's enunciation of the divinely determined purposes of this mortal existence. Feasting on Essential Truths The millions who have lived on this planet in the midst of the famine foreseen by Amos, one of hearing the word of God, have never known the taste and nourishment of whole-grain gospel (see Amos 8:11-12). Instead, they have subsisted on the fast foods of philosophy When Jesus spoke of himself as the bread of life, it caused some to walk no more with him (see John 6:66). No wonder Jesus said, "Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me" (Matthew 11:6; see John 6:61). To which I add, "Blessed is he who is not offended by the Restoration!" The pages of Restoration scriptures ripple and resound with so many essential truths! For example, through correct Christology we learn about Christ's premortal pinnacle as the Creator-God and how, even so, only later did he receive a fulness (see D&C 93:12-13, 16). The Lord has told us how important it is to understand not only "what" we worship, but also "how" to worship (see D&C 93:19, John 4:22). After all, real adoration of the Father and Jesus results in the emulation of them! How shall we become more like them if we do not know about their character and nature? Said King Benjamin, "How knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?" (Mosiah 5:13). Furthermore, unless we understand how the schoolmaster law of Moses was a preparing and a foretelling type, we will not understand dispensationalism, including the place of meridian Christianity in the stream of religious history. It is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no more be expedient.... [For] God himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth. [Mosiah 13:27, 34; see also Mosiah 3:15; 13:29-35; 16:14; Galatians 3:24] For modernity, brothers and sisters, the relevancy of the message in Mosiah is especially real. For instance, we are clearly indebted to our English ancestors for our precious King James Version. Yet, that nation subsequently suffered from a wave of irreligion. Your academic vice president, Stan L. Albrecht, wrote of that wave of irreligion: The pattern of downturn in religious activity in British society ... made "agnosticism respectable if not universal by the turn of the century.". . . By the early 1900s Arnold Bennett could say, ". . . The intelligentsia has sat back, shrugged its shoulders, given a sigh of relief, and decreed tacitly or by plain statement: 'The affair is over and done with.'" ... By the 1970s only about 5 percent of the adult population in the Church of England even attended Easter religious services, and the percentage continues to decline. [Stan L. Albrecht, "The Consequential Dimension of Mormon Religiosity," BYU Studies, vol. 29, no. 2, Spring 1989, p. 981 This next mid-twentieth century expression is from a candid dean of Saint Paul's Cathedral in London: All my life I have struggled to find the purpose of living. I have tried to answer three questions which always seemed to be fundamental: the problem of eternity, the problem of human personality; and the problem of evil. I have failed. I have solved none of them and I know no more than when I started. And I believe no one will ever solve them. I know as much about the after-life as you--NOTHING. I don't even know that there is one--in the same sense in which the Church teaches it. I have no vision of Heaven or of a welcoming God. I do not know what I shall find. I must wait and see. [Dean William Ralph Inge, former dean of Saint Paul's Cathedral, London, England, Daily Express, London, England, 13 July 1953, p. 4] I marvel with you at how the Restoration scriptures are repetitively able to inform us and inspire us; they enthrall us again and again. Ordinary books contain comparative crumbs, whereas the bread of life provides a feast! Through those scriptures we learn that salvation is specific, not vague; it includes individual resurrection and triumph over death. We each will stand before God as individuals, kneeling and confessing (see Alma 12:13-15, 34-35). The faithful will even sit down, as individuals, with the spiritual notables of ages past, for God has said he will land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out. [Helaman 3:30; see also Alma 7:25, Matthew 8:11, D&C 124:19] Thus we will not be merged into some unremembering molecular mass. Nor will we be mere droplets in an ocean of consciousness. In one way or another, sooner or later, all mortals will plead, as Alma did at his turning point, "O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me" (Alma 36:18). Thus we are blessed with enlarged perspectives because "through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, [we] have great views of that which is to come" (Mosiah 5:3). Many in the world today are like some among the Book of Mormon peoples who believed "when a man was dead, that was the end thereof" (Alma 30:18). For others, there are certain existential "givens" as now quoted: "There is no built-in scheme of meaning in the world" (Irvin D. Yalom, Stanford University psychiatrist, "Exploring Psychic Interiors," U.S. News & World Report, 30 October 1989, p. 67). "No deity will save us; we must save ourselves" ("Humanist Manifesto II," "Liberal Family," The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Religious Creeds, edited by J. Gordon Melton [Detroit: Gale Research Company, p. 641). No wonder the Restoration is so relevant and so urgent, having come, as the Lord said, so "that faith also might increase in the earth" (D&C 1:21). Compared to the great, divine declarations being noted this evening, which are central to real faith, what else really matters? Illustratively, two Book of Mormon prophets in referring to a lesser concern, death, used the phrases "it mattereth not" or "it matters not" (Ether 15:34, Mosiah 13:9). Happily, the reality of the Atonement does not depend upon either our awareness of it or our acceptance of it! Immortality is a free gift to all, including to the presently unappreciative (see 2 Nephi 2:4). Meanwhile, however, even the spiritually sensitive feel less than full joy because, said C. S. Lewis: We have a lifelong nostalgia, a longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, this is ... the truest index of our real situation. [C. S. Lewis, A Mind Awake (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1968), p. 23] In that sense, brothers and sisters, we are all prodigals! We, too, must come to ourselves, having determined, "I will arise and go to my father" (Luke 15:18). This reunion and reconciliation is actually possible. Because of the Atonement, we are not irrevocably cut off. Great Teachers and Leaders The book of Mosiah has so many jewels, including what seem to me, as a political scientist, to be some marvelous principles of politics and leadership. As more and more people on this planet are currently reaching out for a greater voice in their affairs, how relevant and instructive are the words of King Mosiah: Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law--to do your business by the voice of the people. [Mosiah 29:26] However, a democracy devoid of spiritual purpose may remain only a process, one within which citizens are merely part of a "lonely crowd," feeling separated from the past including their ancestors. In contrast, King Mosiah's people had spiritual purpose; they deeply admired his profound political leadership. And they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea, they did esteem him more than any other man . . . exceedingly, beyond measure. [Mosiah 29:40] Laboring with his own hands, he was a man of peace and freedom. He wanted the children of Christ to esteem neighbors as themselves (see Mosiah 27:4). King Mosiah was deeply anxious that all the people have an "equal chance" (see Mosiah 27:3; 29:38). Yet there would be no free rides, because "every man [would] bear his [own] part" (Mosiah 29:34). King Benjamin wanted his people to be filled with the love of God, to grow in the knowledge of that which is just and true, to have no mind to injure another, to live peaceably, to teach their children to love and serve one another, and to succor the needy, including beggars (see Mosiah 4:12-30). Mosiah was certainly not without his personal trials, for Mosiah went through that special suffering known only to the parents of disobedient children. The wickedness of his sons, along with Alma the Younger, created much trouble. Only after "wading through much tribulation" did they finally do much good and repair much of the damage they had done (see Mosiah 27:28). Even later, however, after his sons had repented, before they were to have an enlarged missionary role, Mosiah first consulted with the Lord (see Mosiah 28:6). Mosiah also faced the challenges of leading a multi-group society: Nephites, Zoramites, Mulekites, Nehorites, Limhites (in Gideon), as well as those covenanters in Alma's group. How varied these interest groups were, and yet how united in love of their leader! Ponder this indicator of how Mosiah was an open, disclosing, and teaching leader: And many more things did king Mosiah write unto them, unfolding unto them all the trials and troubles of a righteous king, yea, all the travails of soul for their people, and also all the murmurings of the people to their king, and he explained it all unto them. [Mosiah 29:33; emphasis added] The political leader as a teacher of his people: King Benjamin and King Mosiah are examples of the leader-servant; they followed the pattern of their master, Jesus. Prophets and leaders like Benjamin and Mosiah were charged to "regulate all the affairs of the Church." They did so both with style and with substance. There was love, but also admonishing discipline--with the repentant numbered among the Church and the unrepentant having their names blotted out. Missionary work went well; many were received into the Church by baptism (see Mosiah 26:35-37). So it was that their people became the children of Christ. The children of Christ in any dispensation willingly make the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit (see 3 Nephi 9:20, D&C 59:8, Psalms 51:17). The children of Christ are meek and malleable--their hearts can be broken, changed, or made anew. The child of Christ can eventually mature to become the woman or man of Christ to whom the Lord promises that he will lead "in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery" (Helaman 3:26). The children of Christ are described by King Benjamin as being submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, and--then the sobering line--"willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [them], even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19). Significantly, twice in the ensuing book of Alma the very same recitation of these important qualities is made with several added: to be gentle, temperate, easily entreated, and longsuffering (see Alma 7:23; 13:28). These virtues are cardinal, portable, and eternal. They reflect in us the seriousness of our discipleship. After all, true disciples will continue to grow spiritually because they have "faith unto repentance" (see Alma 34:16, 17; 13:10). These qualities will finally rise with us in the Resurrection. Interesting, isn't it, in contemplating each of the qualities in this cluster, how they remind us of the need to tame our egos? Blessed is the person who is progressing in the taming of his or her egoistic self. King Benjamin, for example, had not the least desire to boast of himself (see Mosiah 2:16). He was unconcerned with projecting his political image because he had Christ's image in his countenance. We are instructed not only in what we are to become, but also in what we are to avoid. Abinadi noted how Jesus suffered temptation but yielded not (see Mosiah 15:5). Unlike many of us, Christ gave no heed to temptations (see D&C 20:22). This is yet another instructive example to us, his children, for even if we evict temptations we often entertain them first. The development of these cardinal virtues is central to God's plan for us. Lack of perspective about God's plans is part of the failure of Laman and Lemuel: And thus Laman and Lemuel, . did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them. [1 Nephi 2:12; see also Mosiah 10:14] Illustratively, we are advised that on occasion God will chasten his people and will try our patience and faith (see Mosiah 23:21). Is not the question "Why, O Lord?" one that goes to the heart of the further development of faith amid tutoring? Similarly, the question "How long, O Lord?" is one that goes to the very heart of developing patience. Thus we see how interactive all of these things are in the developmental dimensions of God's plan of salvation that culminates in eternal life. Accepting God's Greatest Gift Immortality comes to all by God's grace it is unearned "after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23). Full salvation, eternal life, is God's greatest gift (D&C 6:13; 14:7). However, unlike the blessing of immortality, eternal life is conditional. Eternal life, said King Benjamin, is more than endless existence; it is endless happiness! (See Mosiah 2:41.) It was this that was promised to Alma the Younger: "Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life" (Mosiah 26:20). Eternal life will feature the joys of always rejoicing and being filled with love (Mosiah 4:12), of growing in the knowledge of God's glory, of being in his presence, of being in eternal families and friendships forever (see D&C 76:62; 130:2; 132:24,55). Eternal life also brings the full bestowal of all the specific promises made in connection with the temple's initiatory ordinances, the holy endowment, and temple sealings--thereby God "may seal you his" (Mosiah 4:15). In addition, all other blessings promised upon the keeping of God's commandments will likewise flow in the abundant Malachi measure, so many "there shall not be room enough to receive [them]"! (See Malachi 3:10.) John declared that the faithful shall "inherit all things" (Revelation 21:7). Modern scriptures confirm that the faithful will eventually receive "all that [the] Father hath" (D&C 84:38). Meanwhile, how much of that promised birthright will some of us sell and for what mess of pottage? Comparing the magnitude of this and all the great gifts given to us of God and our meager service to him, no wonder, said King Benjamin, we are beggars and unprofitable servants (see Mosiah 2:21; 4:19). As we accept Christ and become his children, there begins to be a change-even a ,'mighty change" in us. As we earnestly strive to become one with him and his purposes, we come to resemble him. Christ who has saved us thus becomes the Father of our Salvation, and we become the "children of Christ," having his image increasingly in our countenances and conduct (see Mosiah 5:7). The children of Christ understand the importance of feasting regularly on sacred records that testify of Jesus (see 2 Nephi 31:20; 32:3; Jacob 2:9; JS-M 1:37). Without such records, belief in him and in the glorious resurrection can quickly wane: And at the time that Mosiah discovered them, ... they had brought no records with them; and they denied the being of their Creator. [Omni 1:17] There were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers. They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ. [Mosiah 26:1-2] For those either untaught or unheeding of the essential gospel truths, the lapse of faith in Christ is but one generation away! So many scriptures point to the reality that Jesus really is to be the specific example for the children of Christ. We really are to emulate him in our lives. Consider these examples: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. [Matthew 5:48] Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. [3 Nephi 12:48] Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am. [3 Nephi 27:27] Ye shall be holy, for I am holy. [Leviticus 11:44] Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. [Luke 6:36] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. [John 13:15] Jesus Christ [shows] forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. [1 Timothy 1:16] Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. [1 Peter 2:21] And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them. [2 Nephi 31:9] Ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do. [3 Nephi 27:21] Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you. [3 Nephi 18:16] No wonder, in view of these and many other scriptures, that Joseph Smith taught, "If you wish to go where God is, you must be like God, . . . drawing towards God in principle" (Teachings, p. 216). The loving kindness of the Lord that Nephi spoke about is likewise noted in Exodus. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. [Exodus 34:6] In this soaring scriptural declaration, mercy and justice both make their rightful claims, but even so, mercy "overpowereth justice" (Alma 34:15). Since his qualities are to be emulated by his children, as the Prophet Joseph Smith taught us, it is vital for us to comprehend the character and personality of God if we are to comprehend ourselves (Teachings, p. 343). However, as we truly emulate Jesus' example, we will thereby encounter the costs of discipleship through our own micro-experiences. We will come to know what it is to suffer and to be reproached for taking upon ourselves the name of Christ (see Luke 6:22, 1 Peter 4:14). Therefore, our fiery trials, said Peter, should not be thought of as "some strange thing" (1 Peter 4:12). There Is No End to His Works As the believing and trusting children of Christ become more Christlike, it will be evident in their daily lives, whether in the treatment of the poor or in the management of their civic affairs (see Mosiah 4:16). Ammon taught, for instance, of how those who become the children of Christ will truly be "a great benefit to [their] fellow beings" (Mosiah 8:18). Alma, Mosiah's successor, learned from the Lord how the illuminated individual can actually evoke faith in other people by "words alone" (Mosiah 26:15,16; see also 3 Nephi 11:2, D&C 46:1314). With his highly developed sense of proportion, King Benjamin said, "Even so I would that ye should ... always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you" (Mosiah 4:11; see also Moses 1:9-10). We who have the Restoration scriptures have further reasons to feel overwhelmed by the greatness of God. We are told that there is no space in which there is no kingdom (D&C 88:37). God's works are without end, and he has created worlds "innumerable . . . unto man" (Moses 1:4, 33, 35). The very heavens and planets do witness that there is a Supreme Creator (Alma 30:44). Mortal astrophysics confirm the awesome nature of the universe. Astronomers recently indicated they have discovered a collection of galaxies "so extensive that it defies explanation by any present theory." Dubbed "the great wall," these "galaxies form a sheet. . . 3,000 billion billion miles." One scientist said, "We keep being surprised that we keep seeing something bigger as we go out farther" (The Sacramento Union, Sunday, 19 November 1989, p. 22). And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works. [Moses 1:38] At the Judgment Day, declared Mosiah's successor, everyone at that assemblage will "confess that [God] is God." When one considers history's disbelieving notables who will be there, these lines are subduing: Then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye. [Mosiah 27:31; see also Mosiah 16:1, Alma 12:15] This is while the faithful "shall stand before him" and "see his face with pleasure" (Enos 1:27). His piercing eyes will likewise emanate perfect, overwhelming love, a love, which, alas, few will have reciprocated. The sense of undeservingness will be deep and profound! And thus we have a sense of the rendezvous that lies ahead. There is no end to his works. Furthermore, Benjamin, Abinadi, Mosiah, and Moroni will be present at the Day of Judgment (see Moroni 10:27), and out of their words we will be judged. At the judgment, we will not only have the prophesied "bright recollection" and "perfect remembrance" of misdeeds, but of happy things as well (see Alma 11:43; 5:18). The joyous things will be preserved, too (see D&C 93:33). Most of you are too young to appreciate how those of us who are older feel as the sense of memory slips away. I can safely hide my own Easter eggs now. Among "all things ... restored" will be our memories (see Alma 11:43; 40:23), including eventually our premortal memories. What a flood of feeling and fact will come to us then, as a loving God deems wise, increasing our gratefulness for God's long-suffering love and Jesus' atonement. What joy upon being connected again with the memories of both the first and second estates! Meanwhile, during this life, we will continue to experience the unwelcome sense "of having ended a chapter. One more portion of one's self slipping away into the past" (Letters of C. S. Lewis, p. 306). Mary Warnock wrote about how "Anything that is over ... is a lost possession.... The past is a paradise from which we are necessarily excluded" (Dan Jacobson, "Of Time and Poetry," Commentary, November 1989, vol. 88, no. 5, p. 52). And speaking about one writer reflecting on his memories, Warnock said he realized past experiences once shared "are now his alone.... The past continually comes to him; but he knows that he can never go back to it" (ibid.). But one day it will all come back! The children of Christ know now whose they are, whence they came, why they are here, and what manner of men and women they are to become (see 2 Peter 3:11, 3 Nephi 27:27). Still, the children of Christ, like Alma, will "long to be there" in the royal courts on high (Alma 36:22). It is the only destination that really matters. Resplendent reunion awaits us! What is more natural and more wonderful than children going home? Especially to a home where the past, the present, and the future form an everlasting and eternal now! (See D&C 130:7; 38:2; Teachings, p. 220.) Let us do as King Benjamin urged us to: Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. [Mosiah 4:9] Meanwhile, how can there be refining fires without heat? Or greater patience without some instructive waiting? How can we develop empathy without first bearing one another's burdens? Not only that burdens may be lightened, but that we may thereby be enlightened by developing greater empathy. How can we increase individual faith without some customized uncertainty? How can we learn to live in cheerful security without some insecurity? How can there be later magnification without some present deprivation? Except we are thus tutored, how else shall we grow spiritually to become the men and women of Christ? In this brief mortality, therefore, reveries are often rudely elbowed aside by tutoring adversities! Meanwhile, as faithful children, the challenge is: Will we prove ourselves, in King Benjamin's phrase, "willing to submit?" (See Mosiah 3:19.) Finally, I should like to leave my own witness. In my life, whichever way I turn, brothers and sisters, there looms Jesus, name of wondrous love. He is our fully atoning and fully comprehending Savior, and in the words of scripture, "There is none like unto him." Whether taught in the holy scriptures or in the holy temples, his gospel is remarkable. Whether it concerns the nature of God, the nature of man, the nature of the universe, the nature of this mortal experience, it is remarkable. His gospel is stunning as to its interior consistency. It is breathtaking as to its exterior expansiveness. Rather than existing without the gospel in a mortal maze, instead I stand all amazed at the wonders of that gospel that we should be privileged to be his children. Whatever my experiences, the spiritual facts that have emerged from these experiences encompass me. They encompass me and echo the testifying words of King Benjamin as follows, "The goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men" (Mosiah 4:6). Every one of those virtues of God I have counted on, I count on now, I will count on again--whether it is his long-suffering, his matchless power, or his goodness. And so do you! Those are the very virtues that must come in a measure to be ours, my brothers and sisters. This constitutes the journey of discipleship. We must, like the prodigal son, arise and go to our father and be prepared for that resplendent reunion. We can hasten the journey only insofar as we hasten the process of becoming like him, as the children of Christ going home of which I testify For his help in my personal journey I plead and for his help for you. You are the leaven for mankind. And all the winds of political freedom that blow intrinsically carry within them the added prospects that the children of Christ will reach out more expeditiously to their brothers and sisters on this planet with this wondrous message. As we "survey the wondrous cross," as his children, may it be so, I humbly pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. A STILL VOICE OF PERFECT MILDNESS Marvin J. Ashton Marvin J. Ashton is a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This devotional talk was given on 20 February 1990 in the Marriott Center. One of the great blessings of my life is to have had the opportunity of working closely with five presidents of the Church--President David O. McKay, Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, Spencer W. Kimball, and Ezra Taft Benson. Among their other great traits, I found them to be humble men--soft-spoken, mild, kind, and gentle in leadership roles and relationships. Intimate experiences with each have helped me to know what I share with you today in firmness and conviction about mild voices. Personal calls and associations with these presidents over the years have prompted me to appreciate the contents of Helaman 5:30. And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul, [Emphasis added] May I suggest to you, my associates of Brigham Young University, that you listen to your leaders who administer with still voices and humble words. Too often we are inclined to be impressed with the loud, noisy, and dramatic. Students and members in general are sometimes led away from the paths of success because they are swayed by the sensational and artificial light. Very often in today's busy world we ignore the quiet promptings of our leaders and those who guide with soft words. I am pleased today to have two of my very good friends, basketball coach Roger Reid and Charles Bradley, his assistant, seated near Sister Ashton and me in this devotional setting. Tony Ingle, the other assistant, would have been here, but he is away recruiting. This isn't a pep rally or celebration assembly. I hope that will come another time. For my purposes and theme today, I congratulate these three men for quiet voices and humble words as they have launched and carried on the BYU basketball program this year. From the beginning it has been and still is a voice of oneness that carries the message: "We have no super stars. We are going to quietly work hard without boisterous declarations or predictions." This approach is bringing unusual results. I commend them for their "on the court" and "off the court" leadership. He Called Me with a Whisper I had the special honor and privilege of being the last General Authority that President David O. McKay called before his death. I recall with fear and trembling the impressions I can never forget as I visited with him in his Hotel Utah apartment by appointment. He was advanced in years and very weak in physical strength. As I sat with him in the privacy of his study, his body was frail, his voice was soft, and words did not come easily. After sitting in uncomfortable silence waiting for him to compose himself enough to advise me as to the purpose of the appointment and visit, he finally said in a still voice of perfect mildness, "I want you to help me." That was my invitation, that was my call to be a General Authority. That was one of my unforgettable quiet experiences with President David O. McKay. After leaving his office, I felt I had a better understanding about the Savior's calling of his associates. Whether it be on the shores of Galilee or in the shops or paths of life, I'm certain his invitation could have been nothing more than, "I want you to help me in proclaiming the gospel and being special witnesses to and for me." This experience more than twenty years ago brought a closeness to me to President McKay, a man I had loved, admired, and respected over the years. Before this intimate association I always had the idea that being called to be a General Authority would be a complex procedure. Very often today as I prepare for conference talks, I find myself turning to the life and writings of President David O. McKay. He had a beautiful, intelligent capacity to not only say things in a meaningful way but with warmth and spirit. He was a gentle man of high education and lofty principles. He had a way of making me want to do better with each performance and assignment. I will always be grateful to him because he quietly called me, expected me, and wanted me to perform special service with him. I left my occupation and former business activities and responsibilities to help him as a prophet. Yes, I tremble today in remembering how he called me with a whisper that pierced my soul. He Loved the Lord All of my life I had a tremendous respect and high regard for Brother Joseph Fielding Smith as a scriptorian, historian, and writer. He was precise and firm in his living style. What a joy and a blessing it was for me when I came into the Council of the Twelve after two years as an assistant to feel of the sweet love and respect he had not only for God but for his associates. He was kind--at the same time, he led with vision and rigid commitment. He always took the time to express appreciation, not only to his Heavenly Father but to his associates. His kind expressions of encouragement to me under all circumstances will never be forgotten. He loved the Lord, and the Lord loved him. He too called me with a soft, mild voice of deep strength. I was ordained an apostle and set apart as a member of the Council of the Twelve under the prophet Joseph Fielding Smith. The charges I received at that time are still indelibly impressed upon my mind, particularly to be a special witness by example, word, and gentleness. Also, it was emphasized I was to listen to the still voice of the Spirit, which would now come in more frequent and powerful sequences in my life. Joseph Fielding Smith received his patriarchal blessing from Patriarch Joseph D. Smith in 1913. Included in this sweet and gentle blessing was the promise that he would never be confounded as he defended the divinity of the Prophet Joseph Smith's mission: You have been blessed with ability to comprehend, to analyze, and defend the principles of truth above many of your fellows, and the time will come when the accumulative evidence that you have gathered will stand as a wall of defense against those who are seeking and will seek to destroy the evidence of the divinity of the mission of the Prophet Joseph; and in this defense you will never be confounded. Very often over the years of our associations I felt the intense strength of President Joseph Fielding Smith as he served in mildness and with a soft voice. "Tune in the Lord" On many occasions I have heard President Harold B. Lee share his powerful testimony in perfect mildness. I share this example. With all my soul and conviction, and knowing the seriousness and import of that testimony, I tell you that I know that He lives. I am conscious of His presence much of the time when I have needed Him most, I have known it out of the whisperings of the night, the impressions of the daytime when there were things for which I was responsible and on which I could receive guidance. So I testify to you and tell you that He is closer to the leaders of this church than you have any idea. Listen to the leaders of this church and follow their footsteps in righteousness, if you would learn not only by study but also by faith, which testimony I bear most humbly and sincerely in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. [Elder Harold B. Lee, Council of the Twelve, April 1968; emphasis added] President Lee was one of the most spiritual leaders I have ever known. He seemed to have continuous possession of the whisperings of the Spirit. He encouraged me to lead in mildness and quiet patience. Very often President Lee shared the following experience he had while serving as president of the Pioneer Stake in Salt Lake City. He felt there was a lesson in it for all. He titled it "Tune in the Lord. " I love his soft-spoken yet powerful counseling in this instance. This experience was first shared by President Lee about forty years ago in an address to the Brigham Young University student body. We had a very grievous case that had to come before the high council and the stake presidency which resulted in the excommunication of a man who had harmed a lovely young girl. After nearly an all-night session which resulted in that action, I went to my office rather weary the next morning to be confronted by a brother of this man whom we had had on trial the night before. This man said, "I want to tell you that my brother wasn't guilty of what you charged him with." "How do you know he wasn't guilty?" I asked. "Because I prayed, and the Lord told me he was innocent," the man answered. I asked him to come into the office and we sat down, and I asked, "Would you mind if I ask you a few personal questions?" He said, "Certainly not." "How old are you?" "Forty-seven. " "What priesthood do you hold?" He said he thought he was a teacher. "Do you keep the Word of Wisdom?" and he said, "Well, no." He used tobacco, which was obvious. "Do you pay your tithing?" He said, "No"--and he didn't intend to as long as that blankety-blank-blank man was bishop of [his ward.] I said, "Do you attend your priesthood meetings? " He replied, "No, sir," and he didn't intend to as long as that man was bishop. "You don't attend your sacrament meetings either?" "No, sir." "Do you have your family prayers?" and he said no. "Do you study the scriptures?" He said well, his eyes were bad and he couldn't read very much. I then said to him: "In my home I have a beautiful instrument called a radio, When everything is in good working order we can dial to a certain station and pick up a speaker or the voice of a singer all the way across the continent. . . . But, after we had used it for a long time, the little delicate instruments or electrical devices on the inside called radio tubes began to wear out. . . . The radio may sit there looking quite like it did before, but because of what has happened on the inside, we can hear nothing." "Now," I said, "You and I have within our souls something like what might be said to be a counterpart of those radio tubes. We might have what we call a "go-to-sacrament-meeting" tube, "keep-the-Word-of-Wisdom" tube, "pay-your-tithing" tube, "have-your-family-prayers" tube, "read-the-Scriptures" tube, and, as one of the most important that might be said to be the master tube of our whole soul, we might call the "keep-yourselves-morally-clean" tube. If one of these becomes worn out by disuse or inactivity--if we fail to keep the commandments of God--it has the same effect upon our spiritual selves that a worn-out tube has in a radio." "Now then," I said, "fifteen of the best-living men in the Pioneer Stake prayed last night. They heard the evidence and every man was united in saying that your brother was guilty. Now, you, who do none of these things, you say you prayed, and you got an opposite answer. How would you explain that?" Then this man gave an answer that I think was a classic. He said, "Well, President Lee, I think I must have gotten my answer from the wrong source." And, you know, that's just as great a truth as we can have. We get our answers from the source of the power we list to obey. If we're following the ways of the Devil, we'll get answers from the Devil. If we're keeping the commandments of God, we'll get our answers from God. [BYU devotional, 15 October 1952; emphasis added] President Harold B. Lee served for eighteen months, the shortest period of time of any prophet in our dispensation of time. He had a tremendous impact upon my life. Among other things, by example he encouraged me and others to be quietly fearless in approaching and solving problems and individual behavior. At the same time he pointed the way for me to show a warmth and tenderness in working with all mankind regardless of where they had been or what they had done. Day after day, contacts taught me President Lee could be firm and totally objective. At the same time, he had one of the most tender hearts I have ever witnessed. He charged me to "seek for that spiritual plus which will add to your natural abilities." An unforgettable and frightening experience I once had with President Lee was when he invited me to come to his home to participate in giving a blessing to a very sick mutual friend. As we gathered with a few family members, President Lee asked me if I would anoint the brother's head with consecrated oil. This I did humbly and in a spirit of inadequacy. I had never before had the opportunity of having this rich spiritual experience of having a prophet of God seal an anointing that I would pronounce. I recall with vividness even today President Lee's sealing of this ordinance. It seemed to me he was struggling for words, direction, and guidance to give encouragement to this good brother. I had the feeling he wanted to promise him complete recovery and health from a serious malady, but the words didn't come as he pronounced the sealing. lt was evident as the seconds passed he was not only troubled but groping for direction that would be positive and rewarding, not only to the recipient but to others in the room who had grave concern over the individual's health. President Lee never did promise health, strength, and recovery to this individual. He gave words of encouragement and touched on the basics of the total gospel plan, but the promise of healing was not forthcoming. Immediately following this experience, President Lee took me aside in another room and said softly and in perfect mildness, "Marv, he's not going to get better, is he?" I responded to President Lee, "No. I could tell you wanted to promise this type of blessing, but it was apparently not to be." I recall his final comment after we walked away from the family members: "The Lord has other plans, and he determines not only what we promise but what will happen." A Prophet of Love President Spencer W. Kimball was a prophet of love. He loved God, our Savior Jesus Christ, and all mankind. He was a constant example of warmth and Christlike love. His voice was one of perfect mildness, sometimes even less than a whisper. He was always gentle, firm, and fearless. Many of you will recall at one period in his life he was unable to speak at all because of throat cancer. Here are some gentle statements that President Kimball made just after he became President of the Church. All of these seem to be filled with deep love and human maintenance. His voice was never one of thunder, but rather of perfect mildness and love. Church policy on excommunication: "I think that it will remain in large measure as it has been. President Lee had felt very deeply that there must be some discipline in order to keep the Church clean and free from the sins of the world." Blacks and the priesthood: "I am not sure that there will be a change, although there could be. We are under the dictates of our Heavenly Father, and this is not my policy or the Church's policy. It is the policy of the Lord who has established it, and I know of no change, although we are subject to revelations of the Lord in case he should ever wish to make a change." State of affairs in America: "We believe that our people should sustain all the righteous activities and actions of their leaders. We do not feel that there is going to be any total disruption. We have hopes that all may straighten out well and that America might go forward. We are teaching our people to be true and loyal to their respective government." Message to the members of the Church: "Our message is what it has always been, and our hope is that our people will live the commandments of the Lord. They have been revealed in the holy scriptures and by the living prophets through these many years." President Spencer W. Kimball was one of the most kind and courageous men I have ever met in my life. His capacity to meet life's issues, life's disappointments, and life's successes with a proper balance and attitude are experiences I shall never forget. How sweet, how humble and sincere was his leadership style. His whispering voice pierced every heart that would listen. One morning my office phone rang very early before the secretary had come in. As I picked it up, I recognized the soft voice of President Spencer W. Kimball on the other end of the line. After saying hello, I heard him in his faint voice say, "Marv, I have something I want to talk to you about. Do you mind if I come up to your office and visit?" I said, "President Kimball, if you'd like to talk to me, I'll be right down to your office. Would you like me to come?" And he gently said, "Would you do that?" Courteous, friendly, and willing to be the servant of all, it was his leadership style to never demand or use the influence of his mighty calling to take the lead in what people would do or how they would respond to him. I would have you know that on this occasion he could have said, "Marv, this is President Kimball. Come down to my office right away." Certainly he had the power, authority, and right to ask me to meet with him under any and all circumstances, but instead, as I volunteered to come to his office, he simply said, "Would you be good enough to do that?" He had the kind of approach, humility, mildness, and love that would inspire all of us to sustain and support him and love him under all conditions. A few days before he passed away, President Kimball was in the temple on the fourth floor with his associates of the First Presidency and the members of the Twelve. He was so weak and frail that there was every good reason for him to not be there. Before our meeting started, members of the Twelve walked by where he sat to shake his hand and greet him. There was almost no response at all because of the physical drain over the last few months. There was almost no capacity to communicate or respond to the present situation. His hearing was very limited, his eyesight was failing, and his frail body was filled with aches. As I shook his hand privately and felt little or no response, I gave it an extra squeeze. I said, "President Kimball, I'm Marv Ashton." How can I ever forget his last words to me when he looked up just a little and said very softly, "Marv Ashton, I love you." A Man of Total Obedience President Ezra Taft Benson, our present prophet, is a special friend. I love him and have respect for his life and leadership. He has always conveyed to me a relationship of complete trust and confidence. This sustaining reassurance on his part has made it possible for me when in near or distant places in the Church to make decisions and calls that would be worthy because I knew he expected me to do just that. I have admired his constant reminding to all--not only to his associates in high levels of the Church, but to all members--to work with diligence in building not only God's kingdom but in improving our personal lives. He is a man of total obedience. I see him following to the letter those paths of righteousness to which the Lord has given him the responsibility to point, direct, and lead. I have seen him cry with unashamed emotions as he has talked about the wonders, content, and future of the Book of Mormon. Those of us who have been close to him have admired and respected the depth of his comment while we were making decisions of great importance when he would simply say, "Let us do what is best for the kingdom." Besides days, weeks, and months of close association, I recall conference sessions with him--including ward, stake, region, and general--where he has always taken the occasion in the beginning to give encouragement and at the conclusion to offer thanks for the contributions that come from us as we make our way. He is a prophet who quietly builds up, delegates, and expects commitments that are unwavering. I have always enjoyed his referring to me as one of his brethren. I recall telephoning President Benson while I was away on a stake assignment. A major situation and problem were evident. They were serious enough that I felt the need for his wise counsel. When I finished explaining the facts and developments to him, he said in reassuring mildness and trust, "Do what needs to be done. You have my complete confidence and support." President Benson's voice today is reduced almost to a whisper. He leads the First Presidency, the Council of the Twelve, other General Authorities, and the entire Church in a spirit of pure love and perfect mildness. Now in his ninety-first year and fifth year as President of the Church, he leads in unwavering faith, using persuasion with a soft voice and penetrating humility. In all my years of experience with him, I have never heard him raise his voice to a shout in moments of hurt or disappointment. I have seen him discipline and direct in mildness, patience, and pure love. How gentle, yet powerful, have been his words and leadership. Voices of Perfect Mildness These five prophets I have known so well have called and encouraged in a voice and spirit of perfect mildness. I thank God for them. I pray God to help us remember true leaders always lead with mild voices, love, and persuasion. Calls and instructions from his prophets are tender and free of condemnation. With all my heart I recommend we accept their leadership of mildness and love as we are invited to serve and improve our daily performances. God is our Father. Jesus is the Christ. I hope and pray I will be able to declare these truths in mildness, with conviction, and with great impact all the days of my life. These five wonderful prophets have done their part to try and teach me. Listen to the gentle promptings of the Spirit. Most often our hopes and prayers are best answered by impressions of perfect mildness. I leave you my testimony as to the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ and pray God's blessings to be yours today and in the days to come. May your worthy words of prayer and petitions to God and his leaders be answered in a still voice of perfect mildness, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY Barbara W. Winder Barbara W. Winder is the Relief Society general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This devotional address was given on 13 March 1990 in the Marriott Center. It is such a privilege for me to be with you today. On a day such as this one, I enjoy the ride from Salt Lake to Provo. Don't you love this valley surrounded by the majestic mountains! In a way these "everlasting hills," part of a chain stretching almost unbroken from Alaska to the tip of South America, reflect eternal principles you are learning as you prepare yourselves temporally and spiritually to meet life's challenges. The View from the Top The Lord has given some of his most meaningful sermons and taught gospel principles on mountains: the Mount of Olives, the Mount of Beatitudes, Mount Sinai. He bestowed his keys of authority to Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. Our family has always received inspiration and exhilaration in the nearby mountains. My husband relishes mountain climbing and has taught our family to enjoy it together. He has been the one to cheer us on. There is hardly a peak surrounding Salt Lake Valley that we have not struggled up. We might have even seen some of you on those hills. When our children were small, they tired easily and had the normal fears about venturing too far or too high. But, reassuringly, we accompanied them, gave encouraging words and just enough trail mix--our homemade concoction of raisins, nuts, and M&M's--to get us to the summit where we could then enjoy our refreshing oranges and smashed cheese sandwiches. The view from the top is more breathtaking than from below. And the elation of knowing you've made it is even more wonderful! The lingering sore muscles keep that feeling of accomplishment in memory a long time. Mark Twain once boasted about "climbing" the Matterhorn in Switzerland. It seems that everyone else in his traveling group had already been to the top, so he hired a professional mountain climber in a bright red coat to hike it for him. There he sat comfortably on the deck of the inn with a hand-held telescope watching the hiker's progress up the snow-covered slopes with ropes, hammer, and pitons in hand. He was amused that he had really put one over on those who followed the traditions of that place. Though he paid for the trip, he did not receive its rewards. He did not feel the shortness of breath, the fatigued muscles, the powerful thirst. Nor did he see the magnificent scenes laid out before the man who conquered the mighty mountain in his place! "Climb That Cliff" How do we respond when confronted with a seemingly impossible task? All of us face obstacles and challenges and walk paths that lead toward heights we think we cannot ascend. President Rex Lee and Janet have recently shared with us some of the perils of their difficult ascent, which continues to be a steep one. Elder Dallin H. Oaks described an experience his great-grandfather Abinidi Olsen had on his mission to the Samoan Islands in 1895. Obedient to the call of the prophet, he left his wife and four small children and traveled by train and ship for twenty-six days to the island of Tutuila. After many weeks of living in what he called a grass hut, eating strange food, suffering severe illnesses, and struggling to learn the Samoan language, he seemed to be making no progress in his missionary work. Homesick and discouraged, he seriously considered boarding a boat back to Apia and telling the mission president he didn't want to waste any more time in Samoa. The obstacles seemed insurmountable, and he wished to return to his wife and children, who were struggling to support him in the mission field. A friend who heard Abinadi Olsen describe the experience some years after his return, quoted him as follows: Then one night, as I lay on my mat on the floor of my hut, a strange man entered and in my own language told me to get up and follow him. His manner was such that I had to obey. He led me out through the village and directly up against the face of a perpendicular solid rock cliff. "That's strange," thought I. "I've never seen that here before," and just then the stranger said, "I want you to climb that cliff." I took another look and then in bewilderment said, "I can't. It's impossible!" "How do you know you can't? You haven't tried," said my guide. "But anyone can see"--I started to say in objection. But he cut in with, "Begin climbing. Reach up with your hand--now with your foot. " As I reached, under orders that I dared not disobey, a niche seemed to open in the solid rock cliff and I caught hold. Then with my one foot I caught a toe hold. "Now go ahead," he ordered. "Reach with your other hand," and as I did so another place opened up, and to my surprise the cliff began to recede, climbing became easier, and I continued the ascent without difficulty until, suddenly, I found myself lying on my pallet back in my hut. The stranger was gone! "Why has this experience come to me?" I asked myself. The answer came quickly. I had been up against an imaginary cliff for those three months. I had not reached out my hand to begin the climb. I hadn't really made the effort I should have made to learn the language and surmount my other problems. It is hardly necessary to add that Abinadi Olsen did not leave the mission. He labored for three and a half years, until released by appropriate authority. He was an exceptionally effective missionary, and he was a faithful member of the Church for the rest of his life. ["Reach Out and Climb!" New Era, August 1985, pp. 4-6] Yes, there is pain and hard work involved in the climb, just as you are experiencing in your years in school. No one can travel your journey for you. To hike you need to meet the requirements necessary for the terrain--proper and adequate food, clothing, and equipment. And just as BYU imposes certain requirements, so will others as you continue your upward journey of eternal progression. Some of these requirements are set by society and in the workplace. Some are set by the Lord, and many by you yourselves. There will undoubtedly be some "insurmountable cliffs," but generally our challenges consist of continuous peaks and valleys, one hill after another. As Elder Oaks said: "Handholds will only be found by hands that are outstretched. Footholds are only for feet that are on the move" (Oaks, "Reach Out and Climb!" p. 6). Facing some of life's challenges may require a "leap of faith," where we walk forward with only our faith and trust in the Lord to lead us. It will require all the heart and soul we have to act, to move, to reach out and grasp handholds the Lord will extend to us in times of extremity. The Lord has promised to give us no more than we are able to handle. But those who have scaled the highest summit in the world are quick to acknowledge the help of the Sherpa guides without whom they could not have made it. They know that this support system will follow them every step of the way. They have set up base camps at certain distances to provide the necessities for the final assault at the peak. Great preparation, training, and cost have preceded their efforts. You too have a never--failing support system. The base camps along the way are filled at various times with parents, family, friends, teachers, leaders, neighbors, or ward members--all cheering you on and providing help whenever needed. Most reliable of all is the companionship of the Holy Ghost, who can be with you at all times, especially when the others cannot. Choosing to Build the Kingdom This is such a glorious time to be here on earth, witnessing the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. He saw a stone cut without hands rolling down a mountain--perhaps one such as these and filling the whole earth! I was in a meeting just last week with the Brethren. They were so full of the Spirit and excitement of the challenge to establish the Church in lands heretofore prohibited. It seems that almost daily something new occurs that provides more opportunity to take the gospel to other "kindreds, tongues, and people." And what has that to do with you here at BYU who are so privileged among the peoples of the world to receive your education and training at a university dedicated to filling the Lord's purposes in these latter days? We are not on earth at this time by accident. Because we lived with our Father in Heaven for a long time before we came to earth, he knows everything about us--our strengths and weaknesses, our likes and dislikes, the depth of our faith and testimony, our talents and abilities, the feelings of our hearts. He knows how each of us can use these strengths and characteristics for the building of the kingdom of God in these latter days. President Benson said: All through the ages the prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it--you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us.... . . . Each day we personally make many decisions that show where our support will go. The final outcome is certain--the forces of righteousness will finally win. What remains to be seen is where each of us personally, now and in the future, will stand in this fight--and how tall we will stand. Will we be true to our last-days, foreordained mission? ["In His Steps," BYU Speeches of the Year, 1979, pp. 59-60] What are the ramifications of the prophet's statement? What meaning can it have for each of us here today? In 1974 President Spencer W. Kimball spoke prophetically: "The Lord will open doors when we have done everything in our power" ("When the World Will Be Converted," Ensign, October 1974, p. 10). He referred to nations and peoples of the world allowing missionaries and members to fulfill their divine missions to bring souls to Christ. Some time afterward I heard a priesthood leader ask a congregation, "How many of you here heard President Kimball say that when we have done all in our power to prepare doors will open?" Many people raised their hands. He then asked those with raised hands, "How many of you have enrolled in a class that matters? Are you taking Mandarin or Russian? If Russian is too hard, start with Spanish." Of course, few, if any, of you students heard President Kimball in 1974. Most of you were small children. But now you have heard it this day. And what are you going to choose to do that really 'matters"? It has always been a concern to me that as I have shared the anxieties of our children, most of the important decisions upon which our journey of life is based are made between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five, just where most of you students are now. Will I serve a mission? Will I go on to higher education? Where? What will I study? Whom will I marry? Where will I marry? Am I prepared to marry in the Lord's way? What occupation will I select? Do I want to have children? If I am a mother, will I work outside the home? What kind of environment will permeate my future home, whether it is an apartment, condo, or bungalow? Will it invite or repel the Spirit? These and other questions have been or must be answered by both men and women here today. Decisions such as these are not always based on choices of good and evil, but on good judgment, obedience, values, established patterns. Life is a journey, not a destination. Elder Boyd K. Packer stated: "Our lives are made up of thousands of everyday choices. Over the years these little choices will be bundled together and show clearly what we value" ("The Choice," Ensign, November 1980, p. 21). During our lifetime each of us will have countless decisions to make. Many of them will have great consequences and impact on our lives both here and in eternity. From the time Adam and Eve exercised their freedom of choice (Moses 3:17), their posterity has been faced, as they were, with choices between good and evil. Elder Packer has acknowledged that the crucial test of life ... does not center in the choice between fame and obscurity, nor between wealth and poverty. The greatest decision of life is between good and evil.... Some are tested by poor health, some by a body that is deformed or homely. Others are tested by handsome and healthy bodies; some by the passion of youth; others by the erosions of age. Some suffer disappointment in marriage, family problems; others live in poverty and obscurity. Some (perhaps this is the hardest test) find ease and luxury. [Packer, "The Choice," p. 21] The Book of Mormon emphasizes a recurring theme: the need to choose between being spiritually minded or carnally minded. President Thomas S. Monson has spoken of the importance of choosing between these two kinds of "mindedness" when he said, "We... have the responsibility to choose. We cannot be neutral. There is no middle ground. The Lord knows this; Lucifer knows this" ("3R's of Free Agency," New Era, April 1973, p. 4). My brothers and sisters, how essential it is to make decisions anchored in gospel principles! By seeking the guidance of the Spirit, we can be assured of divine help. We need to remember our covenants and live accordingly in whatever walk of life we find ourselves. You are different from the rest of the world! You are a covenanted people! It is important to remember that in our premortal life we accepted and sustained the divine plan presented there. We understood much of what we would be asked to do. As President Spencer W. Kimball said: We made vows, solemn vows, in the heavens before we came to this mortal life.... We have made covenants. We made them before we accepted our position here on the earth.... We committed ourselves to our Heavenly Father, that if he would send us to the earth and give us bodies and give to us the priceless opportunities that earth life afforded, we would keep our lives clean and would marry in the holy temple and would rear a family and teach them righteousness. This was a solemn oath, a solemn promise. [From a talk at the University of Utah Institute of Religion, 10 January 1975, p. 2] Do not forget that the Lord desires strong marriages and families. These are not easily achieved in today's world where "siren sounds" of materialism, infidelity, and carnal mindedness pull us toward selfishness and pride. The family is in critical condition! Its health is being threatened from many sides. We need not look far for evidence of its deterioration, even within the Church. Addressing 2,000 people at the Conservative Women's Conference in London, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher described the family as the "building block of society," saying it "far surpassed the state in the provision of welfare" and "fashioned the beliefs of succeeding generations." "Policy must be further directed at strengthening the family," she added. "It encompasses the whole of the society. It fashions our beliefs. It is the preparation for the rest of our life." (See Church News, 9 July 1988, p. 5.) President Thomas S. Monson commented on her remarks, noting that "perhaps the world, at long last, is recognizing that strong families play a vital role in the stability of a nation and, indeed, the world" (Church News, 9 July 1988, p. 5). Referring to the home and family as the most important job of all, C. S. Lewis said it "is the one for which all others exist." How desperately we need the training and preparation necessary in these troubled times where marriages and families are disintegrating all around us. It is reassuring that the latest figures from the American Home Economics Association show that BYU has twice as many student members as any other college or university in the state. The rumor that "you can't major in home economics anymore at BYU" can be laid to rest. The home economics (certification) major will continue. We simply cannot do too much in this regard. Too much is at stake. President Benson has declared that Satan seeks to destroy an entire generation. Is he working with you? Will he get to your children? The family is in peril! Let us prepare as never before because we face a spiritual life-and-death time in our families' journey. The greatest help you will ever have in this life is the Holy Ghost! Cultivate him as a friend and constant companion. We are promised that "God shall give unto you knowledge by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now" (D&C 121:26). Think of it! You who have been baptized have received an "unspeakable" power! A power to help with the multitude of decisions, a power to teach, to warn, to comfort. It helps us love more deeply, serve more unselfishly, live more fully. Scriptures, too, will help in the decision-making process. Nephi taught us to "feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3). We are promised that when we read the scriptures, we can testify that we have heard his voice and know his words (see D&C 18:36). Someone has said that when we want to talk to the Lord, we pray, and when he wants to talk to us, it is through the scriptures: "For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another" (D&C 18:35). We need to learn to be obedient, not only to the prophets who lead us today, but to the promptings of the Spirit. Elder Richard G. Scott learned this lesson on a Sunday in Mexico City when he sat listening to a priesthood lesson. The teacher wasn't a great scholar, and his presentation was not polished. But it was obvious that he loved the Lord and his brethren and had a humble desire to share the gospel with them. A sacred feeling enveloped the room. As he listened, Elder Scott received a spiritual confirmation of the lesson's message and also some impressions for his personal benefit. He wrote them down and found that he had been given precious truths he greatly needed to be a more effective servant of the Lord. Through the morning, he continued writing the impressions that poured into his mind and heart. Then Elder Scott said: I don't think my experience in receiving promptings is different from others. But I believe we often leave precious personal direction of the Spirit unheard because we do not record and respond to the first promptings that come to us when we are in need or when impressions come in response to urgent prayer. [Tambuli, February 1990, pp. 22-23] A Commitment to Serve We have talked about prayer, scripture study, and obedience. Of what value are they unless they are accompanied by a commitment to serve others, to build the kingdom of God as Daniel saw it, and to "bring again Zion"? (See D&C 113:8.) So many of us say, "I know the gospel's true, but . . ." This is a terrestrial kind of thinking. We place barriers between what we believe and what we are willing to do to apply it. The Lord has made it abundantly clear that we are to do the work we have seen him do. We demonstrate a celestial attitude when we can truly say, "I know the gospel's true. Therefore . . ." You see the difference? It is precisely because of our faith and testimony of our Savior that we are willing to do what he asks us to do, even to do what needs to be done without being asked! A commitment to serve may be best expressed within our homes. Don't forget--that apartment or dormitory you live in is your home for now, and your roommates are "family." There are countless opportunities in the sphere of your influence at this time to serve, to selflessly place someone else's needs before your own. Are you home teaching? Visiting teaching? Accepting a calling in your ward? Loving your companion? And for those with children--are you teaching and training them? Our service may take us to other places, some far away. We have been told that the first ten missionaries to Czechoslovakia are being processed right now. There isn't even a language training program at the MTC for them yet. What a "leap of faith" for them. May the Lord bless them in their "seemingly insurmountable cliffs." They need only to reach out and take hold with willing hands and place their feet where the Lord will take them. President Thomas S. Monson has described such a "leap of faith" with Elder John H. Groberg. As a lad just twenty, called to the Tongan Mission, he was assigned to an outer island with a native missionary. After eight seasick days and sleepless nights on a storm-tossed sea, they reached their destination. Not one soul on the island spoke English. Here he acquired his gift of the language. Then came a devastating hurricane which struck the isolated island with tropical intensity, destroying the food crop and contaminating the water supply. There was no means of communication with the outside world. The supply boat was not due for almost two months. After four weeks the precious store of food, mainly taro, a native vegetable, was severely rationed. Four additional weeks passed. All food was gone. No help arrived. Bodies became emaciated, hope dwindled, confidence waned, some died. In desperation, John Groberg waded into the swampland where insects covered his face and, with a sweep of his hand, entered his mouth-his only nourishment. The end drew near. The island's inhabitants sat in an idle stupor. One morning, nine weeks from the time of the hurricane, John Groberg felt a gentle hand upon his shoulder. He turned his head and gazed into the eyes of an elderly Tongan man. Slowly and with meticulous care, the old man unwrapped a precious prize, even his most treasured possession--a small can of berry jam. He spoke: "I am old; I think I may die. You are young, you may live. Accept my gift." What were the words penned by Charles Dickens in a Tale of Two Cities? "It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far, better rest that I go to than I have ever known." Add to them the declaration of the Savior: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Then came the speck on the horizon and a shout of joy as the supply ship came into view. [Thomas S. Monson, "The Miracle of the Friendly Islands," CR, 5 October 1968] We learn a lot about Elder Groberg's commitment to serve, but think also of the old Tongan who was willing to give all he had to save another's life. It symbolizes the atonement of one who also was willing to give all for each of us. We were given the power to make choices in the premortal existence. The gift of agency followed us into mortality. We not only can control our choices, but we can control our attitudes. While we may not always be in control of all that happens in our lives, we can yet be in control of how we respond to those events. Don't let your fears of the unknown cause you to procrastinate and paralyze your efforts. In Don Quixote, Sancho Panza spent the night clinging to a window sill for fear of falling to his death, only to discover the next morning that his feet were only a few inches from the ground. Enjoy your journey! Yes, there is a lifetime of mountains to climb, summits to reach. "To miss the joy is to miss it all!" There are valleys as well as peaks, broken bones as well as victory feasts, exhaustion as well as jubilation. And through it all, we can follow our Savior who seems to be saying, "Come, follow me. I am here. The view from where I am is so much better and clearer. I can see the past, present, and future all at the same time and they are continually before me" (see D&C 130:7). May you prepare prayerfully, trusting in the Lord who knows each of you by name and who cares so much that you make the right decisions about what matters most. May you help further the work of these latter days in establishing the "mountain that will fill the whole earth that will stand forever," I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. "WHERE THERE IS NO VISION" L. Tom Perry L. Tom Perry is a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This fireside talk was given on 25 March 1990 in the Marriott Center. A few years ago on an assignment to Tonga, I was asked to speak to the student body at the Liahona School. As we gathered on the stand, I gazed out over 900 beautiful students seated before me in the school's cultural hall. After the opening exercises and a special musical number, the entire student body entered into a scripture chase. Scriptural questions were introduced, and all the students who could immediately find the answer in the scriptures would turn to it and then stand up signifying their success in locating the correct scripture. After each question, a number were eliminated. Finally, only six students remained. They were brought up to the front of the hall for the final challenge. To make everything even, they were invited to place their scriptures on their heads. The instructor would then read the question, and the participants would reach for their scriptures, take them from their heads, find the scriptures, and then hold up their hands signifying success. The first hand in the air was the scripture chase champion. The young lady who was the winner was absolutely amazing! She placed the scriptures on her head, listened intently to the question, bowed her head, and her scriptures would fall open in her hands on the page with the correct answer. She was so efficient I thought there must be some trick attached to the game. So I asked the instructor for the list of questions and gave her my set of scriptures. Then I challenged the six students to respond to the question that I would ask, requiring her to use my scriptures to find the answer. She was clearly the winner again, even using my set of scriptures. She was truly a most remarkable young lady. Tonight I want to use a scripture chase to demonstrate the theme I want to address this evening. I am going to ask four students to participate with me in a scripture chase. The first will be using a Bible printed in 1842, probably a Bible similar to the one the Prophet was using in his studies. The second will use one I carried with me into the mission field in the early 1940s. The third will use our latest edition, printed in 1979. The fourth student will be using the computerized scriptures program, LDSView. The 1842 edition has a concordance. My mission field edition has a ready reference. The 1979 edition has a topical guide. The computer has a program. I will present the scripture I will use as my theme this evening and ask each of the students to find the scripture using the helps each one has available to locate the reference. The scripture is Proverbs 29:18: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Of course, it was obvious even before this demonstration was started that the computer would be much more rapid than the scriptures we have used before. Scholarship and technology have opened to us new visions and new opportunities to grow and understand as never before. The demonstration also begs the question, Where do we stand as individuals in using these wonderful, beautiful techniques the world is supplying for us today? Are we still scriptorians of the 1842s, the 1940s, the 1979s, or are we so excited about what the world has to offer for us in this age that we're eager to take advantage of each opportunity presented to us? Opportunities to Benefit Our Fellowmen The key word in the scripture we used in our scripture chase is vision. The dictionary has four specific definitions for the word vision. First, "something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy; a supernatural appearance that conveys a revelation." The second, "the act or power of imagination; mode of seeing or conceiving; unusual discernment or foresight." The third meaning, "the act or power of seeing; sight." The last and fourth definition is "something seen; a lovely or charming sight." The one I would like to make reference to here tonight is the second definition: "the act or power of imagination; mode of seeing or conceiving; unusual discernment or foresight." We are living in a most remarkable period of change. Look what has happened in just the last few months. A short time ago bold headlines on the front of Time magazine declared, "Freedom! The Wall crumples overnight. Berliners embrace in unbelievable joy, and a stunned world ponders the consequences." The article inside goes on to say, For twenty-eight years it has stood as a symbol of the division of Europe and the world, the Berlin Wall, that hideous, twenty-eight mile-long scar through the heart of the once-proud European capital--not to mention the souls of the people. And then, poof! It was gone, not physically, at least yet, but gone as an effective barrier between the East and West, opening in one unthinkable, stunning stroke to the people who had been kept apart for more than a generation. It was one of those rare times when history shifts beneath men's feet, and nothing after is quite the same. Once there was a break in the wall, there was no way of containing the spirit of the people and their desire to have freedom. A little more than a month later, after these two remarkable articles, the Romanians were trying to comprehend their new-found freedom. A news correspondent for the Associated Press on December thirtieth wrote: In a passion that fueled Romanian revolution, freedom was spoken again and again. But to a people forced to register even their typewriters, the full meaning of the exotic word was difficult to grasp. "What is it to live free, to travel free, to speak free?" said a young medical student. "We have only seen darkness and silence." Over the moans of the wounded in the crowded hospital ward, she and some fellow volunteers considered what the term 'freedom" meant. "We cannot realize what freedom is," said another student. "You grow up in freedom, and you do not realize what it means to us." She paused and frowned and apologized for poor English. "I am sorry," she said, "I learn English eleven years, and this is the first time I speak it." We don't know what freedom means. We don't know what to do with freedom. We have no experience, no model, no ideal. As I have witnessed these exciting events during the last few months, the privilege of living under a system that grants to us the right to live free suddenly has become much more meaningful to me. Maybe it is time for us to listen to their cries and with self-determination make every effort to really understand what this great, God-given blessing means to us here in mortality. Now other nations are anxious for the light of freedom we have enjoyed for over two hundred years. We should become a beacon to lead them to more fulfilling lives. Never has the opportunity and challenge been greater to make our system work the way it was intended than it is today. We are assembled here as a body of students seeking a higher education. What talent and innate abilities we have brought together under this Marriott Center roof! Let us sit and reason together for a few minutes on how we can maximize the potential power that is in each of us for the benefit of our fellowmen. The first step would be to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available to us at these institutions in which we are currently enrolled. There is a New Testament scripture that reads: For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. [Luke 14:28-30] I am afraid there are many of us who have approached our education and life without a vision of what we want or where we want to go. We have not used our power of imagination, or any mode of seeing or conceiving, or any discernment or foresight. Often I meet full-time missionaries in the field who are ready to return to their homes after completing very successful missions. I ask them, "What comes next?" Some answer, "I am going to return to school." "What are your education objectives?" I ask. The answers come back: doctors, lawyers, merchants, or some other field. I meet them some months later after they are enrolled in a university or college, and I inquire how their plans are progressing. Many answer, "Oh, I have changed my mind. I am not going to be a doctor. I didn't like the chemistry requirements." The next question, "What are you pursuing now?" The answer is all too often, "I am in university studies until I can determine the direction I should take." Now there is nothing wrong with university studies if it is a well thought-out objective that will lead to something. If it is just a way of marking time until you determine a career you want to pursue, then you are wasting your own precious time and resources and those of the university you are attending. There was an article in the newspaper the other night that said most university students are taking six years to complete a four-year course. The main reason for the extended time was the periodic change of majors. For a number of reasons, some of you are approaching your schooling as if you are going to the grocery store and using your hard-earned money to purchase four sacks of groceries, paying for all four, and then leaving one on the check stand and walking out. Not taking advantage of your opportunities in a timely fashion, whether here or in any college or university, creates at least two problems. First, there is a great personal loss to you in both time and resources. Second, you are creating a burden on the Church and/or the state, who carry much of the financial commitment for your education. You are occupying a place and using a resource that someone else could use--one who has not been able to enroll because the schools are filled and, in fact, over their capacities to accept new students. If you are still searching for the direction in which you would like your life to go, maybe time away from school would help you catch the vision you need to give you a direction to pursue. It is not my objective here tonight to discourage any of you from earnestly seeking after the best education you are capable of obtaining. Without it, you place yourself in a disadvantaged position in an ever-changing world. What I am trying to say is pray, study, seek, plan, test, discuss, and earnestly strive not for the easy and comfortable way, but for the soul-satisfying, diligent, energetic course that will lead you to the opportunities you are seeking. Enrollment at a school of higher learning is not classified under the heading of an "entitlement" as a result of your birthright, but as a privilege to be appreciated and taken advantage of to the best of your abilities. Opportunities for Growth I want to leave you with a couple of concepts to remind you that setting goals brings growth. Thoreau reminded us that men were born to succeed and not to fail. The line between success and failure may be so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it. Often we throw up our hands at times when a little effort and a little more patience would have achieved success. Persistence can turn what seems to be hopeless failure into joyous success. There is no failure except in no longer trying. Failure is not in falling down, but in staying down. There is a single factor that makes for successful living. It is the ability to draw dividends from defeat. I would like to talk about the premise that growth is the only sign of real life. We accept this premise in the plant kingdom, and each spring we look for signs of growth to determine if plants have survived the winter and are indeed alive. I believe this is also true for individuals, for families, for businesses, for the Church. Growth is essential to maintain life and vitality. When we think of growth, most of us think of just adding. Growth really has three dimensions: adding, shedding and, perhaps the most important, leveraging our natural God-given talents and strengths. I believe success in any and all dimensions of our lives comes primarily from leveraging our strengths and gifts. I would define "leveraging" for our purpose tonight as using the power and effectiveness we have within us to organize our strengths to gain greater advantage from them. When I am in need of special motivation to leverage myself toward greater accomplishment, I find that events recorded in the scriptures always seem to inspire and never grow old. Let me use as an example the story of Joseph in Egypt. Imagine you are Joseph and you find yourself in this situation. In Genesis, chapter 37, we read a remarkable story about a family who had a large number of boys. One of the sons, Joseph, was loved by his father more than his other brothers. To show his love and appreciation for his son, his father made him a coat of many colors. "And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him" (Genesis 37:4). Joseph didn't help matters much. He dreamed dreams and then would tell them to his brethren, and they hated him even more. Can you imagine how they felt about a dream like this? He said to his brothers: Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. [Genesis 37:6-8] To complicate the process, his father allowed Joseph to stay home with him, and sent his brethren out into the fields to tend the flocks. Every now and then he would send Joseph out to check up on his brothers. One day when they saw him coming from afar, they felt as if they could stand him no longer and conspired to slay him. They conceived a plan whereby they would kill him and cast him into a pit, then tell their father some wild beast had devoured Joseph. One of them had compassion on Joseph and did not want the blood of his brother on his hands. He persuaded his brothers to just cast him into a pit where they would not be responsible for his death. Another brother saw a caravan coming from a distance on its way to Egypt and said: What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. [Genesis 37:26-27] And they took their seventeen-year-old brother and sold him as a slave to a caravan going into Egypt, a strange land where they spoke a strange tongue and had strange customs. But the Lord was with this remarkable young man, and he seemed never to be discouraged. Though a stranger and a slave, his countenance must have radiated a special spirit. When offered for sale, he was purchased by a captain of the king's guard. It was only a short time before Joseph had so distinguished himself to the captain that he was made ruler over the whole house. In authority he was the first servant, and he was made overseer over all the captain had, and the captain put his complete trust, his properties, and his income into the hands of Joseph. Joseph was a "goodly person" and achieved a position of prominence through the help of the Lord. But trouble began again. This handsome, young man attracted the eyes of the wife of the captain of the guard. One day when he was working alone in the house, she heard him and came in and put her hand on his coat. Joseph, being a righteous young man, knew that this was no place for him, and he loosed himself from the garment she held and fled. The wife was left holding Joseph's garment in her hand. The scriptures record that he "got him out" (Genesis 39:12). Let me point out here that Joseph knew enough to physically remove himself from this situation. He did not stay and permit himself to be tempted when he knew it was wrong. When her husband returned home, she told a terrible story about Joseph, and the captain became so angry he had Joseph cast into prison. Once again in his young life, he found himself in great difficulty--this time in prison. But Joseph was not easily discouraged. He set about to become the best prisoner in the prison, and he gained favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison--insomuch so that the scriptures record, "And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it" (Genesis 39:22). You see, Joseph was given the position of the highest prisoner, and all the prisoners were turned over to his charge. Again in difficult circumstances, Joseph became the best--even as a prisoner he chose the course that led to his growth. Cast into prison shortly after Joseph were two of the king's officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. Joseph soon became acquainted with them. Both of them had dreams, and they asked him to interpret their dreams. Joseph was able to do this because he was a righteous man. To one he said, "You will not get out of prison, but lose your life here." To the other he said, "You will soon have the opportunity of returning to your position of honor with the pharaoh." Then he asked the one who would soon be restored to his former position to please remember him to the pharaoh so he could be released from prison. The chief butler was restored to his position of prominence in the king's service, but forgot all about Joseph in prison for two full years. One day the king had a dream that none of the wise men could interpret. When the chief butler remembered Joseph, he went to the king and said there was a man in prison who could interpret the dream. The pharaoh sent for Joseph. And Joseph, with the inspiration of the Lord, interpreted the king's dream. The king was so impressed with Joseph that he released him from prison and made him one of his servants. Joseph again so distinguished himself that he became chief in all the land, second only to the pharaoh himself. He turned every situation he encountered into an opportunity for growth. Because of the service Joseph rendered, the pharaoh said unto his servants, "Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" (Genesis 41:38). The pharaoh recognized that he was, indeed, directed by the Lord when he said unto Joseph, "Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art" (Genesis 41:39). Do you see what Joseph's response was when he was faced with problems? He leveraged every opportunity to take advantage of his situation, to place himself in a position where he could grow, progress, and achieve. In order to maximize our growth, we must identify and be clear on what our natural gifts and talents are. These can be determined in a number of ways, including patriarchal blessings, keeping a track record of our accomplishments, specific testing, talking to others, etc. In our life's planning, if we want to have optimal opportunities for success, we need to align ourselves with our natural strengths and gifts. Struggles Make Us Stronger We need to consistently and carefully select a few items to add to our growth, including ways of thinking about things, behavior, specific capabilities, and knowledge of skills. In addition to adding, we also need to identify the one or two items that seem to get in our way, that are barriers to our growth, and then shed them. These might include ways of thinking about things or behavior or habits or lack of decision making or whatever they may be. This approach to growth recognizes individual uniqueness and the distinctiveness God has given each one of us, and then positions us to leverage our uniqueness and distinctiveness for our success. This does not assume the path of least resistance, nor does it presume any particular measure of success. It does not assume an economic measure, but rather focuses on becoming all that we can become. Let us look at learning. A. G. Bennett, in his book on transformation (Claremont Publications, 1978), says: The ability to learn is so precious a quality that it cannot disappear from the perfected man. To be able to learn is to be young, and whosoever keeps the joy of learning fresh within him remains young forever. The ignorant man is like a prisoner that languishes in a narrow cell that will become his grave, because he has not learned that the door is not locked. Everyone can find within himself or herself inward attitudes of mind and outward habits of behavior that are contrary to their own ideals. Struggle with oneself could also be called self-discipline. Through struggle we become stronger. By ceasing to struggle, we grow weaker. So long as we are dissatisfied and do not know what we really want, we shall probably do plenty of foolish things. Self-knowledge and struggle with oneself go hand in hand. Organize your struggles. Choose with what you will struggle. Persistence will do what cannot be achieved by force--persistence is the twin sister of excellence. Do not be afraid of struggle. Remember that what is a present struggle is a key to future happiness. Never stop to regret failures or to excuse them. Paul encouraged us to forget our failures and move on when he told the Philippians, "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before" (Philippians 3:13). President Spencer W. Kimball has said that life gives to all a choice. We can satisfy ourselves with mediocrity. We can be common, ordinary, dull, colorless, or we can so channel our lives to be clean, vibrant, progressive, colorful, and rich. [TSWK, p. 161] My prayer for all of us here tonight is that with this life of choices we may realize who we are and the potential we have, that we may start today disciplining ourselves to reach for higher goals, to study, to learn, to grow, to determine the course we want to follow as we go through the opportunities of this great mortal experience. We must catch the vision of who we really are, for "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18). The Lord will truly bless us mightily with his spirit if we only do our part and utilize the talents and opportunities he has given us, setting our direction on a course that will lead us back to his presence. It is always a joy to come to this great place to be with you vibrant, alive students who have so much to offer the world. What a privilege we're having! What an opportunity! What a contribution we can make to the world in which we live if we'll only follow the counsel, study, listen, grow, and realize our potential here. Never be satisfied with where you are. Always be reaching out to make the world a better place, to make your sacrifice for the benefit of your fellowmen. Start tomorrow morning with your roommate. Get up and do something nice for her or him. It might be quite a shock to them the first time you try it. We don't want to have any heart attacks in the morning, so start with something slow and easy. But see what light that brings into your life as you have the opportunity to make that kind of a contribution. We leave our blessing on each one of you that you may realize your great potential and opportunity--that you may seize upon it and use this opportunity to do the best you can to bring joy and happiness into a great and troubled world. The Lord lives. Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. He has led the way, not through an easy life, but through one most difficult, to give us the greatest of all blessings. May we follow and be his disciples as we progress through life is my prayer, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. BELIEVING CHRIST: A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO THE ATONEMENT Stephen E. Robinson Stephen E. Robinson is a professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. This devotional talk was delivered on 29 May 1990 in the de Jong Concert Hall. The greatest dichotomy, the greatest problem in the entire universe, consists of two facts. The first we can read in Doctrine and Covenants 1:31: "For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." That means he can't stand it, he can't tolerate it, he can't blink, or look the other way, or sweep it under the rug. He can't tolerate sin in the least degree. The other side of the dichotomy is very simply put: I sin, and so do you. If that were all there were to the equation the conclusion would be inescapable that we, as sinful beings, cannot be tolerated in the presence of God. But that is not all there is to the equation. This morning I would like to talk to you about the Atonement of Christ, that glorious plan by which this dichotomy can be resolved. I would like to share with you incidents from my own life that illustrate how the Atonement works in a practical, everyday setting. Believing Christ First is a story about my son, Michael, who did something wrong when he was six or seven years old. He's my only son, and I'm hard on him. I want him to be better than his dad was, even as a boy, and so I lean on him and expect a great deal. Well, he had done something I thought was incredibly vile, and I let him know how terrible it was. I sent him to his room with the instructions, "Don't you dare come out until I come and get you." And then I forgot. It was some hours later, as I was watching television, that I heard his door open and heard the tentative footsteps coming down the hall. I said, "Oh, my gosh," and ran to my end of the hall to see him standing with swollen eyes and tears on his cheeks at the other end. He looked up at me--he wasn't quite sure he should have come out--and said, "Dad, can't we ever be friends again?" Well, I melted, ran to him, and hugged him. He's my boy, and I love him. Like Michael, we all do things that disappoint our Father, that separate us from his presence and spirit. There are times when we get sent to our rooms spiritually. There are sins that maim; there are sins that wound our spirits. Some of you know what it is like to do something that makes you feel as if you just drank raw sewage. You can wash, but you can never get clean. When that happens, sometimes we ask the Lord as we lift up our eyes, "O Father, can't we ever be friends again?" The answer that can be found in all the scriptures is a resounding "Yes, through the Atonement of Christ." I particularly like the way it is put in Isaiah 1:18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. l like to paraphrase that for my students. What the Lord is saying is "I don't care what you did. It doesn't matter what you did. I can erase it. I can make you pure and worthy and innocent and celestial." Brothers and sisters, to have faith in Jesus Christ is not merely to believe that he is who he says he is, to believe in Christ. Sometimes, to have faith in Christ is also to believe Christ. Both as a bishop and as a teacher in the Church, I have learned there are many that believe Jesus is the Son of God and that he is the Savior of the World, but that he cannot save them. They believe in his identity, but not in his power to cleanse and to purify and to save. To have faith in his identity is only half the process. To have faith in his ability, in his power to cleanse and to save, that is the other half. We must not only believe in Christ, we must believe Christ when he says, "I can cleanse you and make you celestial." When I was a bishop, I used to hear several variations on a theme. Sometimes it was, "Bishop, I've punched my ticket wrong. I've just made mistakes that have gotten me off on the wrong track, and you can't get there from here." I've heard those who say, "Bishop, I've sinned too horribly. I can't have the full blessings of the gospel because I did this, or I did that. I'll come to Church, and I'll be active, and I'm hoping for a pretty good reward, but I couldn't receive the full blessings of exaltation in the celestial kingdom after what I've done." There are those members who say, "Bishop, I'm just an average Saint. I'm weak and imperfect, and I don't have all the talents that Sister So-and-So does, or Brother So-and-So does. I'll never be in the bishopric, or I'll never be the Relief Society president. I'm just average. I hope for a place a little further down." All of these are variations of the same theme: "I do not believe Christ can do what he claims. I have no faith in his ability to exalt me." My favorite is a fellow who said to me once, "Bishop, I'm just not celestial material." Well, I'd had enough, so I said back to him, "Why don't you admit your problem? You're not celestial material? Welcome to the club. None of us are! None of us qualify on the terms of perfection required for the presence of God by ourselves. Why don't you just admit that you don't have faith in the ability of Christ to do what he says he can do?" He got angry. He had always believed in Christ. He said, "I have a testimony of Jesus. I believe in Christ." I said, "Yes, you believe in Christ. You simply do not believe Christ, because he says even though you are not celestial material, he can make you celestial material." Why He Is Called the Savior Sometimes the weight of the demand for perfection drives us to despair. Sometimes we fail to believe that most choice portion of the gospel that says he can change us and bring us into his kingdom. Let me share an experience that happened about ten years ago. My wife and I were living in Pennsylvania. Things were going pretty well; I'd been promoted. It was a good year for us, though a trying year for Janet. That year she had our fourth child, graduated from college, passed the CPA exam, and was made Relief Society president. We had temple recommends, we had family home evening. I was in the bishopric. I thought we were headed for "LDS yuppiehood." Then one night the lights went out. Something happened in my wife that I can only describe as "dying spiritually." She wouldn't talk about it; she wouldn't tell me what was wrong. That was the worst part. For a couple of weeks she did not wish to participate in spiritual things. She asked to be released from her callings, and she would not open up and tell me what was wrong. Finally, after about two weeks, one night I made her mad and it came out. She said, "All right. You want to know what's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong. I can't do it anymore. I can't lift it. I can't get up at 5:30 in the morning and bake bread and sew clothes and help my kids with their homework and do my own homework and do my Relief Society stuff and get my genealogy done and write the congressman and go to the PTA meetings and write the missionaries . . ." And she just started naming one brick after another that had been laid on her, explaining all the things she could not do. She said, "I don't have the talent that Sister Morrell has. I can't do what Sister Childs does. I try not to yell at the kids, but I lose control, and I do. I'm just not perfect, and I'm not ever going to be perfect. I'm not going to make it to the celestial kingdom, and I've finally admitted that to myself. You and the kids can go, but I can't lift it. I'm not 'Molly Mormon,' and I'm not ever going to be perfect, so I've given up. Why break my back?" Well, we started to talk, and it was a long night. I asked her, "Janet, do you have a testimony?" She said, "Of course I do! That's what's so terrible. I know it's true. I just can't do it." "Have you kept the covenants you made when you were baptized?" She said, "I've tried and I've tried, but I cannot keep all the commandments all the time." Then I rejoiced because I knew what was wrong, and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It wasn't any of those horrible things I thought it might be. Who would have thought after eight years of marriage, after all the lessons we'd given and heard, and after all we had read and done in the Church, who would have thought that Janet did not know the gospel of Jesus Christ? You see, she was trying to save herself. She knew why Jesus is a coach, a cheerleader, an advisor, a teacher. She knew why he is an example, the head of the Church, the Elder Brother, or even God. She knew all of that, but she did not understand why he is called the Savior. Janet was trying to save herself with Jesus as an advisor. Brothers and sisters, we can't. No one can. No one is perfect--not even the Brethren. Please turn to Ether 3:2. This is about one of the greatest prophets that ever lived, the brother of Jared. His faith is so great that he is about to pierce the veil and see the spiritual body of Christ. As he begins to pray, he says, Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; [One of the greatest prophets who ever lived, and he starts his prayer with an apology as an imperfect being for approaching a perfect God.] for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee, because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires. Of course we fail at the celestial level. That's why we need a savior, and we are commanded to approach God and to call upon him so we may receive according to our desires. In the New Testament the Savior says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). We misinterpret that frequently. We think that means blessed are the righteous. It does not. When are you hungry? When are you thirsty? When you don't have the object of your desire. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after the righteousness that God has, after the righteousness of the celestial kingdom, because as that is the desire of their heart, they can achieve it--they will be filled. We may receive "according to our desires." Becoming One Perfection comes through the Atonement of Christ. We become one with him, with a perfect being. And as we become one, there is a merger. Some of my students are studying business, and they understand it better if I talk in business terms. You take a small bankrupt firm that's about ready to go under and merge it with a corporate giant. What happens? Their assets and liabilities flow together, and the new entity that is created is solvent. It's like when Janet and I got married. I was overdrawn; Janet had money in the bank. By virtue of making that commitment, of entering into that covenant relationship of marriage with my wife, we became a joint account. No longer was there an I, and no longer a she--now it was we. My liabilities and her assets flowed into each other, and for the first time in months I was in the black. Spiritually, this is what happens when we enter into the covenant relationship with our Savior. We have liabilities, he has assets. He proposes to us a covenant relationship. I use the word "propose" on purpose because it is a marriage of a spiritual sort that is being proposed. That is why he is called the Bridegroom. This covenant relationship is so intimate that it can be described as a marriage. I become one with Christ, and as partners we work together for my salvation and my exaltation. My liabilities and his assets flow into each other. I do all that I can do, and he does what I cannot yet do. The two of us together are perfect. This is why the Savior says in Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." What heavier load is there than the demand for perfection, that you must do it all, that you must make yourself perfect in this life before you can have any hope in the next? What heavier burden is there than that? That is the yoke of the law. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. [Matthew 11:28-30] "Trust Me- Turn, if you will, to 2 Nephi 4:17-19. You know the prophet Nephi. He was one of the great prophets, yet he had a sense of his need for the Savior and his reliance upon the Savior. He says, O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins. Did Nephi have an appreciation for his mortal condition, for his need of the Savior to be saved from his sins? Oh yes, and the key is what comes next, "nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted." All right, I'm imperfect. My sins bother me. I'm not celestial yet, but I know in whom I have trusted. Nephi trusted in the power of Jesus Christ to cleanse him of his sins and to bring him into the kingdom of God. I had a friend who used to say quite frequently, "Well, I figure my life is half over, and I'm halfway to the celestial kingdom, so I'm right on schedule." One day I asked her, "Judy, what happens if you die tomorrow?" It was the first time that thought had ever occurred to her. "Let's see, halfway to the celestial kingdom is ... mid-terrestrial! That's not good enough! " We need to know that in this covenant relationship we have with the Savior, if we should die tomorrow, we have hope of the celestial kingdom. That hope is one of the promised blessings of the covenant relationship. Yet many of us do not understand it or take advantage of it. When our twin daughters were small, we decided to take them to the public pool and teach them how to swim. I remember starting with Rebekah. As I went down into the water with Rebekah, I thought, "I'm going to teach her how to swim." But as we went down into the water, in her mind was the thought, "My dad is going to drown me. I'm going to die!" The water was only three and a half feet deep, but Becky was only three feet deep. She was so petrified that she began to scream and cry and kick and scratch and was unteachable. Finally, I just had to grab her. I threw my arms around her, and I just held her, and I said, "Becky, I've got you. I'm your dad. I love you. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. Now relax." Bless her heart, she trusted me. She relaxed, and I put my arms under her and said, "Okay, now kick your legs." And we began to learn how to swim. Spiritually there are some of us who are similarly petrified by the questions "Am I celestial? Am I going to make it? Was I good enough today?" We're so terrified of whether we're going to live or die, or whether we've made it to the kingdom or not, that we cannot make any progress. It's at those times when the Savior grabs us and throws his arms around us and says, "I've got you. I love you. I'm not going to let you die. Now relax and trust me." If we can relax and trust him and believe him, as well as believe in him, then together we can begin to learn to live the gospel. Then he puts his arms under us and says, "Okay, now pay tithing. Very good. Now pay a full tithing" And so we begin to make progress. Turn to Alma 34:14-16. And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal. And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name, this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety. "The arms of safety"--that is my favorite phrase from the Book of Mormon. Brothers and sisters, do Mormons believe in being saved? If I ask my classes that question with just the right twang in my voice, "Do we believe in being saved?" I can generally get about a third of my students to shake their heads and say, "Oh no, no! Those other guys believe in that." What a tragedy! Brothers and sisters, we believe in being saved. That's why Jesus is called the Savior. What good is it to have a savior if no one is saved? It's like having a lifeguard that won't get out of the chair. "There goes another one down. Try the backstroke! Oh, too bad, he didn't make it." We have a savior who can save us from ourselves, from what we lack, from our imperfections, from the carnal individual within us. Turn to Doctrine and Covenants 76:6869. In Joseph's vision of the celestial kingdom, he describes those who are there in these terms: These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all. These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. Just men and women, good men and women, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, made perfect through Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. Give Him All That We Have As my wife and I talked about her feeling of inadequacy and her feeling that she couldn't do it and that she couldn't make it, I had a hard time reaching her until finally I hit upon something that had happened in our family just a couple of months earlier. In our home it is now called the parable of the bicycle. After I had come home from school one day, I was sitting in a chair reading the newspaper My daughter Sarah, who was seven years old, came in and said, "Dad, can I have a bike? I'm the only kid on the block who doesn't have a bike." Well, I didn't have enough money to buy her a bike, so I stalled her and said, "Sure, Sarah." She said, "How? When?" I said, "You save all your pennies, and pretty soon you'll have enough for a bike." And she went away. A couple of weeks later as I was sitting in the same chair, I was aware of Sarah doing something for her mother and getting paid. She went into the other room and I heard "clink, clink." I asked, "Sarah, what are you doing?" She came out and she had a little jar all cleaned up with a slit cut in the lid and a bunch of pennies in the bottom. She looked at me and said, "You promised me that if I saved all my pennies, pretty soon I'd have enough for a bike. And, Daddy, I've saved every single one of them." She's my daughter, and I love her. My heart melted. She was doing everything in her power to follow my instructions. I hadn't actually lied to her. If she saved all of her pennies she would eventually have enough for a bike, but by then she would want a car. But her needs weren't being met. Because I love her, I said, "Let's go downtown and look at bikes." We went to every store in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Finally we found it--the perfect bicycle, the one she knew in the premortal existence. She got up on that bike; she was thrilled. She then saw the price tag, reached down, and turned it over. When she saw how much it cost, her face fell and she started to cry. She said, "Oh Dad, I'll never have enough for a bicycle." So I said, "Sarah, how much do you have?" She answered, "Sixty-one cents." "I'll tell you what. You give me everything you've got and a hug and a kiss, and the bike is yours." Well, she's never been stupid. She gave me a hug and a kiss. She gave me the sixty-one cents. Then I had to drive home very slowly because she wouldn't get off the bike. She rode home on the sidewalk, and as I drove along slowly beside her it occurred to me that this was a parable for the Atonement of Christ. We all want something desperately--it isn't a bicycle. We want the celestial kingdom. We want to be with our Father in Heaven. And no matter how hard we try, we come up short. At some point we realize, "I can't do this!" That was the point my wife had reached. It is at that point that the sweetness of the gospel covenant comes to our taste as the Savior proposes, "I'll tell you what. All right, you're not perfect. How much do you have? What can you do? Where are you now? Give me all you've got, and I'll pay the rest. Give me a hug and a kiss; enter into a personal relationship with me, and I will do what remains undone." There is good news and bad news here. The bad news is that he still requires our best effort. We must try, we must work--we must do all that we can. But the good news is that having done all we can, it is enough--for now. Together we'll make progress in the eternities, and eventually we will become perfect--but in the meantime, we are perfect only in a partnership, in a covenant relationship with him. Only by tapping his perfection can we hope to qualify. When I explained to Janet how it worked, finally I broke through and she understood. She bloomed. I remember her saying through her tears, "I've always believed he is the Son of God. I have always believed that he suffered and died for me. But now I know that he can save me from myself, from my sins, from my weakness, inadequacy, and lack of talent." Oh, brothers and sisters, how many of us forget the words of 2 Nephi 2:8: There is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah. There is no other way. Many of us are trying to save ourselves, holding the Atonement of Jesus Christ at arm's distance and saying, "When I've done it, when I've perfected myself, when I've made myself worthy, then I'll be worthy of the Atonement. Then I will allow him in." We cannot do it. That's like saying, "When I am well, I'll take the medicine. I'll be worthy of it then." That's not how it was designed to work. There is a hymn--it is one of my favorites--that says, "Dearly, dearly has he loved! And we must love him too, And trust in his redeeming blood, And try his works to do" ("There Is a Green Hill Far Away," Hymns, 1985, no. 194). I think one of the reasons why I love that hymn so much is because it expresses both sides of that covenant relationship. We must try his works to do with all that is in us. We must do all that we can, and having done all, then we must trust in his redeeming blood and in his ability to do for us what we cannot yet do. Elder McConkie used to call this being in the gospel harness. When we are in the gospel harness, when we are pulling for the kingdom with our eyes on that goal, although we are not yet there, we can have confidence that just as that is our goal in life, so it will be our goal in eternity. Through the Atonement of Christ we can have hope of achieving and an expectation of receiving that goal. I bear testimony to you that this is true. I have learned this lesson in my life. My family has learned this lesson in our collective life. I bear testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he is the Savior of the World, that he is our individual Savior, if we will only enter into that glorious covenant relationship with him and give him all that we have. Whether it be sixty-one cents or a dollar and a half or two cents, hold nothing back, give it all, and then have faith and trust in his ability to do for us what we cannot yet accomplish, to make up what we yet lack of perfection. I bear testimony of him. I love him. I love his gospel dearly, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. THE FRUITS OF OBEDIENCE Richard G. Scott Richard G. Scott is a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This fireside address was given on 3 June 1990 in the Marriott Center. Whenever I approach this campus, there is something special that stirs within my soul. There is always a freshness, an air of growth and of development. A feeling of significant activity is in the air. There is almost an aroma of new beginnings, of goals made and in the process of being attained, of maturing careers, and of powerfully developing spirits. I have not visited Utah Valley Community College, but I imagine one would have similar feelings there. I come to you as a friend with a sincere desire to help each of you obtain the greatest benefit from your investment of time and effort at Brigham Young University or Utah Valley Community College. My message results from much thought and prayer over an extended period of time. It has been prepared as if I were talking to a son or daughter or very close friend--communicating what I know will help provide increased, lasting benefit from this critical period of intense preparation for your future. I realize some of you are not currently students, but I feel the principles can be of equal value in your lives. I pray that you can understand the intensity of my feeling and conviction regarding the principles I will discuss. May there come promptings to you from the Lord through the Holy Ghost regarding their application in your life. I feel the spirit and environment are right for that to occur. To You Who Are Automatic In the honest candor I want to characterize the time we spend together, I recognize there is a considerable group of you that will more easily understand what I say because of decisions you have already made. I pray that others who have not made the same personal commitments will be prompted to do so tonight, for my counsel will have limited value until that foundation is established. Let me explain more specifically with an example. Some years ago, I received an unexpected high school graduation present. It was a beautiful watch. Each night I carefully wound it and placed it in its case. During the day, I looked at it far more frequently than necessary because of the love I felt it communicated. As the years went by and there were more and more things to do, I often neglected to wind the watch. Consequently, it stopped running, often when I most needed it. Then it was of no value for its prime mission--that of telling time. Like many of you today, I wear an automatic watch. It is consistent and helpful. It always tells me the correct time. When I am in a foreign country, it wakes me at the appointed hour and does a lot of other useful things. Most of all, it is totally dependable. I never need to worry whether I can count on it or not. I realize that just as there are differences in watches, there are differences in students. Some need winding up, and many others are automatic because of important decisions they have already made. Those of you who need continuing guidance and direction and a jump start early in the morning or help late at night I leave in the hands of the marvelous people who are here to help you. They are represented by President Rex Lee and President Kerry Romsberg and their wives, the faculties and staffs of BYU and UVCC, the priesthood brethren represented by these dear friends here on the stand, and other students who will reach out to you to wind you up when you need it. I know you are in good hands. My message today is to the other group, those of you who are automatic, who have made those decisions in life to be true and faithful to the teachings of the Lord and to live your lives by faith when you cannot see the end from the beginning. I speak to you who, when faced with alternatives, unwaveringly choose to follow those that are consistent with the teachings of the Savior. I speak to you who are automatic, who in your lives have decided that while you will work to obtain enough for the needs of a family, you will not set your hearts on the acquisition of wealth and power but will serve and be led by the Lord in all you do. I know the criticism you sometimes receive. I know of those who would call you fanatical, who cannot understand why you don't do what everyone else in the world seems to do. Yours is a future without limit because you have decided to be unwavering in obedience to the Lord. You cannot today fully imagine what you will accomplish in life. Yet your quiet, uncompromising determination to live a righteous life will couple you with inspiration and power beyond your imagination. Before I speak of the principles I want to share to help you maximize the benefit of your effort and time as a student, I will point out some of the fruits of obedience that have or will assuredly come to you because of your determination to obey the Lord under all circumstances. One is peace, peace in a world where that word is hardly understood, let alone experienced. When all the challenges pour down on you, you will have a quiet inner feeling of support. You will be prompted to know what to do. You can live in a world of turmoil and great challenge and be at peace. A second fruit is integrity. Integrity is the hallmark of a righteous man or woman. It is the root of trust. It acts as cement in worthy human relationships and is the foundation of spiritual communication. Oh, how the world suffers today because of dwindling integrity. Within your sphere of influence you can build on the bulwark of your integrity. Discipline is another fruit you harvest through obedience. To be disciplined is to provide order and consistency to your life. It will permit higher priority matters to rule over those that are of lesser consequence. Righteous discipline is the backbone of noble character. Your discipline will help you to consistently make correct choices in the use of your time and will facilitate the proper use of your agency. Self-discipline negates the need for forced discipline. One of the most self-disciplined men I know is Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Council of the Twelve. Recently, during a missionary meeting in Nicaragua, he was asked by one of the elders what were some of the principle messages of the April general conference. Drawing from his meticulously disciplined mind, he began with President Hunter and summarized in order the content of the messages of each member of the Twelve and the counselors in the First Presidency. Would a disciplined mind like that help you as a student? His was not a gift. He has worked conscientiously to discipline his mind. Another fruit is the capacity to work and to receive the joy that comes from productive work. President Hinckley once said to a group of missionaries, "The great accomplishments of the world are not reached by extraordinary individuals, but by common souls that work in an extraordinary way." I was in a mission president's seminar where one of the Brethren stood to introduce the next speaker. He said, "I can present him with three words--work, work, work." Humbly, Elder Spencer W. Kimball stood and said, "Oh, I know some of the Brethren say I work long hours, but I have to because I'm such a dull blade." His combination of great capacity and devoted, consistent hard work yielded a bounteous harvest of worthwhile results that continue to bless profoundly many lives throughout the world. He once shared this precious counsel concerning both discipline and work with a group of missionaries. One missionary had said, "I don't like to work. I don't like to tract." This great leader responded: Oh, is that so? I thought every missionary just loved to tract.... Didn't you know that the worthwhile things of life are not the things ... you . . . want to do, they are the things you ought to do because they are right. Did you just love to study everything that was assigned at the University? ... Isn't there anything in the world you do because you ought to do it? . . . My goodness, my boy, you're headed for a total loss if you are only doing things you want to do. Then Elder Kimball shared an experience from his early life. He said, I wanted to go on a mission. I was scared to death, a little fellow coming from a country district. I wondered if I could do it. I was quite sure I would have difficulty and yet I began to . . . remember specific friends that had done it. I thought, I can play basketball better than they can, maybe I can do it. At any rate, I decided I wanted to go on a mission as I had been taught all my life. I pause here to emphasize this great secret in his life so you may use it to bless your own. He made up his mind only once to resolve a particular challenge. From then on he used his energy to keep the resolve, not to reanalyze it repeatedly under every new circumstance. Elder Kimball continued: So when I got near the end of my high school, I went to Globe, Arizona, to get a job so I could begin to save money, because ... my father was having a little problem with a large family to support. I had earned money for my school for my last ... three years, and then I earned it for my mission. He then described how he raised a black colt to become a handsome stallion. He sold it, putting every penny into his mission account. He then described his work at the dairy. I found that the work at the dairy wasn't easy. I didn't like it. I would milk the cows and then go in and do the washing of the cans and bottles. We would use scalding water when our fingers would get somewhat used to it. Then when I would go out to milk the cows the next time, my fingers would crack and bleed. I went ... to the Globe Ward every Sunday night. I would walk about two miles down the railroad to get there. I would hold up my hands above my head as we walked so that the weight of the blood in my fingers wouldn't crucify me. It hurt terribly... I guess people thought I was giving up, but... I wasn't surrendering, I was just on my way. So my fingers bled every day, but every night I went back and milked ... somewhere between twenty and twenty-eight cows ... every night and every morning with my hands, not with machines. In between, we would turn the cows into the field, and we took a square-pointed shovel, and you know what we did with that shovel, we cleaned up after the cows.... It was about the filthiest job I ever had, but I had to do it ... it was part of my job. So then Elder Kimball said to this boy: So you don't like to tract. Well, for heaven's sake, what do you like to do that will pay dividends? Think about that ... If tracting is hard and other visits are hard and teaching the gospel is hard, and study is hard, so what? It pays big dividends. Hard work is the secret of happiness, as well as of success. Working hard in your studies is important. Serving in the Church and with your friends is vital. Get up early and work hard through the day. Another fruit of your resolve to be obedient is to be demanding of yourself and to be charitable to others, to look for personal improvements that are required and be forgiving with those around you. You will develop a love of service, of giving, of reaching out. Your first thought will not be of yourself as is so common in the world today, but of others around you. Consider this example of the blessings that flow from giving of yourself. I know of a young man who came to BYU after having skipped his senior year at high school. He was younger than usual. You can understand why his parents were concerned. In the dorm there were returned missionaries and young men who had resolved to go on missions. They spent the early hours of the morning and late hours of the evening talking together, reviewing the teachings of the Savior, singing hymns. They served one in need. His life will never be the same nor will ours, for he is our missionary son. Many of you here have made the decision to be missionaries. You will bring back to this campus an influence and power that is most helpful. Others of you--I hope all of you, men and women alike--will prayerfully consider a mission. It was the turning point of my life. All that I treasure began to mature in the mission field. You who have filled worthy missions can help others have that sacred, edifying experience. Explain to those who are undecided some of the harvest of blessings you have tasted because of your mission: the joy of service; an appreciation for integrity, discipline, and hard work; the value of worthy companionships; the strength and peace from prayer; the power of love; the ability to act on faith; a heightened capacity to discern the promptings of the Spirit; and a love for the Savior and appreciation for his atonement. Other fruits you will receive when needed are inspiration to know what to do and the power or capacity to do it. The Lord has said: And ye are to be taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves and ye shall be endowed with power. [D&C 43:16] Noting President Harold B. Lee's explanation that the phrase "sanctify yourselves" means "keep my commandments," this verse reads: "And ye are to be taught from on high. Keep my commandments and ye shall be endowed with power." That is a promise to you. For being consistently and unwaveringly obedient, you will know what to do. Moreover, by obeying the commandments of God, you will have the power and capacity to accomplish what you are impressed to do. There will grow within your being the fruit of confidence in self--not pride, but the assurance that as you continue to live worthily and continue to reach out to others, whatever you are asked to do in your life can be done. You will be trustworthy. Many will say when you are given opportunities that are incredibly rich that you are lucky. Not so--you will have earned those opportunities because you are trustworthy. You will be spiritual. You will be used as an instrument in the hands of the Lord to do his work, beginning now. Another fruit will mature through the years because of your consistency, your willingness to set aside the things of the world, and your determination to quietly walk the path marked by the Savior. There will distill in your being noble character. Character is not forged in the heat of battle when you are challenged. It comes quietly from decision after decision made with the proper use of agency. It is used when challenge is upon you. One of the best examples I know of noble character is President Ezra Taft Benson. From his earliest memory to this day, he has had the resolve in his heart that you have in yours: to understand the teachings of the Lord and to live them, to be unwavering in that determination. From all of this there has distilled in his being noble character. He is in his ninety-first year, and his body is weakening. He can't do all of the things he used to do, but what he is has remained unchanged, unaffected. That is why he can be trusted as the prophet of the Lord. The Lord Shall Lead Thee I have been describing some of the precious fruits of a most important process for growth based upon eternal truth. With the foundation we have laid, I now introduce the first principle of learning that I would emphasize today. I will describe how you can preserve and enhance the fruits of obedience we have discussed and show how you can receive more. I pray to be understood. If you comprehend and use the principles we now review, they can change the course of your life for increased good. This is the first principle: Your life will be led by the Lord as in faith and humility you keep your resolution to be obedient to his commandments, no matter what the consequences. The Lord said: Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers, [D&C 112:10] The process of growth is iterative; that is, it occurs in cycles, each one building upon itself in an ascending spiral of capacity and understanding. Your resolves will take you through periods of testing and growth. They are often not easy, but they are always beneficial. You will discover latent talents and unknown capacities. The whole course of your life may be altered for the Lord's purposes. This example will illustrate what I mean. A youth was taught by his uncles that he would be a great basketball player. He had been given a basketball when he was one year old. In grade and high school he became extremely good at the sport. He began to form visions of being a professional basketball player--but the Lord had other plans. While he was excited about the sport, he was also quietly making important decisions in his life, probably not realizing in any degree how significant they were. He, like you, had resolved to be obedient, no matter what. In college he was not selected to be on the first string and sat on the bench. In the biggest game of the year his team won, and everyone carried the players off on their shoulders. He remained alone in the stadium. Later, as he was walking home, a car drove by with some of the player heroes. They were all members of the Church. They stopped and picked him up, inviting him to celebrate with them. He began to be uneasy as they drove away from town. When he saw them unwrap a package of liquor he said, "You shouldn't do that. Let me out." They responded, "Who are you to counsel us? We had pity on you. That's why we brought you along. You're not a man." They laughed and called him vile names as they drove off. About the same time, in his favorite English class he received a grade far below what he deserved. He asked why and was told, "You've got greater capacity than this, and if you don't do your best, you will receive a low grade every time." His world seemed to be shrinking, but not his resolve to live righteously. He decided to excel in his English class and discovered powerful latent talents. That man has given counsel from this pulpit. He has been a great influence for good throughout the world. Three of those boys who laughed and jeered were excommunicated later in life from the Church. Quietly, consistently, he has worked to bring them back. Two are now in full fellowship. I first admired him for his extraordinary power of expression. Then I was lifted by the content of what his gifted mind expresses so eloquently. Now I can observe him more closely. I see that his life is a reflection of his love of the Master in whose footsteps he obediently walks. I strive to emulate that worthy example. I've talked about an upward growth process and reviewed some of the results that will come as you continue your effort to be obedient. As you walk the path of righteousness, you will find that this cyclic process will help you become stronger, understand more, and more easily become what you want to be. BYU and UVCC are prototypes for life where you can be schooled in a controlled environment. I will illustrate with an example. Not far from here are some nuclear facilities that include prototypes for nuclear submarines. A nuclear prototype is a place that looks exactly like the real thing, only it is in a controlled environment so people can be taught without life-threatening danger. In those facilities, the individuals who man the nuclear fleet are trained to respond to emergencies automatically. One day during the shakedown cruise of a real submarine, an accident occurred. The testing was almost over, and the ship was at full submergence depth at flank speed, the fastest it could advance in the water. The helmsman noticed they were at a slight up-angle, so he tilted the bow planes down. In that moment, the power went out. The boat locked in a down dive, and everyone knew that shortly they would be at a depth that would crush the hull. There was panic on board. But one engineer began to pull himself along the floor of the engine room to a compartment. He reached in, turned some switches, and reserve power came on. The emergency was over. Later he was asked, "How did you know what to do? How did you know how to respond?" The simple reply was, "I don't know. I just did it." Can you imagine him scrambling through the manual trying to find out what to do under that kind of pressure? He had learned in a prototype environment like your homes, like this campus with its classes and church environment. When the pressure came, he was ready. You will be ready because of the quiet resolve and determination in your life to live worthily as you learn from this prototype experience. How can you keep your resolve? How can you be sure that that determination in your heart will not be eroded by the pressures around you? First, choose good friends, those who have made similar decisions in their lives. Choose from among the student body, the faculty, and your priesthood leaders, from those like yourself who are wise enough to keep order and restraint and use time wisely. Students who go astray generally choose the other kind of friends. Be surrounded by those who are true friends, those who accept you the way you are and leave you better because of their association. Remember the sound teachings you've gathered thus far in your life. Much of the disappointment and tragedy a young person encounters occurs when he or she experiences a release of all control and has complete freedom to do anything desired. At this time of transition where you have complete control of your life, you will make decisions wisely because of your unwavering determination to obey the Lord. As you see, the fruits of your decision to "be automatic" in keeping the commandments of God are many. One of enormous worth is the greatly enhanced probability that you will find an eternal companion who will walk with you along the path you have chosen. I cannot describe what that means. I cannot convey what a blessing that is. Three Avenues of Learning Now, the second principle of learning I would like to emphasize: Consistently use all three avenues of learning available to you within the classroom and out of it. Those three avenues are: 1. What you hear; 2. What you see; and 3. What you feel through the Holy Spirit. I will discuss each of these three learning methods. First, learn from what you hear. Most students concentrate only upon what they hear formally delivered in the classroom and little else. Some students operate like vacuum cleaners. They sweep everything that is said into their consciousness as though it were all of equal worth. That is a mistake. I attended a large Eastern university and, at one point, served as president of its honorary scholarship society. All of its members qualified for substantive economic aid by reason of their organized capacity to learn. Often, in our private conversations, we discussed a very real paradox we observed at the university. We recognized that the majority of the scholarship students were not those with the greatest intellectual capacity or natural talent; they were individuals who had learned the techniques of study and had become proficient in their use. We observed how others with greater potential had not learned to concentrate on the tasks at hand and, consequently, spent long hours attempting to learn concepts or to memorize information by staring at the page while their mind wandered elsewhere. If you are encountering that difficulty, seek help. You can sharpen your skills and learn to recognize and record the essentially important information, separating it from the supporting examples, explanations, and anecdotes that often accompany it. BYU and UVCC have excellent courses to teach you these skills. It would serve you well to investigate them, unless you are particularly adept at this important aspect of learning from what you hear. I will now concentrate on the other avenues of learning that are not generally taught in the classroom--namely, what you see and what you feel. Carefully observe what goes on about you in the classroom and, especially, out of it. It is not likely that the most treasured truths you will carry away from this educational experience will be found at the feet of a master teacher; rather, they will be distilled from many careful observations and crucially important promptings that can pass unperceived or unrecorded in your consciousness unless you watch for them. Of necessity, academic instruction is divided into separate categories so there can be a formalized, logical presentation of important concepts and information. Some of the classwork is generalized, some is highly specialized and specific, but all of it is divided into compartmentalized treatments of the subject material. Life, on the other hand, is not so conveniently parceled. When you are given a problem in mathematics, physics, or chemistry, discreet boundaries are identified. Generally, only the vital information you need to work toward a solution is presented. The challenges you will encounter the rest of your life are not so thoughtfully focused. Their solutions generally require an integration of capacities and techniques and information acquired from a wide variety of sources. You can enhance your ability to enjoy success in life by consciously trying to distill the experiences from both in and out of the classroom into definable principles or truths. You must separate them carefully and often with great effort from a mass of detail and extraneous backgrounds and input. Identify Fundamental Principles I now stress the third principle I would share. This to me is the essence of learning: You must integrate information from all different fields of endeavor into a set of principles and standards that will serve you throughout eternity. The challenges of life are not thoughtfully sliced into discreet subject matter. There are no convenient answers in the back of the book. Don't cheat yourself by taking dishonest shortcuts in any phase of the learning process. Anyone who has studied chemistry, physics, and mathematics knows that if a basic principle can be mastered, then the solutions to a full myriad of specific problems are assured. That truth applies to every walk of life. The challenge is to be able to identify fundamental principles. Like diamonds, they are generally buried in a mass of detail and dross that have no significant, lasting value. The successful learner develops the capacity to identify fundamental principles and truths, to record them, and to apply them. The more fundamental they are, the more generally applicable they are to a wide variety of circumstances in life. Pondering and prayer are excellent ways to discover them. Your objective is not to get through the university but to absorb and use the experiences that can be acquired here, the knowledge that can be obtained through righteous effort, and the lessons that can be learned from consistently facing and resolving the myriad of challenges you will encounter in your academic, social, and private life. In a university or college you not only learn core knowledge essential to your chosen profession, but you can learn how to live life to its fullest. As you augment your learning by what you observe and by what you perceive by the Spirit, you will greatly increase your capacity to be successful in life. You will be led to establish goals and objectives for life that will likely be more enduring, more productive, and more satisfying than what you might otherwise select and achieve. Beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic, or other core fundamentals of your profession, you can discover your real potential. Don't be satisfied with memorizing or learning by rote so you can press a mental button and discharge memorized facts to pass an examination. Learn how to think. Learn how to link concepts and how to integrate facts from various disciplines and the every-day experiences of university life. Don't act like a robot. Create an atmosphere of freedom of thought through self-control. That action will allow you to sense the enormous capacity latent within you. Through stirrings and promptings of the Spirit, you can live and rise to the great heights others have achieved and even go beyond them. Do you believe that? I know that it is true. You can soar as eagles and fly to heights not reached by your parents or grandparents. You can discover truths that will ignite your vision. You can challenge yourself to rise to greater levels of achievement. As you combine academics with eternal doctrinal truths, you will discover what it means to be a divine child of a Father in Heaven with perfect attributes. You will live worthily to overcome the influences of the world. You will be inspired to have power beyond your own-power to do, power to serve, power to give. You can qualify through that divine power to be an instrument in the hands of God and can accomplish what alone would be impossible. How we love you. How we need you. You are the instruments the Lord has provided to work miracles that are urgently needed. Please pray about what I have said to gain your own witness until you know that it can happen and, then, as you strive diligently, it will happen. Other schools, as well meaning as they are, build on the individual and train his or her capacities. All the students have when they leave is acquired knowledge and trust in themselves. Here we teach that you are divine children of a Father in Heaven, capable in time of acquiring his perfect attributes. Your potential is unlimited through your correct application of true principles and a worthy life that qualifies you for inspiration and divine power. Here you will learn how to make into reality your worthy dreams for the future. Here you will gain the capacity to create a vision of your true potential. Then, through the application of correct principles and eternal truths and the consistent, appropriate use of moral agency, you will begin to convert that potential into reality. One of the most powerful sources of personal development will come through the urgent prayers you offer in faith for a foundation of righteousness. You will learn much as feelings distill in your mind and heart. Avoid prayers that appear to be a set of instructions to the Lord--do this, bless that, change this, help me with that. Rather, be a compliant student to the Ultimate Teacher. He wants you to succeed even more than you do yourself. This is a time to set your course for life, a time to establish fundamental priorities. One of the challenges of your learning experience here is to be able to differentiate among the smorgasbord of good and bad things that can be done and to select those that are righteous and truly essential. Here you enjoy a personal freedom that likely you have never had before. That freedom can be a friend or an adversary, depending on how it is used. You will come to find that the restraints provided by the teachings of the Lord actually form a platform to greater freedom. When they are hurriedly dismantled in the euphoria of personal choice, there can result binding chains of transgression. This is not an appeal to your emotions--rather, it is an effort to help you recognize the inevitable results of your having made correct choices and establishing the proper priorities in this critical phase of your life. Some may be tempted to say, "I have so much to do I can't take on anything more. The struggle I have just to meet minimum academic requirements is almost more than I can handle." I am not suggesting that you work harder, unless you are not tugging at your limits of capacity already. I am encouraging you to work more intelligently. Some cut a field of grain with a scythe or a sickle, bind the stalks into sheaves, and carry them to the threshing floor where the chaff and straw are separated from the grain. Others use a threshing machine to produce far greater yield per man hour of invested effort. We all, I believe, have noble ideals and objectives. Test your daily thoughts and acts against those objectives. Are you making progress toward them, or have you begun to wander down paths that distract you or deflect you from meaningful purposes? The university is a workshop--both in the classroom and out of it--where you can test the validity of the principles with which you will guide your life. Here is the prototype to set your path and the pattern for the rest of your life. Not all lessons will be learned in the classroom. The most important ones will be learned as you are on your knees. Some will distill in your mind and heart as you seek to use this experience as one of establishing the right balance in your life. Here you will set the priorities of life. Will they be primarily material or spiritual? Do they continue to center on service, or are they drifting toward selfishness? We all recognize how one who publicly imitates a high standard of performance and privately lives beneath it provides the temptation of justification for others to violate this standard as well. They are like a lightning rod drawing high potential to ground. More important, you must recognize that the reverse is true. As you live a high standard of performance, publicly and privately, and even under great pressure adhere to it, you raise the vision of others. Your example encourages others to realize more of their divine capacity. It generates high potential that lifts and motivates and, like a magnet, seeks out and attracts others to a higher, more noble standard of life. The power of your worthy example is enhanced many-fold when you reach out in understanding to others caught in the adversary's web of transgression and help them into a harbor of safety where there is parental strength and priesthood leadership and inspiration. There they can repair through repentance the strained and damaged parts of their character. Many yearn to overcome transgressions that bind them to a path they do not want. Although their public actions decry any desire to change, privately they know not how to begin. Be that saving influence in their lives. Live in the Light And now the last principle. It is simple, but it is extraordinarily important: Happiness comes from what we are, not from what we have. Real joy comes from noble character, and that is built from a pattern of consistent, righteous decisions. Then the things we acquire are used as tools to help our own families and others. They should not become ends unto themselves. Our righteous decisions determine who we are and what is important to us. It becomes easier to do the right things. For happiness now and throughout your life, resolutely keep your determination to obey the Lord, no matter what pressure you feel to do otherwise. I want you to know that I know the principles we have discussed are true. They have been proven in the crucible of my own personal life. With a lovely daughter of Father in Heaven, who surpasses me in every quality that is worthwhile, I have walked the path shared with you today. I know these truths are correct. I pray that somehow there will come a reinforcement through the Spirit to your mind and heart of their validity when you are challenged to disobey them in your life (see D&C 8:2-5). I told you about an automatic watch. I would like to use that analogy in closing. The truth is that watches aren't really automatic, always. They either have a battery that has to be replaced periodically or they operate using light through a solar cell that has to be exposed to light continually to function. I had a watch like that, and it was left in a desk drawer for several weeks with no light. When I took it out, it looked like it would never work again. During an assignment in Acapulco, I put it in the brilliant sunlight for three days with no apparent result. Finally, it began to function again. We are like that. We operate on light. We need a constant renewal of light. If we lead ourselves into a path where there is darkness, it can be extraordinarily difficult to come back. If you stay in the light, you will not have that challenge. You will be fortified because you will live in light. I mentioned some of the blessings that will come from your decision to obey. There is one more. It is by all considerations the most beautiful, but the most difficult to talk about. You will find in your being a love for your Father in Heaven and his son, Jesus Christ, that becomes stronger and stronger until all you truly want to do is determine what they would have you do and, with their help, accomplish it. There is much I do not know in life, but I do know that the Father and the Son live. I do know that they know each one of you personally. They know the struggles and the challenges you face. They appreciate that there are some moments of weakness for you. They love you and trust each of you. I know they live. I love them with all my heart. And I love you because of your resolve to follow their teachings and their example. As you continue to be obedient to their teachings, they will help you now, throughout your life, and always. I solemnly bear that witness, and I know it is true. The Lord loves you. Jesus gave his life so that you can succeed in this part of your life. I bear that witness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. AFTER THE "Y"-- WHAT THEN? Noel L. Owen Noel L. Owen is a chemistry professor at Brigham Young University. This devotional talk was given on 26 June 1990 in the de Jong Concert Hall. Since I am a relative newcomer to BYU and somewhat unfamiliar with its traditions, when I initially received the invitation to give this devotional address, instinctively the thought went through my mind, "Wow, maybe they think that I haven't been working hard enough and this is the punishment!" A few moments reflection, however, convinced me that this invitation was an honor, although I can't help thinking that the punishment is likely to follow the honor if my talk is not satisfactory! In fact, if you will pardon a "pun," on looking behind me, I feel very much like a man in the firing line! On a serious note, I do consider it both an honor and a privilege to be asked to speak at this devotional. Maybe it takes a person from outside this institution to really appreciate its uniqueness--a university where secular learning and high moral and spiritual values are taught hand in hand. Some people call it the "Lord's University," others the "Law School's University," but whatever it is called, it is certainly unique! When I show visitors around the campus, they are always impressed by its beauty and cleanliness, and also by the courteous and friendly behavior shown by the students they meet. And several have commented with interest on the motto seen adorning the west entrance: Enter to learn--go forth to serve. Building a Sure Foundation The subject of my remarks today will be related to this motto, since I'd like to focus on our own individual attitudes and on our relationship with the world we face when we leave the "Y." The great majority of you here today will be familiar with the story of the three little pigs. But for those of you brought up in the electronic age and nourished in Nintendo-based homes, I will briefly summarize the rather sad tale. Once upon a time, three young pigs set out from their home together to seek their fortunes and to build themselves nice homes with gardens and so on. The first pig bought a load of hay and built his house very quickly. The second pig purchased a supply of timber and built his house out of wood. This house took a little longer to complete, but they were both well established in their homes by the time the third pig had finished off his house--which he constructed out of bricks and stones. Now the story continues by introducing a rather wily and hungry wolf who fancied a meal of pork. Having failed to entice the first pig out of his house, he proceeded to blow down the building and then to eat the pig. He repeated this procedure with the second pig, but he did have to exert a little more effort in this case. However, the third little pig's house was a different proposition and, try as he would, he could not blow it down. The end of this little tale tends to vary somewhat from version to version, but most have the wolf falling down the chimney into a large pot of boiling water. And the third little pig lived happily ever after--apart, of course, from grieving a little because of the untimely demise of his two brothers. Now I suspect it is possible to extract a moral out of every story, and I'm going to attempt to do that for this tale. The three pigs were quite obviously three quite different individuals with different personalities. But they had several features in common. 1. They all came from the same home or background. 2. They were all given a similar start in life. 3. They all had the same overall goals. 4. They all had their free agency and freedom to choose what they felt was best for them. 5. They all faced the same challenge in life--namely, the wolf! However, only one succeeded--and that was because he built his home with a firm foundation and with strong durable materials. Now, before I go any further, I want to say that there is a limit to how far one can relate a fairy story to real life--and I am not implying that BYU students have any characteristics that are commonly associated with any farmyard animals! Far from it--as far as I can see, you are a very good-looking, clean, intelligent group of individuals! However, during your time here at BYU, you will be given very similar opportunities for personal growth, and you will be exposed to a very similar base of moral behavior and teachings. When you leave the "Y," you will have your free agency, enabling you to choose and to make decisions. You will probably have the same overall goals of eternal life and a happy family and an enjoyable career, etc. You will undoubtedly experience many different challenges in life. These can take the form, for example, of temptations involving individual behavior or personal tragedies. The temptations you experience will all probably emanate from the same source, and both they and the personal tragedies invariably come at times when they are least expected. How you will fare or succeed in overcoming these challenges will depend very largely not on the nature of the challenges, but on what foundations you will have used to build your characters, testimonies, personalities, and lives--foundations that you are now building and auspicating here at BYU and that should be firmly in place before the challenges are met. So I urge you to make the most of your time here: attend the firesides and invited lectures, drink deeply from this marvelous spiritual "cup" that never runs dry! The opportunity to sit and hear a General Authority in person is rare indeed in the mission field. In the Book of Mormon, Helaman's advice to his sons is quoted in Helaman 5:12: And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. Remember the last phrase: "they cannot fall." This then represents the basic formula for establishing the foundations we need--but what about the day-to-day challenges and practical problems? There will be times when you will feel very alone and insignificant, and the thought of facing the world's millions with their myriad problems will seem just too overwhelming. Thoughts such as "How can I cope with all this when I can't even get dates or good grades in calculus at college?" will appear. I think that mostly everyone feels like that on occasion. The situation reminds me of the Peanuts cartoon where Lucy (the amateur psychologist) is giving Charlie Brown some advice for five cents a sitting. Lucy states: "Life, Charlie Brown, is just like an ocean liner, and people behave like passengers on the upper deck. Some sit in deck chairs looking back on the way they have come, whereas others face forward and look to the future. Which way is your deck chair facing, Charlie Brown?" Charlie replies, "I don't know--I've never managed to get my deck chair opened!" I have a lot of sympathy for Charlie Brown when I feel confused about all the things there are to think about and to do! You and the Lord Together As a convert LDS scientist living in the mission field, I often felt very much alone and insignificant, but I remember as I read more and more from the Book of Mormon and from books written by Church authorities, my testimony and confidence would strengthen and grow. I also began to relate more to some of the authors and characters of other LDS books. One of my heroes was the late Henry Eyring--whose name is known to virtually all students of chemistry worldwide for his contributions to the theories of chemical reactions. I recall reading in a book written by some of Dr. Eyring's colleagues and past students--and dedicated to the great scientist--a sentence that personally helped me a great deal. It was something to the effect that, to Henry Eyring, his religious principles and beliefs were so vitally important that wherever he went, he would carry them with him much as one would an umbrella--and everyone who came in contact with him felt the influence of this aura. That is, they came within his umbrella! He had a strong testimony, and he had the courage to declare openly his strong convictions--and this gave him great security and stability in every environment in which he found himself. I think that the simplest way to gain a strong testimony is to live and to enjoy living the commandments and to read and ponder the scriptures. Sometimes, however, we may feel faint-hearted because of the sheer numbers of the opposition! We are very much a minority church, except of course here in Utah! However, let me remind you of a dramatic story in the Old Testament. In Judges, chapter 7, we are told that the Israelites rose against the oppressive yolk of the Midianites under a new leader chosen by God named Gideon. Gideon raised an army of 32,000 and went against the Midianite host of 135,000 soldiers--an enemy with overall numbers of more than four times his own. Then the Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men. If you win with these numbers you will become proud and conceited in your own abilities." So the Lord told Gideon to ask his people the question "Who is afraid and fearful of this coming battle?" All those who answered in the affirmative were told to return to their homes. Now this left Gideon with a total of 10,000 men. The ratio of Midianite numbers to Israelite numbers was now over 13 to 1. Then the Lord said to Gideon, "There are still too many people," and he told him to take them down to a source of water and to separate all those who drank like animals on their knees from those who cupped their hands to their lips to drink. Only 300 men passed this particular test! By now, Gideon was having to contemplate facing a 135,000strong Midianite army with 300 brave Israelites who showed remarkable gentility in their drinking habits! The ratio was now up to 450 to 1! However, the Lord was not about to abandon Gideon; instead, he inspired him to use very clever strategies to surround and confuse the large Midianite army by generating enough noise to give the impression of a much larger force. The Midianites fled--pursued by Gideon and his band--and Israel was triumphant. The number ratio was such that no one could doubt they had had divine assistance in their victory. Just consider the size of this Church and the population of the world in which we now live. A current estimate of the world's population is about 5,000 million, whereas the LDS population is just over 7 million. Now that is a ratio of about 700 to 1--not very different to the one that Gideon had to work with. In these modern times you are the equivalent of the 300-strong Israelite army. Don't be daunted by numbers; never underestimate the effect for good that you can have. The example of a righteous family played a large part in our own family's conversion to the restored gospel. So as you face the world when you leave BYU, please remember that however lonely you may occasionally feel, you are not alone as long as you are living in such a way that you have the support of the Lord. There is a sentence in my wife's patriarchal blessing that has comforted her many a time: "Remember, you and the Lord together constitute a majority"! Alma's advice to his sons is pertinent here: Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. [Alma 37:6] We can all be part, and in fact we should be part, of the "small" means that can bring about the great things in the overall plan of our Father in Heaven. Carol Lynn Pearson has expressed her feelings on our role very beautifully. Do you know How many count on you to steer by this night? Do you know How dark the sea and dim the stars and strong the wind out there? And you would hide your lighthouse under a bushel? Don't you dare! Unlike certain chemical reactions that often result in a balanced equilibrium so that the reaction goes one way or another depending on outside forces or influences, our progress through this life is one way only. We are born and we die, and in between we grow and experience life with all its complexities. Since we cannot reverse the passage of time, let's be positive about the journey of life that lies ahead. As regards our own attitudes en route, we only have two real options: our spirituality either grows or diminishes. Merely being static should not be an option, and apathy is a big killer in the Lord's great plan. Remember Jesus was kind to the repentant adulteress. And he had a sympathetic interest in the thief on the cross who wanted to do better. But concerning the man who was not improving himself, the Lord said, "Take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents, and cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth." The punishment for neglect is often as severe as it is for opposition or abuse. When we don't use our arms, we lose the use of our muscles. So it is with our talents and testimonies in our lives. They need to be nourished and strengthened, and your time here at BYU is a vitally important period in which to do this. The scriptures do not say that our journey and our progress will always be easy. Our Church history is replete with stories that describe in simple and stark detail the sacrifice and suffering the early Saints experienced, and the growth and development of our modern-day Church is to a large degree the result of the fact that so many pioneers successfully endured these hardships and benefited from a concomitant spiritual strengthening. Preparing for the Trail Ahead I would now like to share with you an exciting adventure story of great personal interest to me that was brought to my attention a few years ago. I want to relate it to the theme of my talk today. I was shown an article in a Shropshire magazine (published in England) written by a man who found an old trunk in the attic of a house in the town of Shrewsbury. In the trunk was a handwritten manuscript. The manuscript represented part of the diary of an old clock-mender (Mr. James Hanny) who had lived near the England/Wales border and whose hobby was to walk the hills of Wales. This manuscript related how in 1874 this elderly man, then age 73, had visited an old friend of his who had a farm in Wales. The story went on to say how his friend's daughter (aged 18) agreed to take him to see the waterfalls near a small village called Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. Apparently Mr. Hanny had sustained an ambition to visit the falls (called locally Pistill Rhaeadr) for approximately forty years. Now this area is close to where I was brought up, and I have some knowledge of the country and the terrain. The distance they walked would have been approximately eighteen miles round-trip over some quite rugged hills. Here I quote from the manuscript: My host, Mr. Humphreys, was the very embodiment of Welsh hospitality, nothing was too much for him and his household to make my stay as comfortable as possible; his charming daughter Rosamond was a most beautiful and talented young lady, and she and I became great friends. She had a deep love for Wales in her heart, which became obvious as she described her lonely walks among the wild and legendary hills, amid the wind-swept heather. ... Rosamond was very keen to be my guide to the falls, and she promised me a wonderful walk back over the mountains; a walk, she said, I would always remember. They were, indeed, prophetic words. As you can see, the old clock-mender had quite a graphic turn of phrase! Now, back to the narrative: On the following day, after an early lunch, we started out, It was a long but interesting walk, and at last we arrived at the beautiful falls. I stood there for some time assimilating a sight that had been denied me for so many years. My companion stood by my side, a smile on her lovely face. She understood and appreciated this happy moment of mine.... Amid the soothing influence of the tumbling waters, we ate the refreshments that Rosamond had thoughtfully brought, until she said that we had stayed longer than we should, and our walk back over the mountains must not be delayed any longer. They started their return journey, but the day had been too strenuous for the seventy-three-year-old man. Again I quote: I had completely underestimated my supply of strength for the arduous task ahead. My companion, bursting with the vitality of the young, and with a supply of seemingly inexhaustible energy, was well equipped for the journey, and like myself, had no conception of my limitations. The young do not understand the meaning of weakness in the old; they have never experienced it themselves and cannot conceive it in others. His story then relates in some detail the path they took, the magnificent scenery, and the frequent stops for rest. Quoting again: My companion called to say we must hurry on. I must admit I had been glad of the rest. Again we started off, Rose leading the way. My legs were now beginning to ache and I could feel a tightness in my chest. Once, seeing I was having difficulty in catching up with her, she ran back to me. "Are you all right?" she asked. "Oh yes," I lied as cheerfully as I could. "But a little rest would do me good." A slight troubled frown appeared on her face for a fleeting moment. She smiled, "Of course," she said, "But . . ." She looked up anxiously at the sky where a few black-looking clouds were looming up. "We still have a long way to go. We must not stay long." Once again we started off, and the going became even more rough and arduous. If I had been a young man, supple of limb and muscle, I would have enjoyed the climb to the full, but the acute pain in my legs betokened the opposite. . . . The darkness deepened rapidly, and all around took on a hue of deep purple. The heavens appeared to be closing down on us. Black clouds began to obliterate the remaining light, until it was difficult to see the ground beneath our feet.... In a short time we were soaked to the skin. We dare not stop long, we could never hope to survive a night exposed as we were to the elements. We were already soaked to saturation point. With the helping hand of my companion we practically felt our way in the darkness. After what seemed an interminable time, Rose suddenly stopped, and pulled me back a pace or so. In the gloom I peered closely into her rain-streaked face. "Is there anything wrong?" I asked. "I'm not sure," Rose replied, hesitatingly. "But I have a strange feeling we are on the wrong track. Stay here a moment." Carefully she lay on the ground, and as I looked on wonderingly, she crawled forward very slowly. Presently I heard her give a little cry, and following her example, I too, crawled forward until I reached her side. She put out a restraining hand to stop me venturing further. Picking up a stone she gently threw it forward. There was silence for a few moments, and then I heard the stone falling on rocks far below. I could hear it bounding from crag to crag getting fainter and fainter. We were on the edge of a dangerous cliff! We crawled back to comparative safety; I was now shivering as much with shock as with the cold. I found my companion's hand and pressed it with a gesture of despair. Words failed me. Only one thought ran through my fevered mind. Lost! Lost on a mountain with the night in front of us. Soaked with rain; cold, and already weary to the point of complete exhaustion. What hope was there for us? Rose's voice broke through my bitter thoughts, and with it, renewed hope. "I think I know where we are," she said. "In the darkness we have strayed from the right road. We must go back to find our bearings." She led me like a child, and amidst the howling of the wind we carefully retreated from that awful abyss. From that moment I seemed to have lost all sense of direction and time. Numbed with the cold, all my actions were those of an automaton. But for the supporting hand of Rose, I would gladly have been content to lay my weary body on the rocky ground. But somehow that frail figure kept me going. Somehow she managed to support me and we stumbled through the darkness of the night. For what seemed an eternity our passage continued until I fancied I could see little sparks of light that danced in front of my eyes like so many fireflies. My befuddled mind could not comprehend that safety was near at hand. Above the wind I heard Rosamond's voice. "Here," she cried. "We are here. We are coming." The little spots of light came nearer and nearer, and it was with intense relief that at last I realized they were the lights of lanterns. For the rest of the journey we were half-carried to the blessed haven of Brynteg--the home of my friend. The article then went on to say that as well as the manuscript, there was found in the old trunk a newspaper cutting describing the wedding at a town called Llanfyllin (in 1883), nine years later, of Rosamond Humphreys, youngest daughter of Mr. Humphreys (Brynteg) to Lewis Owen. Rosamond Humphreys was my grandmother, whom I never met. She died before I was born, and I suspect my mother never heard about this particular exploit in the hills of Wales, because neither my brother nor I was told anything at all about it! Now my purpose in relating this story to you, about 116 years later, apart from sharing with you the great joy that discovering this manuscript gave to me, and the pride and closeness I now feel for one of my ancestors, is to emphasize the fact that in this story, Rosamond Humphreys personified the following attributes: (1) bravery or courage; (2) great kindness and compassion, including leading another to safety; (3) faith, with no indulgence in self-despair; and, most important, (4) knowing her way amidst treacherous paths. During the latter part of their adventure, she was obviously concerned about the lateness of the hour and about their slow progress. She was anxious, yet kind and seemingly very patient, and led him by the hand when he was unable to do more than put one foot in front of the other. Because of her knowledge of the mountains, born of practice and experience, she had faith that they would reach their destination, whereas he could not see the end and had started to doubt. She knew the path they had to take and the ones they should avoid. Let me now try to relate these characteristics to us in these days. We will undoubtedly experience considerable challenges in our lives, and we will find others in similar predicaments who are close to despair. We may find ourselves in positions when we may need to guide other people to safety, and our standing as leaders will depend on our own personal preparation and knowledge of the gospel. I can think of no better attributes or foundations for anyone to have as they face the world than: 1. To know where you are and where you are going. To be familiar with the path that needs to be traveled. 2. To have great faith. To know that God will never abandon you to the adversary. 3. To show compassion and kindness. 4. To be brave. To be courageous does not exclude fear, but fear is conquered by faith and doing what is right. May we all base our lives on principles as fundamental as these. They will serve us well as strong foundations in times of trouble and stress. Let us remember that the third little pig of our fable survived because he chose to use materials that provided a strong foundation. And thus let us strive to place ourselves on that "rock which is our Redeemer" where "none shall fall," I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. SIN AND SUFFERING Dallin H. Oaks Dallin H. Oaks is a member of the Council of the Twelve of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This fireside talk was given on 5 August 1990 in the Marriott Center. Sister Oaks and I are glad to be with you this evening. It is always a thrill to return to BYU, where we have some of our happiest memories. For example, half of our six children were born while we were here at BYU. The first two were born while we were students here, and the last was born while I was serving as president. That is what you call coming full circle. Repent! I begin by describing an event that happened here on campus. About fifteen years ago, a group of newspaper editors from various western states came to Salt Lake City to learn more about the Church. They visited with Church authorities, went to Temple Square, saw the welfare program in action, and then came to BYU. At dinner in the Wilkinson Center, I sat with an editor from California. He was immensely impressed with what he had seen. "You Mormons really know how to do it," he said. Then he praised the various things he had seen. I enjoyed his positive reactions to everything. Later, he asked the location of the nearest rest room and excused himself. When he returned he had a triumphant smile on his face. "Well, I found out that you Mormons are just like everyone else," he said. In response to my question, he explained. "When I go into a rest room in another public place, I find there are things written on the wall. When I went to the rest room here in the Wilkinson Center, I found it was just like other rest rooms. There was something written on the wall." Sorry that the man's gleaming impressions had been tarnished, I began to apologize about how difficult it was to keep current on the maintenance in a public place. He smiled and raised his hand to stop me. "Oh, I'm just kidding," he said. "It's true there was something written in there, but I've never seen anything like that written on the wall in a public place. It was just one word: repent." Whoever wrote that word on a rest room wall in the Wilkinson Center many years ago at least knew the word repent, which is more than can be said for many people in the world today. But I wonder how many of us understand the principle and purpose of repentance, including its relationship to sin and suffering. The Subject of Sin We are concerned that some young people who are anticipating serving a mission or being married in the temple have a very lax attitude toward sin. "I'll just have a few free ones," they say, "and then I'll repent quickly, and go on my mission (or get married in the temple), and everything will be all right." Young people are not the only ones with a lax attitude toward sin. We know of mature members of the Church who commit serious transgressions knowingly and deliberately, relying on their supposed ability later to repent speedily and be "as good as new." Such persons want the present convenience or enjoyment of sin and the future effects of righteousness, in that order. They want to experience the sin, but avoid its effects. The Book of Mormon describes such persons: And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God--he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor, there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. [2 Nephi 28:8] The attitude and position of such persons is exactly the opposite of the Savior, who never experienced sin, but whose atoning sacrifice subjected him to all of its anguish. When I was a young man, I accompanied a Protestant friend to his church service. There I heard a minister take on the subject of sin. It was an uneven contest. That minister really beat up on sin. He condemned it. He denounced it. He castigated it. He left no doubt in the mind of anyone that he was against sin. But he didn't give the congregation one word of definition or explanation about what it was. To minimize misunderstanding, I will give some illustrations of the kinds of things I mean when I refer to sin or transgression. In its widest application, sin includes every irregularity of behavior, every source of uncleanliness. But many things that are sins under this widest definition are just grains of sand or specks of dirt that come out in the weekly wash and do not block our progress on the path toward eternal life. When I speak of sin in this message, I refer to serious transgressions, the boulder-size obstacles that block the path and cannot be removed without prolonged repentance. During one week last month, a knowledgeable observer listed some of the crimes reported in a Utah newspaper and then struck off those where the accused was not a member of this Church. The remaining list provides some illustrations of the kinds of sins in which Latter-day Saints were involved. Fraud Sale of illegal drugs Aggravated assault Aggravated kidnapping Sexual abuse by a woman upon a child Sexual abuse by a man upon a child A professional having sexual relations with a client Church disciplinary records make us aware of other serious transgressions rarely reported in the press: adultery, fornication, polygamy, and apostasy. When the Savior appeared to the people of this continent, he spoke of the final judgment. There, he said, he would "be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages" (3 Nephi 24:5). Those are some illustrations of serious transgressions. Others could be given. As background, let us review some familiar principles. 1. One of the principal purposes of this life is to test the children of God, to see whether we will keep his commandments (see Abraham 3:25). 2. Therefore, this life is "a probationary time," as Alma called it, "a time to repent and serve God" (Alma 42:4). 3. The breaking of a commandment of God is sin. 4. For every sin there is "a punishment affixed" (Alma 42:18; also see Amos 3:1-2). 5. In the final judgment, we will stand before God to be judged according to our works (see Alma 11:41; 3 Nephi 26:4; D&C 19:3). 6. Those who have broken the commandments of God and have not repented in this life will "stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God" (Jacob 6:9). They will have "an awful view of their own guilt and abominations" (Mosiah 3:25). The scriptures describe this as "a lively sense of ... guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever" (Mosiah 2:38). 7. The awful demands of justice upon those who have violated the laws of God, the "state of misery and endless torment" (Mosiah 3:25) described in these scriptures, can be mediated and eliminated by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This is the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What do these basic principles mean in the case of a lax Latter-day Saint who deliberately commits a serious transgression in the expectation that he or she will enjoy the effects or benefits of the sin now and then make a speedy and relatively painless repentance and soon be as good as new? The Book of Mormon teaches that the Savior does not redeem men "in their sins" (Alma 11:34, 36, 37; Helaman 5:10). "The wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death" (Alma 11:41). The Savior came to redeem men "from their sins because of repentance" and upon the "conditions of repentance" (Helaman 5:11). One of those conditions of repentance is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, including faith in and reliance upon his atoning sacrifice. As Amulek taught: He that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice, therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption. [Alma 34:16] Personal Suffering for Sin Another condition of repentance is suffering or punishment for the sin. In the words of Alma, "repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment" (Alma 42:16). Where there has been sin, there must be suffering. Perhaps the greatest statement of this principle in all the scriptures is the revelation the Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith in March 1830, the month the Book of Mormon was published and the month before the Church was organized (D&C 19). Here the Lord reminds us of "the great day of judgment" when all will be judged according to their works. He explains that the "endless" or "eternal torment" or "punishment" that comes from sin is not punishment without end, but it is the punishment of God, who is endless and eternal. In this setting, the Savior of the world commands us to repent and keep his commandments. "Repent," he commands, "lest ... your sufferings be sore--" how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I-- Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit--and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink-- Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power, and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken. [D&C 19:15-20] As we consider these sobering words of the Savior, we realize that there is something very peculiar about the state of mind or "heart" of the person who deliberately commits sin in the expectation that he or she will speedily and comfortably repent and continue as a servant of God, preaching repentance and asking others to come unto Christ. I will illustrate the peculiarity of this attitude with two analogies. Picture a father who labors tirelessly to support a large family. He denies himself many things in order to provide their urgent needs: food, clothing, housing, health care, and education. He works every waking hour, scrapes, saves, and prays that there will be enough to go around. The children see his tireless work and his sacrifices for them. Finally, a day comes when the family gathers for a celebration. They go to a restaurant where the father, with carefully saved resources, plans to treat everyone to a nice meal. Mindful of their financial circumstances and the sacrifices the father has made to bring them to this place, most of the children are very considerate about what they order. But some are heard to say, "We don't have to pay, so we're going to order everything we want, no matter how expensive. We'll enjoy it, and he'll pay for it." Second example. The mother of a large family is burdened almost past the point of endurance. Every waking hour is spent serving the needs of her large family: meals, mending, transporting, counseling, caring for those who are sick, comforting those who mourn, and administering to every other need a mother can understand. She has committed herself to do everything within her power to serve the needs of her children. She is giving her life for them. The children know she will attempt to carry whatever load is placed upon her. Most of them are considerate and do all that they can to minimize her burden. But some, knowing of her willingness to serve, heedlessly pile more and more tasks on the weary mother. "Don't worry about it," is their attitude, "she'll carry it. She said she would. Drop it on Mom, and we'll just have a good time." In these two analogies, I am obviously likening the heedless children to those who sin in the expectation that someone else will bear the burden of suffering. The one who bears the burden is our Savior. Am I suggesting that the benefits of the Atonement are not available for the person who heedlessly sins? Of course not. But I am suggesting that there is a relationship between sin and suffering that is not understood by people who knowingly sin in the expectation that all the burden of suffering will be borne by another, that the sin is all theirs, but the suffering is all his. That is not the way. Repentance, which is an assured passage to an eternal destination, is nevertheless not a free ride. Let us recall two scriptures quoted earlier: (1) "Repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment" (Alma 42:16); and (2) the Savior said that he had suffered these things for all, "that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I" (D&C 19:16-17). Does this mean that a person who repents does not need to suffer at all because the entire punishment or suffering is borne by the Savior? That cannot be the meaning because it would be inconsistent with the Savior's other teachings. What is meant is that the person who repents does not need to suffer "even as" the Savior suffered. Sinners who are repenting will experience some suffering, but, because of their repentance and the Atonement, they will not experience the full "exquisite" extent of eternal torment the Savior suffered. President Spencer W. Kimball, who gave such comprehensive teachings on repentance and forgiveness, said that personal suffering "is a very important part of repentance." One has not begun to repent until he has suffered intensely for his sins. [TSWK, p. 88] If a person hasn't suffered, he hasn't repented. ... He's got to go through a change in his system whereby he suffers and then forgiveness is a possibility. [p. 99] The Savior taught this principle when he said that his atoning sacrifice was for "all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered" (2 Nephi 2:7; also see Alma 5:48, 11:40). The repentant sinner who comes to Christ with a broken heart and a contrite spirit has been through a process of personal pain and suffering for sin. He understands the meaning of Alma's statement that "none but the truly penitent are saved" (Alma 42:24). Bruce C. Hafen has described how some people think that repentance is too easy. They look "for short cuts and easy answers, thinking that quick confessions or breezy apologies alone are enough" (The Broken Heart, 1989, p. 150). President Kimball said, "Very frequently people think they have repented and are worthy of forgiveness when all they have done is to express sorrow or regret at the unfortunate happening" (TSWK, p. 87). There is a big difference between the "godly sorrow [that] worketh repentance" (2 Corinthians 7:10), which involves personal suffering, and the easy and relatively painless sorrow for being caught or the misplaced sorrow Mormon described as "the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin" (Mormon 2:13). Alma the Younger certainly understood that easy and painless sorrow was not a sufficient basis for repentance. His experience, related in detail in the Book of Mormon, is our best scriptural illustration of the fact that the process of repentance is filled with personal suffering for sin. Alma said after he was stopped in his wicked course, he was "in the darkest abyss" (Mosiah 27:29), racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell. [Alma 36:12-13] He tells how "the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror" (verse 14). He speaks of being "harrowed up by the memory of my many sins" (verse 17). After three days and three nights of what he called "the most bitter pain and anguish of soul," he cried out to the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy and received "a remission of [his] sins" (Alma 38:8). All of our personal experience confirms the fact that we must endure personal suffering in the process of repentance and for serious transgressions that suffering can be severe and prolonged. I believe that every one of us who is truly honest with himself recognizes the truth of this principle. We have felt it in our own lives, and we have seen it in the lives of others. This month's Ensign (August 1990) contains an anonymous article describing such an experience. Under the title "Yearning to Return," a repenting transgressor who was excommunicated describes his personal feelings: "tearful hours," "misery," "wishing to be covered by a million mountains," "crushed by the shame," "dark blackness," "unbearable pain," and "anguish . . . as wide as eternity" (pp. 22-24). Why is it necessary for us to suffer on the way to repentance for serious transgressions? We often think of the results of repentance as simply cleansing us from sin. But that is an incomplete view of the matter. A person who sins is like a tree that bends easily in the wind. On a windy and rainy day the tree bends so deeply against the ground that the leaves become soiled with mud, like sin. If we only focus on cleaning the leaves, the weakness in the tree that allowed it to bend and soil its leaves may remain. Merely cleaning the leaves does not strengthen the tree. Similarly, a person who is merely sorry to be soiled by sin will sin again in the next high wind. The susceptibility to repetition continues until the tree has been strengthened. When a person has gone through the process that results in what the scriptures call a broken heart and a contrite spirit, that person is not only eligible to be cleansed from sin. He is also strengthened, and that strengthening is essential for us to realize the purpose of the cleansing, which is to return to our Heavenly Father. To be admitted to his presence we must be more than clean. We must also be changed from a weak person who once transgressed into a strong person with the spiritual stature that qualifies one to dwell in the presence of God. We must, as the scripture says, become "a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord" (Mosiah 3:19; also see Hafen, The Broken Heart, p. 149). This is what is meant by the scriptural explanation that a person who has repented of his sins will "confess them and forsake them" (D&C 58:43). Forsaking sins is more than resolving not to repeat them. It involves a fundamental change in the individual. King Benjamin and Alma both speak of "a mighty change of heart." King Benjamin's congregation described that mighty change by saying that they had "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2). Alma illustrated that change of heart when he described a people who "awoke unto God," "put their trust in" him, and were "faithful until the end" (Alma 5:7, 13). He challenged others to "look forward with an eye of faith" to the time when we will "stand before God to be judged" according to our deeds (Alma 5:15). Persons who have had that kind of change in their hearts have been cleansed from their sins and have attained the strength and stature to dwell with God. That is what we call being saved. Heed the Warnings Some Latter-day Saints who think repentance is easy maintain that a person is better off after he has sinned and repented. "Get a little experience with sin," one argument goes, "and then you will be better able to counsel others and sympathize with others. Anyway, it won't hurt to sin a little." I plead with you, my brothers and sisters, my young friends and my older friends, avoid transgression! The idea that one is better off after one has sinned and repented is a devilish lie of the adversary. Does anyone here think that it is better to learn firsthand that a certain blow will break a bone or a certain mixture of chemicals will explode and sear off our skin? Are we better off after we have sustained and then healed such injuries? I believe we all can see that it is better to heed the warnings of wise persons who know the effects on our bodies of certain traumas. Just as we can benefit from someone else's experience in matters such as these, we can also benefit from the warnings contained in the commandments of God. We don't have to have personal experience with the effects of serious transgressions to know that they are destructive of our eternal welfare. Some years ago one of our sons asked me why it wasn't a good idea to try alcohol or tobacco to see what it was like. He knew about the Word of Wisdom and he also knew the health effects of these substances, but he was questioning why he shouldn't just try them out for himself. I replied that if he wanted to try something he ought to go out in the barnyard and eat a little manure. He recoiled in horror. "Ooh, that's gross," he reacted. "I'm glad you think so," I said, "but why don't you just try it out so you will know for yourself? While you're proposing to try one thing that you know is not good for you, why don't you apply that principle to some others?" That illustration of the silliness of "trying it out for yourself" proved persuasive for one sixteen-year-old. Here is another experience. A few years ago my wife and I and another General Authority and his wife were on a Church assignment. The other man's wife and I had dated when we were both in high school. I was glad, and I am sure she was glad, that we did not have any bad memories of that date. Both of us could speak of it to our spouses and both of us could speak to a Church audience in the presence of the other without embarrassment. When we are young, we sometimes behave as if there were no tomorrow. When we are young it is easy to forget that we will grow up, marry, raise a family, and--note this significant point--continue to associate with some of the same people who are witnesses to or participants in our teenage pranks or transgressions. Young men, the girl you are dating may be your wife in a few years, but probably she will not. Possibly she will turn out to be the wife of your bishop or your stake president. Young women, the fellow you are dating may turn out to be your husband, but more likely, he will not. He may turn out to be the husband of your sister or your best friend. He may even be a counselor in your bishopric or an employee you supervise at your place of work. Conduct your life today so your tomorrows are not burdened with bad or embarrassing memories. "He Who Has Repented" Most of what I have said here has been addressed to persons who think that repentance is too easy. At the opposite extreme are those who think that repentance is too hard. That group of souls are so tenderhearted and conscientious that they see sin everywhere in their own lives, and they despair of ever being able to be clean. The shot of doctrine that is necessary to penetrate the hard shell of the easygoing group is a massive overdose for the conscientious. What is necessary to encourage reformation for the lax can produce paralyzing discouragement for the conscientious. This is a common problem. We address a diverse audience each time we speak, and we are never free from the reality that a doctrinal underdose for some is an overdose for others. I will conclude with a message of hope that is true for all, but especially needed for those who think that repentance is too hard. Repentance is a continuing process, needed by all because "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Repentance is possible, and then forgiveness is certain. Elder Spencer W Kimball said: Sometimes ... when a repentant one looks back and sees the ugliness, the loathsomeness of the transgression, he is almost overwhelmed and wonders, "Can the Lord ever forgive me? Can I ever forgive myself. " But when one reaches the depths of despondency and feels the hopelessness of his position, and when he cries out to God for mercy in helplessness but in faith, there comes a still, small, but penetrating voice whispering to his soul, "Thy sins are forgiven thee." [The Miracle of Forgiveness, 1969, p. 344] When this happens, how precious the promise that God will take "away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son" (Alma 24:10). How comforting the promise that "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). How glorious God's own promise that "he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more" (D&C 58:42; see also Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 8:12). These things are true. I testify of Jesus Christ who made it all possible and who gave us the conditions of repentance and the pathway to perfection provided by his atoning sacrifice. And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. SPIRITUAL CHECKUPS Carlos E. Asay Carlos E. Asay is a member of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This devotional address was given on 21 August 1990 in the Marriott Center during Campus Education Week. President Lee, platform guests, brothers and sisters, I feel privileged to meet with you this morning. I also feel humble and in desperate need of spiritual assistance as I share with you some personal thoughts that have preoccupied my mind this past summer. Some of you may have heard a portion of what I plan to say. Please, however, bear with me, and perhaps the repetition will enhance your learning. More than forty years ago, I read these lines: A thorough physical checkup every now and again, Is considered a plan of wisdom by most clear-thinking men. So why not the same sort of checkup In our quest for the ultimate goal? A checkup, not just of the body But one as well, for the soul [Sunshine] There was a time when I felt that I would live forever. I was young, my body was lean and strong, and my energy was almost limitless. I ran when I might have walked, I leaped when I might have lumbered. But as the years have passed, many rivets have come loose in my marvelous machine, and I am reminded almost daily of the need to use wisdom and to take care of myself. Otherwise, I will not be able to "walk and not faint," nor will "the destroying angel" pass by me (see D&C 89:20-21). Yes, I receive an annual physical checkup, and I see my dentist at least twice a year. I watch my diet, I try to get the proper amount of rest, and I walk the boulevard almost daily. All of this is done rather religiously so that I might lengthen my days in mortality and enjoy a fulness of life. I do subscribe to the philosophy stated by a noted physician: "To keep the body fit is a help in keeping the mind pure, and the sensations of the first few hours of the day are the best test of its normal state. The clean tongue, the clear head, and the bright eye are birthrights of each day" (William Osler, A Way of Life, p. 25). However, I wonder whether I am paying sufficient attention to the spiritual aspects or dimensions of my life. I do so because I know that "the spirit and the body [constitute] the soul of man" and that a synergistic relationship should exist between the flesh and the divine spark within all of us (D&C 88:15). I also wonder whether I am conducting frequent and thorough "spiritual checkups" to assess my standing before God and to determine whether I am on the path that leads to eternal life--my "ultimate goal." It would profit me little if I were to close my life on earth with bulging muscles, a full set of teeth, and an anemic or sagging spirit. It was the Apostle Paul who wrote, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Paul didn't include in his writings a specific checklist or testing instrument that we might use in determining our spiritual fitness. Nonetheless, I believe there are several ways of conducting spiritual checkups whereby we might obtain readings of the spirit comparable to EKGs, blood pressure, temperature, and other readings of the body. Permit me to suggest five opportunities for proving our own selves or undergoing regular spiritual checkups. There are others, I am certain, that could be cited; however, these five tests of faith and faithfulness seem to be the most obvious and practical. Four of the Five Spiritual Checkup Opportunities 1. Attendance at Sacrament Meeting One spiritual checkup is related to the weekly sacrament service. In this meeting we partake of the sacrament and renew our covenants with the Lord. Moreover, we fast and pray and speak with one another concerning the welfare of our souls (see Moroni 6:5-6, 9). Those who participate in this service properly and worshipfully conduct a quiet self-introspection centered around searching questions: Do I really love the Lord? Am I keeping all of the commandments? What can I do more to strengthen my faith, increase my devotion, and demonstrate my love and gratitude to deity? Answers to these questions provide a reading of our spirituality similar to the physical readings obtained with a thermometer or blood pressure instrument. Each answer ought to reveal needed changes. And, renewal and resolve should be uppermost in our minds as we partake of the sacrament. It is said that immediately following a ten-minute presentation the average person remembers only half of what was said. Two days or forty-eight hours later the recall drops to 25 percent. In a week's time, the recall drops even more, perhaps to as little as 10 percent or less, depending upon the circumstances under which the instruction was given and our own receptivity. Little wonder God commands us to meet together regularly to renew our covenants with him. Do you regard each sacrament service as a time to examine and to prove yourself, whether ye be firmly planted in the faith? Keep in mind these words of Paul, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup" (1 Corinthians 11:28), and, I would add, let him do so worthily. 2. Interviews with Priesthood Leaders The second spiritual checkup occurs when we are interviewed by a priesthood leader and he ascertains our worthiness to serve, to receive a temple recommend, or to enjoy some other privilege in the Church. Each leader represents the Great Physician, even Jesus Christ, and is authorized to ask us certain questions in confidence. How often have you been asked: Are you honest in your dealings with your fellowmen? Do you pay your tithing, etc.? How we answer the priesthood leader's questions and how we feel in his presence reveals much concerning our standing before the Lord. Recently, a sister-in-law was interviewed by a priesthood leader as she sought the renewal of a temple recommend. He asked: "How long has it been since you received your first recommend?" "Twenty-five years," she responded. The stake president paused for several moments, then asked: "Are you twenty-five times better today than when you first went to the temple?" She did some serious soul-searching on that occasion. All of us must remember that we do not become automatically saints, in the full sense of the word, through baptism. We are baptized so that we might enter the kingdom of God; but once through that gateway, we must essay or strive to become saints of the living God (see D&C 125:2). Every LDS family should keep in mind the scripture found in Mosiah chapter 3, verse 19. This scripture reminds us that we must become saints through the atonement of Christ by yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and by acquiring Christlike virtues. Do you regard each interview with a priesthood leader as a time to examine and to prove yourself, whether ye be firmly planted in the faith? 3. Temple Attendance A third opportunity to receive a spiritual checkup occurs in the temple. It is recorded that the house of the Lord is a place where we may grow up in God, receive a fulness of the Holy Ghost, be organized according to divine laws, and be prepared to obtain every needful thing (see D&C 109:15). However, the realization of these temple blessings is predicated upon our personal worthiness and faithfulness. One who goes to the temple worthily draws closer to the Lord and feels of his holy presence. But one who goes to the temple unworthily and under false pretenses does so with a bothersome conscience and fails to receive the instruction in an edifying manner. Let me illustrate. A few years ago, my wife and I attended an afternoon session in the Salt Lake Temple. The company was small, consisting of no more than a dozen men and a dozen women. I scanned the group, casually noting that all were strangers to me except my wife. We were instructed in the first room and then moved to the next. As we took our seats in the second room, there was a slight commotion. I looked about to see what was wrong. In doing so, I saw a woman leave the room. All of us assumed that she was ill or had perhaps forgotten a piece of clothing. The interruption was brief and the instruction resumed. It was a refreshing temple experience for us, and we retumed home rejoicing. The next day I receive a very unusual telephone call. My secretary came to my office door and said: "A woman wants to speak with you, but she won't give me her name." I picked up the phone and announced myself. The caller promptly asked, "Elder Asay, what do you know about me?" "How can I answer your question," I responded, "when you haven't even given me your name?" She continued, "You were in the three o'clock temple session yesterday, weren't you?" "Yes," I answered, "I was there." She said, "Do you remember someone walking out of the second room?" "Yes," I replied. "It was I who walked out of the temple yesterday. Elder Asay, what do you know about me?" At this point the conversation was becoming a bit tedious, and I said, "My dear, please don't play games with me. Unless you tell me who you are, how can I respond to your query?" Almost totally ignoring what I said, the woman confessed: "It was I who left the temple room yesterday before the instruction began. I did so because you looked at me with a searching look, and you made me feel as though I was unworthy to be there." Once again, she asked, "What do you know about me?" I said: "Well, if you attended the temple worthily yesterday, I apologize for how I may have looked at you and for how I may have made you feel. However, if you were there unworthily, I make no apology." There was a long silence and then soft sobbing over the telephone. Finally, the woman confessed: "I have committed a serious sin, and I attended the temple yesterday under false pretenses. However," she added, "I visited my bishop last night, and I will follow his counsel and advice." This unusual experience reminded me of the words of Moroni: Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws? Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you. [Mormon 9:3-5] It is most significant that the woman judged herself through my eyes in the house of the Lord. She verified in part the truth that "no unclean thing can dwell with God" or abide his holy presence (1 Nephi 10:21), for "the piercing eye of the Almighty God" sees all Jacob 2:10). Nothing escapes his view, whether it be done in private or in public. Therefore, we should be consistent in our righteousness and strive to reach that state of goodness whereby we feel comfortable in his holy house--the place where he manifests himself to his people (see D&C 109:5). Do you regard each visit to the temple as a time to examine and prove yourself, whether ye be planted firmly in the faith? 4. Reading/pondering Scriptures A fourth way of undergoing a spiritual exam or checkup is by reading and pondering selected scriptures. A modern scripture reads: These words are not of men nor of man, but of me; wherefore, you shall testify they are of me and not of man;For it is my voice which speaketh them unto you; for they are given by my Spirit unto you, and by my power you can read them one to another, and save it were by my power yo could not have them; Wherefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice, and know my words. [D&C 18:34-36] Please note that the scripture states that we may hear God's voice through the scriptures. That is why I refer to my scripture reading as my daily interview with the Lord. He not only speaks to me as I ponder his holy word but he also holds before me a mirror of standards and principles that reflects my level of performance. For example, there is one chapter in the Book of Mormon that I refer to as the "mirror" chapter. I speak of Alma 5. This scripture centers upon more than forty soul-searching questions, according to my count. One who reads those questions and answers them personally and honestly will obtain a fairly accurate reading of his standing before God. Permit me to hold this mirror before your faces and ask but eleven questions: And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren [and sisters] of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body? I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth? Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say-Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth--and that he will save you? Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God? I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances? [Alma 5:14-19] How did you fare? Did you have the proper answers to the questions asked? Did you pass Alma's spiritual examination? One who stands before a scriptural mirror and comes up short but who refuses to make needed corrections in his life-style reminds me of these inspired words: For many be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, lie is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. [James 1:23-24] Do you regard the reading and pondering of the holy scriptures as a time to examine and prove yourself, whether ye be planted firmly in the faith? Fifth Spiritual Checkup A fifth spiritual checkup should take place as you participate in special programs such as BYU Education Week. As announced, the theme for this gathering is "Education: Awakening Understanding." The opening paragraph in the class schedule reads as follows: "Welcome to Education Week-the sixty-eighth year of this rich tradition. Whether your interests include religious education, family relationships, self-improvement, art, literature, history, or dozens of other topics, Education Week can provide an enlightening and informative view. With a distinguished and distinctively qualified faculty, the dawning of new realms of understanding await you here" (emphasis added). I underscore these words, the dawning of new realms of understanding, for they suggest that all of you will be participating in an educational reveille this week--a reveille bugled by 168 teachers and consisting of in excess of 1,000 different formations or classes. Each instructor is expected to sound his or her trumpet in a way that will catch your attention, awaken your senses, and open your eyes of understanding to those things that matter most. Each of you is expected to apply himself or herself to learning and to awake and shake off the chains of ignorance in one way or another. Winston Churchill said: "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." Such "stumbling" and "hurrying off " is not in harmony with the purpose and intent of this program. What is sought for here is serious soul-searching, conscious hungering of truth--even a quest for hidden knowledge--and a more consistent application of righteous principles in our daily living; otherwise, we shall not gain understanding nor shall we rid ourselves of the dust that accumulates from our falls. Said Lehi to his children: O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe. Awake! and arise from the dust. [2 Nephi 1:13-14] Lehi's appeal to his children may be 2500 years old, but it constitutes a timely call for us today. Many of us are asleep and oblivious to "things as they really are, and of things as they really will be" (Jacob 4:13). We, therefore, see things "through a glass, darkly" and miss the glorious views of life that make all the difference (I Corinthians 13:12; see also 2 Nephi 1:24). And if we don't wake up, our dozing will have a damning effect upon us forever--perhaps even making us captives of the enemy of our souls. As you prepare to receive instructions in one or more of the 1,000-plus class offerings of this educational experience or time of spiritual testing, perhaps the words of the prophet Jacob apply: "O my brethren [and sisters], hearken unto my words; arouse the faculties of your souls" Jacob 3:11; emphasis added). Whether you plan to attend one of the more traditional classes such as Faith unto Life and Salvation; The Profile of a Prophet; or one of the more exotic titles like A Juggler's Life for Me; There's No Traffic jam on the Extra Mile, etc., it is hoped that there will be a full investment of minds, spirits, and will-power. When all of the faculties of one's soul are awakened by light and truth, knowledge is transferred into wisdom, wisdom leads to understanding, understanding provides a fulness of life, and God grants to men according to their wills. The reveille or spiritual testing that I feel should be associated with this educational experience is centered in these scripturally based questions: Are you aware of God's judgment and holy cause or purposes? Do you have a full sense of your duty to God, and are you walking blamelessly before him? In effect, are you men and women of understanding? Sense of Nothingness King Benjamin made reference to an awakening, to a "knowledge of the goodness of God at this time" and to "a sense of [our] nothingness" (Mosiah 4:5). Such realization reminds all of us of our puniness before God and fosters feelings of humility--placing us in a teachable frame of mind. We frequently sing these inspired words: O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy pow'r thruout the universe displayed, Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee, How great thou art! How great thou art! And when I think that God, his Son not sparing, Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in, That on the cross my burden gladly bearing He bled and died to take away my sin, Then sings my soul, niy Savior God, to thee, How great thou art! How great thou art! ["How Great Thou Art," Hymns, 1985, no. 86, verses 1 and 3] We need not cower before our Maker or engage in denigrating practices, but we must allow his greatness and goodness to bend our knees and to lift our eyes ever Godward. If we don't, our spiritual progress will be stunted and our quest for understanding detoured. Do you have a knowledge and understanding of God's goodness? Do you have a sense of your own nothingness? Are you humble and teachable as this Education Week begins? God's Cause and Judgment The Psalmist wrote: "Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord" (Psalms 35:23). Unless we stir within us an awareness of God and his holy purposes, much of what we learn here will be lost and quickly forgotten. We will have no hooks upon which to hang our newfound knowledge. But if we keep uppermost in our minds the Great Planner and his great plan, all that we learn here will be placed in proper perspective and have real meaning. Moses did not fully understand the judgment of God until he climbed Mount Nebo. However, once he placed his feet upon that pinnacle and "the Lord shawed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar," then he realized the full consequences of his transgression (see Deuteronomy 32:49-52, 34:1-4). It is hoped that you will climb your own Mount Nebo on this campus and attend classes that will not only stir your souls but open to your eyes a panoramic view of the divine scheme of things and your standing before God Almighty. Are you fully aware of God's cause, his purposes, his plan, and his judgment and work among men? "Righteousness, and Sin Not" The Apostle Paul appealed to the Saints in Corinth to "awake to righteousness, and sin not" (1 Corinthians 15:34). In the modern vernacular, we would say, "Wake up and fly right." Nephi said it this way: "Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul" (2 Nephi 4:28). Old Scratch, even Satan, specializes in singing the softest, sweetest, and most sinister of all lullabies. He lulls people to sleep by calling evil good, justifying a little sin, ridiculing goodness, and twisting the truth ever so slightly until it becomes false and vain and foolish doctrine (see 2 Nephi 28:79). One writer referred to understanding as "that faculty whereby we are enabled to apprehend the objects of knowledge, generals as well as particulars, absent things as well as present, and to judge of their truth or falsehood, good or bad" (John Wilkins; emphasis added). Our spiritual well-being depends upon our ability to discem between truth and error and to hold fast to that which is good. The question is asked once again: Is your soul fully awake and able to not only discern but to fend off all forms of sin? Sense of Duty Said Alma to the people in a city called Gideon: "And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received" (Alma 7:22; emphasis added). Two questions follow: What is our duty to God? Are we walking blamelessly before him, after the holy order of God? It is written: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). This statement answers one question, but what about the other? Perhaps it will be answered as you learn more this week about priesthood, ordinances, family, and other saving aspects of the gospel of Christ. And perhaps through this experience your resolve to "pay that that [you] have vowed" (Jonah 2:9) will be strengthened as you participate in classes, especially those similar to "Developing Self-Discipline." If this program does nothing else for you, I pray that it will help you understand more clearly your duty to God and bolster your determination to walk the high road that leads to eternal life. Spiritual Power I fear that we underestimate the potential spiritual power that resides within all of us. Hence we ignore the need for spiritual fitness, and we allow our spirits to become flabby and terribly out of shape. Rather than "put[ting] off the natural man," as we have been told to do, we allow him to gain the upper hand, thus wasting the inner and spiritual powers (Mosiah 3:19). Perhaps I can illustrate those powers by sharing a quote from the Defense Strategy Seminar of the National War College in 1972. I quote: The incredible feats of little Japan during World War II cannot be explained in terms of its meager objective resources, but must be attributed above all to the existence of a self-image that has translated into superior national morale. This national morale became an immense storehouse of power. A well-known student of Japan, Ruth Benedict, provides a fascinating illustration of this morale factor in her report of a Japanese radio broadcast describing the behavior of a Japanese pilot during the war: "After the air battles were over, the Japanese planes returned to their base in small formations of three or four. A Captain was in one of the first planes to return. After alighting from his plane, he stood on the ground and gazed into the sky through binoculars. As his men returned, he counted. He looked rather pale, but he was quite steady. After the last plane returned, he made out a report and proceeded to Headquarters. At Headquarters he made his report to the Commanding Officer. As soon as he had finished his report, however, he suddenly dropped to the ground. The officers on the spot rushed to give assistance, but alas! he was dead. On examining his body it was found that it was already cold, and he had a bullet wound in his chest, which had proved fatal. It is impossible for the body of a newly dead person to be cold. Nevertheless, the body of the dead Captain was as cold as ice. The Captain must have been dead long before, and it was his spirit that made the report. Such a miraculous feat must have been achieved by the strict sense of responsibility that the dead Captain possessed." To a non-Japanese, this story might seem like an outrageous yarn. But this writer himself heard the particular broadcast and was able to observe the reaction of Japanese military personnel in occupied Shanghai. The story was believed almost without exception. It was common knowledge that a disciplined spirit was master of the body, that indeed "a composed spirit could last a thousand years." Why should it not be possible that the spirit of a man could outlive his body by a few hours if that man had made duty and responsibility to the Emperor the central tenets of his life? [John G. Stoessinger, "The Nature of Power," reprinted in The Might of Nations: World Politics in Our Time, 3rd ed. (New York: Random House, 1969), pp. 15-27] Let me read that last sentence once again, substituting some words. "Why should it not be possible that the spirit of a man could outlive his body ... if that man had made duty and responsibility to God the central tenets of his life?" A knowledge of who we are, a self-image that is ennobling, a strict sense of moral responsibility, a disciplined spirit, and a keen sense of duty to God--these are the keys to spiritual power. People of Understanding Throughout the scriptures we read of people who were spiritually strong and who had understanding--a most coveted character trait. In the book of Ezra, a group was referred to as "men of understanding" (Ezra 8:16). Abigail was mentioned as a "woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance" (1 Samuel 25:3). God gave Daniel and his associates "wisdom and understanding" that was ten times better than that of all the magicians and astrologers in the country (Daniel 1:20). And, of course, there was Solomon, and the sons of Mosiah, and Moroni. Such spiritual giants remind us of the need for real spiritual fitness because "a man [or woman] of understanding" (according to holy writ) is of "an excellent spirit" (Proverbs 17:27). I find it interesting that men and women of understanding are described in the Old Testament as people who hold their peace (Proverbs 11:12, 17:28), are slow to wrath (Proverbs 14:29), walk uprightly (Proverbs 15:21), seeking it (Proverbs 4:7), pondering truth (D&C 110:1; 138:11, 29; Psalms 49:3), searching the scriptures (Alma 17:2; 32:28, 34), applying hearts (Mosiah 12:27; Proverbs 2:2), sinning no more (Hosea 13:2; Job 28:28), receiving counsel of the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:28), and