Over the last couple of months I have been making a big effort to change. I have been trying to move to a higher level of discipleship. I have, for so long, just been doing what I was comfortable doing and I haven't been pushing myself to progress. But I have determined to stop that, and stop regressing, and start moving forward and upward. And I took this invitation to speak as an opportunity to with that effort.
I have to say that this past week was a really go week. I studied. I kept my thoughts focused on the gospel. I really feel like this week was one of progress, and one of new beginnings.
Today was not a good day, and normally I just kind of wallow in how bad my day is going when I have a day like today. But when i got home, I vented to Ashlee a little bit, and then I went into our bedroom and I prayed that the feelings of anger and anxiety and stress that I was feeling would go away, or least decrease in severity. And they did. I felt better right away. This was the first real testimony building experience that I have had in a long time. And it feels good knowing that I had it. I feels good knowing that Heavenly Father is there, that he is not mad at me, that he still loves me and wants me to feel good and happy.
Anyway, that's that. I am also inserting the text of the talk I gave yesterday below.
As a topic I was given a talk by President Monson, given in
the General YW meeting in April of 1997 titled “ Pioneers All.”
As members of the church, the word “pioneer”, for us,
carries a certain sacredness. Automatically our minds are directed to thoughts
of handcarts, covered wagons, exhausted children, and trailside graves. We’re
reminded of the suffering endured by the many who faithfully ventured into the
unknown in search of a promised land and safety. They left behind comfort for hardship, all in the name of
Jesus Christ.
The word “pioneer” is defined as “one who goes before,
showing others the way to follow.” That is what the pioneers of 1847 did.
President Monson says, “What about our time? Are there
pioneer experiences for us? Will future generations reflect with gratitude on
our efforts, our examples? You can indeed be pioneers in courage, in faith, in
charity, in determination.”
I will endeavor to speak of three ways in which we can be
pioneers today:
1) For ourselves individually: preparing the way for our own
spiritual progression. Thus allowing us to be more effective in the other two
ways.
2) For our families: nurturing an environment where children
can feel the spirit, learn the gospel, progress in their own testimonies, and
prepare for carrying on the tradition of faithful service.
3) For the world: being a positive example of a Latter-Day
Saint, allowing your testimony to be seen and heard, and striving to bring
others to the Savior and their Father in Heaven.
First, self.
I’ve been reading a book recently called The Laws of Nature and the New Laws of
Business. In it the authors compare a variety of corporate case studies
with natural phenomena. One of the chapters is titled “Equilibrium is Death.”
In the book the authors discuss a bit of history from
Yellowstone National Park:
During the 1970s and 1980s…the
park’s popularity brought in excess of 10 million visitors a year, [and] the
National Park Service faced a qaundary; Should it continue to maintain
Yellowstone as a kind of natural them park and maximize visitor throughput? Or
should priority be given to the park’s ecosystem? The latter choice would
impose restrictions on public access and favor the best interests of [the
natural environment].
Under pressure, the Park Service
adopted the theme-park approach.
…
For [decades], the Park Service
maintained equilibrium in the forest by quickly extinguishing fires, denying
the natural rhythm of fire and regrowth whereby forests cleanse and renew
themselves
As a result, a thicker-than-normal
layer of deadfall and debris had built up on the forest floor.
A prolonged drought and unfavorable winds perpetuated the
fires that were started by numerous lightning strikes and resulted in the
largest fire in recorded North American History at the time.
Similar to the situation described here, our spirits cannot
remain healthy if we are simply attempting to maintain equilibrium.
As Mad-Eye Moody would say, “Constant Vigilance.” We have to
be ever vigilant of our own spiritual condition and be wary of falling into an
equilibrium where, given our current life situation – work load, classes,
exams, crazy work schedule, etc. – we simply attempt to maintain our current
spiritual condition, and maintain our current testimony by going through the
motions of perfunctory scripture study, prayers, lesson preparation, etc.
This equilibrium is described in second Nephi as “carnal
security.” If we fall into such a false sense of security and merely try to
maintain our current condition, as in the case of Yellowstone, our progression
stops and we begin to regress, and we become vulnerable to spiritual lightning
strikes.
Don’t let yourselves be lulled into a false sense of
security, or rather don’t make excuses to lull yourself into a false sense of
security.
C.S. Lewis, in Mere
Christianity wrote:
There is a difference between doing
some particular just or temperate action and being a just or temperate man.
Someone who is not a good tennis player may now and then make a good shot. What
you mean by a good player is a man whose eye and muscles and nerves have been
so trained by making innumerable good shots that they can now be relied on.
They have a certain tone or quality which is there even when they are not
playing, just as a mathematician’s mind has a certain habit and outlook which
is there even when he is not doing mathematics. In the same way a man who
perseveres in doing just actions gets in the end a certain quality of
character.
Lewis is not just talking about letter-of-the-law obedience.
Laman and Lemuel were obedient to the letter of the law after all. What is the
difference between them and Nephi. Lewis continues, “We might think that God
wanted simply obedience to a set of rules; whereas He really wants people of a
particular sort.”
How do we become “people of a particular sort?” Practice.
Decide what kind of person you want to be, and start acting like it. Think of
what makes a person that way. What values does a person like that have? What
habits do they have? Internalize those values and begin forming those habits
through practice. I think the cliché phrase is “fake it ‘til you make it.” It
holds true here, except that you never actually “make it.” I don’t say that to
be discouraging. I say it to remind us that we have the promise of eternal
progression. It’s not like a video game where you reach Level 70 in Warcraft
and you can’t get any higher, or you collect all the weapons available and
can’t get any more; there is always more. There is no limit to our growth.
Just as an athlete is constantly working on improving their
form and strength, we need to constantly be working on making ourselves
stronger and sharper tools for the Lord’s use.
Let us find a deeper level devotion in our personal
discipleship, and an increased commitment in our service to others.
Second, For our families.
Over thirty-five years ago, sister missionaries taught my
parents and helped them prepare for baptism. I am thankful every day for the
courage of my parents in joining the church. They faced opposition from family,
and those negative feeling survive today though they are never discussed.
Their decision to be baptized has brought so many blessings
into my life. I was able to be born into the covenant, as my parents were
sealed in the Washington D.C. Temple before I came along. I was able to grow up
in the church. I was able to receive inspired instruction from dedicated leaders
in this building. I was able to give my mission farewell talk from this pulpit
12 years ago. I was blessed to be married in the Temple to a woman I don’t
deserve, and we have three robust younglings sealed to us forever. They started
on the path.
Now it is our calling as parents of Heavenly Father’s
children, as leaders called to instruct His children, to continue on that path
and lead them down that path. We strive to create and keep homes where the
spirit abides, where the gospel is taught and discussed daily, where testimony
is borne, and where testimonies can grow. We do this with the hope that by
doing so, our children will grow into faithful disciples themselves; that they
will be positive influences to their friends during their youth, that our young
men and in many cases young women will serve honorable missions, and eventually
start eternal families of their own through temple covenants.
All are commanded to “learn wisdom in thy youth”, to “learn
in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.” We as parents and leaders are
called upon to facilitate that learning.
YM and YW, your parents love you so much. I have three sons
and when they cry – not about not getting their way or something like that, but
if something really hurts them or makes them feel truly sad – it breaks my
heart so deeply. And I know it is the same way for your parents. They want you
to not just be happy, but to have joy. Listen to the counsel they have for you.
Are they perfect? No. They’re human; they’re not supposed to be perfect yet.
But they are old and they have important things to teach you if you will
listen. Do not take for granted the privilege you have been given in growing up
with the gospel. You’ll regret the wasted time later.
Parents, never let a teaching opportunity go unrealized. My
oldest son, Jack, is 7 years old, and Alaster just turned 5. Those years have
gone by so fast and the time of their youth is ever ticking down. Take
advantage of that time to teach them.
Third, to the world.
In our day, we have the ability to constantly be in the
presence of the Prophet, Apostles, and general authorities of the church. We
need not look any further than LDS.org to find a message, a story, or a
testimony to help invite the spirit and uplift us during the day.
Likewise, we have online presence. It can be a positive,
uplifting presence for others, or it can work to discourage and turn people
away.
In a recent BYU speech, Amy Jensen, the chair of the Theater
and Media Arts department, says, “I…want you to be conscious of the way the
world is impacted by your soul, and therefore by your body. In a very real way,
communications technologies allow us to project our bodies or our souls across
vast geographies.”
Tools, such as facebook, twitter, and blogs are a way of
extending the influence of one’s own soul. Our online presence is very much a
digital projection of our soul. As such, it can be used as a tool in evaluating
the current condition of our souls. Where are your thoughts focused? What are
you writing about? What are you spending your time online doing? How are you
representing yourself through your conversations?
Equally important is to note the impact that your online
presence has on others. What kind of example are you setting with the words you
choose to use and the topics you choose to discuss? Do your conversations and
other online activities reflect the values of a Latter-Day Saint, a disciple of
Christ, or a priesthood holder for you men and young men.
Evaluate the possible impact that you may be having on the
world around you. Your presence is extended infinitely through these online
tools, for better or for worse.
As one striving to be a pioneer, your online presence can be
a valuable tool. You can bear testimony to dozens, scores, or even hundreds of
people at once. You can reach our further and faster than ever before with just
a few key strokes. Our light, if we let shine forth, can reach so many more
people if we let it. As Paul wrote to Timothy, “Be not thou therefore ashamed
of [your] testimony of our Lord.” Share it.
Let the impact of the extended presence of your soul be a
positive one; one that will work at bringing others closer to the truth, and
closer to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.
It is my prayer that as we seek to deepen our devotion to
the Savior and increase our commitment to the service of Heavenly Father’s
children, that we can embody the pioneer spirit for ourselves, for our
families, and for the world, and prepare the way for others to find their way
to the truth and to the joy that only the gospel of Jesus Christ provides.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
