Achieving Your Full Potential
Elder Donald L. Staheli
Of the Seventy
CES Fireside for Young Adults
2 March 2003
Good evening, my young brothers and sisters. On
behalf of the First Presidency, I welcome you to this fireside.
I am impressed with the cultural diversity, the spiritual strength,
and the future potential of this worldwide audience of young
people.
I pray that the Spirit will touch you and me as we discuss some principles
of how you can find greater success and eternal happiness in your individual
lives.
Each of you are very much aware that we are living in challenging
times. Since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and
Pentagon on September
11,
2001, the world has changed, never to be the same again, regardless of
where in the world we may live.
Economic uncertainty is prevalent in most countries of the world.
The crusade against terrorism is ever present. Preparation for
war continues to escalate.
Satan’s influence continues to abound, not only in the hearts of those
who seek to destroy lives and property, but also on the morality and integrity
of people everywhere.
President Gordon B. Hinckley gave us these reassuring but sobering
words as he closed the October 2001 general conference:
“Our safety lies
in the virtue of our lives. Our strength lies in our righteousness.
God has made it clear that if we will not forsake Him, He will
not forsake us” (in
Conference Report, Oct. 2001, 112; or Ensign, Nov. 2001, 90).
Notwithstanding the perilous nature of our time, you young people
are a choice generation. You are the future of the Church. Many
of you
will have
opportunities
for considerable influence in your communities and countries
as you live the commandments and stay true to the principles
of the
gospel
of Jesus
Christ.
President Hinckley has described you “as the finest generation in the history
of the Church” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, 96; or Ensign, May 1992,
69).
From that commendation I hope you feel the love and confidence
that the prophet has for each of you. Your challenge and
mine is for each
of us
to strive
to live up to President Hinckley’s and the Lord’s expectations for us.
This evening I want to talk about how you might more fully
meet those expectations by achieving your full potential.
This is a time in your life when choices are made and patterns
and habits are formed that will have a major impact on
who you will become.
Your
future happiness,
personal righteousness, and relationship with the Lord
will depend in large part on the habits you embrace and
the choices
and commitments
you make
over these
next few years.
The challenge lies in the question “Is the road you are now traveling and
the present conduct of your life leading you to achieve your full God-given potential?” If
you were to make no changes in the present course of your life, would you be
happy with who you are and what you have become five years from now?
In posing this question, we recognize and commend so
many of you who are pursuing your education in preparation
for
the
future. You are
striving to live the
commandments and be true to gospel principles. Many
of you have an idea of what you would
like to do with your life as you prepare for marriage
and dream dreams of the kind of family you would
like to have.
Those
of you
who are
married are
concentrating
on how to make real the dreams and ambitions that
you and your spouse have
for the future.
On the other hand, many of you are still working
on a vision for your future and the action plans
that
you
need to follow
to achieve
your
full potential.
Some of you are challenged with some of the issues
that life has handed you and may be struggling
with how you
can better
prepare
yourself
for the future.
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles has a favorite two-word statement that
he uses frequently
to motivate
us: “Always improving.” The
implication is clear—there is room for improvement in each of our lives.
It has been said that one of the greatest tragedies
of our time is that so many people live so
far below their
potential.
President
Spencer W.
Kimball
continually
encouraged us to “lengthen our stride” and to “enlarge our
vision” (“When the World Will Be Converted,” in Best-Loved
Talks of the LDS People, ed. Jay A. Parry, Jack M. Lyon, and Linda Ririe Gundry
[2002], 250).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said it another way:
“The Lord loves each of us too much to merely let us go on being what we
now are, for he knows what we have the possibility to become!” (“‘In
Him All Things Hold Together’” in Brigham
Young University 1990–91
Devotional and Fireside Speeches [1991], 107).
Implicit in the statements from each of
these distinguished leaders is the message
that
each of us can and
should do more to meet
the Lord’s expectations
of us.
With these statements in mind, let’s now talk about a few ways in which
you can take and keep control of your lives. In so doing, you will not only find
success in a temporal sense but you will be moving toward achieving a relationship
with your Father in Heaven and Savior that prepares you for the prize of membership
in the celestial kingdom.
Develop a Strong Testimony
First and foremost in your pursuit is the
development and nurturing of a strong testimony. I assume that most of
you have a basic testimony
of the gospel.
Yet I would suspect that many of you are being challenged by the “things
of the world” with which you deal every day. By “things of the world” I am referring to the daily bombardment of worldly messages, enticements,
and peer pressures that tend to tempt or distract you from keeping your testimony
strong.
Perhaps some of you can relate to a young friend I met while serving
as president of a stake that included West Point Academy in the state
of New York. He was
a bright 4.0 student at the academy. He had been given leave from West Point
to serve a mission and was readmitted on completion of his mission—not
a common occurrence at West Point. On one of my visits to the West Point Branch
he requested some time to talk.
As we talked he told me of how he had deepened his conversion to the
gospel as he served his mission. He remembered the feelings and strength
of his testimony
as he returned to West Point following his mission.
Then he said: “In the two years since my mission I have gradually felt
the Spirit slipping away from me. Every day I am associating with other cadets
with different values. Their whole focus in life is successfully graduating
from the academy. Periodically the honor code is compromised. Nearly every
weekend is party time—alcohol and young women. I am hazed and ridiculed
because I have refused to join with them.
“President Staheli, I need help. I feel like I am being tossed to and fro
on the seas of life and I have lost my mooring. My gospel anchor of the past
seems to be giving way to the life of fun and pleasures enjoyed by my colleagues
at the academy.”
As we talked it became clear that the magnet of the adversary was gradually
but surely drawing him into Satan’s grasp. My young friend had lost his
mooring—not because Satan’s magnet had become stronger but because
he had not been nurturing and tending to his testimony. He was in the process
of losing what he had previously so deeply cherished.
Many of you have already or will face similar challenges. It may not
be alcohol and immorality—yet, my brothers and sisters, never forget that these
are some of Satan’s most tempting attractions. They are just two of the
adversary’s many magnets that look attractive on the surface and may
appear harmless only because you feel you can resist.
It is essential to your testimony that you understand your relationship
with your Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ. President Boyd
K. Packer
talked very clearly in this same broadcast last month about our premortal
life, the
choice to come here, and the choices we now have that determine what we may
become.
Elder M. Russell Ballard has said:
“Nothing is more remarkable or important in this life than to know that
God our Eternal Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, have spoken again from the
heavens and have called prophets and apostles to teach the fullness of the everlasting
gospel once again upon the earth. That is a glorious thing to know. When you
know it, that knowledge affects your life. It influences every major decision
you make. It changes the course of your life to a safer one because it provides
an anchor that helps hold you fast to the teachings of the gospel despite the
evil influences all around you that entice you to drift toward sin and transgression” (“Anchor
to the Soul,” in Brigham Young University 1992–93 Devotional and
Fireside Speeches [1993], 3).
But knowing is not always enough. You recall my young friend at West
Point. He knew. He had developed a testimony, but it had slipped
away from him
because he failed to nourish it. As he had begun to respond to and engage
in the
activities of his peers, he gradually lost the promptings of the Spirit.
Often we are reminded that a testimony is like a muscle. As we nourish
and exercise and use it, it develops and becomes stronger. When we fail
to
do so, it atrophies and becomes weak.
Our testimonies grow through faith, prayer, scripture study, and obedience
to the commandments. The daily exercise and nurturing of these principles
is key to a strong and resilient testimony and commitment to gospel
principles. Let me comment on each of these principles.
Faith
Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,
said the following about faith:
“If there is any one thing you and I need in this world it is faith, that
dynamic, powerful, marvelous element by which, as Paul declared, the very worlds
were framed (Hebrews 11:3). . . . Faith—the kind of faith that moves one
to get on his knees and plead with the Lord and then get on his feet and go to
work—is an asset beyond compare, even in the acquisition of secular knowledge.
I do not minimize the need for study and labor. I would add to these faith and
prayer, with the sacred promise that ‘God shall give unto you knowledge
by his Holy Spirit, yea, by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost’” (“God
Shall Give unto You Knowledge by His Holy Spirit,” in Speeches of
the Year, 1973 [1974], 109).
I had the privilege of returning with President Hinckley from Nauvoo
on his plane following the cornerstone ceremony at the Nauvoo Temple.
I was commenting
on the unbelievable faith and commitment of those early Saints. I was musing
that I was not sure I would have had sufficient faith to keep company with
those faithful Saints. In his usual optimistic response, President Hinckley
said, “Sure you would, Don.” And then he made his real point with
me as he reminded me that some of the most faithful Saints faltered, lost faith,
and fell by the wayside. His response strongly suggests that our testimonies
are vulnerable if we do not stay on course in keeping God’s commandments.
President Hinckley frequently refers to that earlier statement in encouraging
us to have “the kind of faith that moves one to get on his knees and
plead with the Lord and then get on his feet and go to work.” That is
sound advice for every one of us. As we follow it, our testimonies and commitments
to make right choices will grow.
Prayer
Prayer is as essential to a righteous life
as food and water are to our daily sustenance. Taking this analogy one
step further, if we had to
live on the
sustenance and the frequency and intensity of some of our prayers, many
of us would be much thinner than we are today.
As I reflect on my youth and the initial development of my testimony,
nothing had a greater impact on its development than the faith of my
mother and father
and their daily application of that faith in their prayers. The Lord responded
to their faith and prayers, and as children we witnessed the hand of the
Lord in our family. We came to know the meaning of what Moroni meant
when he said:
“I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and
not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness
until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6).
The faith of our family was tried time and again. Periodically special
spiritual experiences too tender to tell followed. I bear testimony that
the Lord
does hear and answer prayers—prayers from the hearts of His faithful children.
As your lives become crowded with other activities, it is easy to skip
a prayer or use an abbreviated version of your prayers. Don’t shortchange the
Lord on your prayers. Nothing you will do during any day of your life will
be more important to your temporal success or your eternal progress than consistent,
humble, sincere prayers offered at least morning and night of every day.
As I visited with my young friend from West Point, it became clear
that his faith had wavered and the consistency and sincerity of
his prayers
had waned.
The joshing of his peers and the seeming attractiveness of Satan’s alternatives
had begun to overshadow his commitment to exercise his faith and prayers.
Scripture Study
Equally important in the pursuit of happiness and a secure testimony
is the daily habit of reading from and pondering the scriptures. This represents
a significant challenge for most of us. The busier life becomes, the more
difficult it is to stay connected to this important part of our spiritual
growth.
One of my fellow quorum
members confided to me that he had not missed a day in reading
or pondering the scriptures since he
entered the Missionary Training
Center in preparation for his mission. That was approximately 40 years
ago. What a commitment! What dedication to the Lord! What a great
example for each
of us to follow!
Those who demonstrate the greatest consistency in their scripture
study do so because they follow daily a set time to read. They
do not speed-read so
many pages a day. Rather, they read and then ponder about the application in
their lives of what they have read. But they do it daily, and they do it as
a serious part of their personal plan for spiritual growth.
My challenge to you tonight is to reflect carefully on how you
evaluate your personal progress in the practice of your faith,
prayers, and scripture study
daily. Are you providing daily spiritual sustenance to your testimony? Are
your actions in these areas providing the willpower against all that the adversary
is showing you every day? If not, please think carefully about the changes
you will make. As King Benjamin sternly admonished his people, “If you
believe all these things see that ye do them” (Mosiah
4:10).
Obedience to the Commandments
Living to be worthy of the Spirit and then responding to its promptings
is another important milestone in our temporal and eternal progress.
It is an
essential ingredient to a strong and vibrant testimony. To be worthy of
the Spirit embodies the bottom line of obedient righteous living. To
truly accomplish
this is the quest of a lifetime.
Nephi’s early example of obedience has been taught to many of us from
our youth. Lehi had not long journeyed in the wilderness before he recognized
the differences in his sons. Laman and Lemuel had developed into the “murmurers” of
the family. They were already playing the role of “the natural man” that
King Benjamin described (Mosiah
3:19). Conversely, Nephi made his commitment
to the Lord early on when he said:
“I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know
that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall
prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth
them” (1 Nephi 3:7).
Nephi had made the decision as to how he was going to respond to the Lord’s
commandments. From that point forward he was steadfast. I suspect Satan worked
on him just as he does on each of us today, yet the scriptures indicate that
he was totally unsuccessful in affecting Nephi’s decision to do the Lord’s
will.
The prototype of Lehi’s family has played out through the centuries.
The world is replete with the Lamans and Lemuels. They are some of Satan’s
best students. Great blessings come to those who follow Nephi’s example.
Understanding and responding to the principle of obedience has singular
importance in preparing us for success and eternal happiness. President
Ezra Taft Benson
simplified the principle of obedience for me when he said:
“When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that
moment God will endow us with power” (cited from Staheli, in Conference
Report, Apr. 1998, 108; or Ensign, May 1998, 82).
That is such a profound statement that I would like to repeat it—in hopes
each of you will write it down so you can ponder its meaning in your life: “When
obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God
will endow us with power.”
Do you catch the spirit of what he is telling us? Will you
carefully ponder its meaning?
Of our 13 grandchildren the youngest
is now 18 months old. Her name is Zoë, and, according to Sister
Staheli, she is one of the most precious, sweet granddaughters in the whole
world.
There is only one problem.
The word Zoë learned first and likes best is no! The
challenge to Zoë’s
mother is the same challenge that your mothers and mine
had as they taught us when to say “no” to the
wrong things in life but how to say “yes” in
response to obedience to the Lord’s commandments.
Nephi had learned that lesson well. Laman and Lemuel never
did.
President Benson described the irritants of obedience as
being the impediments to God endowing us with power.
Tonight before you retire and say your evening prayer,
would you carefully ponder and then write down the
irritants in
your life
that keep you
from being completely obedient to the Lord’s will? As you do so, please be honest
with yourself. Remember, you cannot change that which you deny or fail to acknowledge.
As you are contemplating your possible irritants, remember
the counsel from Elder James E. Faust, given when
he was a member
of the Quorum
of the Twelve
Apostles: “It will often be necessary for all of us to choose between
having a good time and leading a good life” (To
Reach Even unto You, [1980], 3).
Some of you may find that your list relates more
to the passive things you don’t get done—not because they are irritants but because they
are too low on your priority list of important things to do. Or is it because
the adversary has rearranged your priorities by sidetracking your thoughts
and actions?
I expect each of us have a few irritants that inhibit
our progress. And some may be struggling with
a number of serious
irritants
that have become
roadblocks
to enjoying the quiet whisperings of the Spirit.
Although there are several things that might
qualify as irritants in your life, some of
the most important
ones
at this stage
in your life
may relate
to the
standards of morality.
Elder M. Russell Ballard has commented on numerous
occasions that Satan has a dominant influence
on the media: television,
movies,
and the
Internet. Each becomes seductive in its own
way (see “When
Shall These Things Be?” Ensign, Dec. 1996, 57–59).
As young adults you may feel you can handle
some of the sexually explicit programs
on television without affecting
your spiritual
well-being.
A recent New York
Times article reported that 83 percent
of the shows watched by young people had sexual
material.
One
in
five included
sexual intercourse. Sex sells,
and competition keeps pushing the limits.
The article concluded:
“As the boundaries expand, viewers become increasingly inured to material
that they not so long ago considered taboo” (Alessandra Stanley, “The
TV Watch; It’s a Fact of Life: Prime-Time Shows Are Getting Sexier,” New
York Times, 5 Feb. 2003, E1).
Even more pernicious are the R-rated movies
that are more explicit. It is clear that
frequent exposure tends
to legitimize
that
which we see
and hear.
It
dulls our sense of conscience between
the acceptable and unacceptable. It is Satan’s
way of leading you down the slippery slope toward immoral thoughts and actions.
And those parts of the Internet that
move you into pornography serve as
the devil’s trump card. It only takes a few viewings of pornography and he
has you hooked. Then he begins to work his magic, because what you have seen
and heard becomes paramount in your thought processes.
In the case of the single adult,
he gradually leads them into the
abyss
of immorality.
In the case
of the married,
he debases
and
devalues the spouse
and at a minimum destabilizes relationships
and spirituality in the home. At
worst, it can lead
to adulterous
relationships and
potential
divorce
and breakup
of families.
My young friends, if you are involved
in pornography in any way, stop
it before it is too late.
Be careful that you don’t let Satan use his influence to control your
thoughts and actions.
I believe there is a direct
correlation between your
ability to remove
your personal irritants
to obedience
and the
success and
happiness
that you will
enjoy in this life and the
eternities to come.
As you are able to conquer
and overcome your personal
irritants
to obedience,
you will
feel God endowing
you with the power
of the Spirit
to resist
the inappropriate things
that the world and Satan
would have
you
enjoy.
When we are able to declare
as the people did to
King Benjamin that
there has been “a mighty change in . . . our hearts, that we have no more disposition
to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah
5:2), then we will be
well on the road to being endowed with the power of the Spirit.
That companionship of
the Spirit and the
strength of your testimonies
will
depend
on your daily
nurturing of faith,
prayer, scripture
study, and obedience
to the commandments.
As
you do so, you will
be moving
toward achieving your
full potential
for
spiritual
blessings.
Now let me visit with
you for a few minutes
about
your secular
aspirations.
The Lord
wants each
of you to
find joy and happiness
and success
in your professional
and vocational pursuits.
But
He wants you
to do
it in a
way that your ambitions
for success do not
supersede your priority
for living
gospel principles.
President Thomas
S. Monson painted
the
picture as
follows:
“We have been provided divine attributes to guide our journey. We enter
mortality not to float with the moving currents of life, but with the power to
think, to reason, and to achieve” (“Invitation
to Exaltation,” Ensign, June 1993, 5).
Let me suggest
four simple principles
that I hope
you will find
helpful in your pursuit
of
temporal
and spiritual
success.
1. Take responsibility for who you are and what you want to become
Near the beginning
of my remarks
this evening
I asked, “Is the road you
are now traveling going to take you where you want to be five years from now?” I
used the five-year time frame because the patterns, habits, and actions you
take with your life over the next five years will have tremendous impact on
what you will become in the years that follow.
Some of you
have just
left parents
and family
to be on
your own
for the first
time. Many of you have had more years of experience in being independent and
accountable for your personal actions. Others have returned from missions to
a less structured life following the discipline of a mission. Regardless of
your circumstances, these are the years when you must take responsibility for
who you now are and what you want to become.
Many of you
are well
on your way
with your
education
and the early
stages of
your careers. We commend you. For those of you who are still pursuing your
formal education, complete your degree or vocational training no matter the
intellectual or financial struggles you may be encountering along the way.
For those of
you who may
not have
had the opportunity
for advanced
education
or have dropped out of school for various reasons, think carefully about where
you are. Remember, education is the key to the door of opportunity. Is the
road you are now traveling going to take you where you want to be? If not,
what might you do to change the course you are traveling?
The Savior’s parable of the talents is so applicable to you at this stage
in your lives. Jesus knows there are differences between you intellectually,
emotionally, and physically. Although each of us has been blessed with various
talents, some of us have been challenged with various kinds of handicaps. Therefore
the Lord only expects you to magnify and develop whatever talents and abilities
you have. But He expects you to be accountable for your actions in so doing.
At all costs
do not allow
yourself
to “float with the moving currents
of life,” as President Monson has counseled (“Invitation to Exaltation,” 5).
Take control of your actions and prepare to succeed at whatever you are capable
of doing. As President Hinckley frequently counsels, “Just do the best
you can, but be sure it is your very best” (A Challenging Time—a
Wonderful Time [An Evening with President Gordon B. Hinckley, 7 Feb. 2003],
5).
This is also
a time
in your
life when
counsel
from others
can help
you decide
what you should be doing that will move you toward achieving your full potential.
As I look
back over
my life,
it is the
wise counsel
and mentoring
of a few
special teachers, priesthood leaders, parents, and a loving wife that helped
me make some course corrections that put me on the right road in preparation
for what has turned out to be a wonderfully challenging and happy pursuit
of life.
If you do
not have
a clear
view of
where you
are going
or what
you want
to do with your life, ask for help. Seek good counsel. Then follow it.
There
are numerous Church leaders, institute teachers, and friends who would
be pleased
to help counsel and mentor you through some of your challenges of life.
2. Stay focused and use your time wisely
One of the more difficult challenges for young people, and some of
us older ones alike, is to stay focused and stay on course—to finish what you
have started.
I am convinced that distractions and
discouragement are some of Satan’s
most effective tools. He finds ways to help us make excuses as to why we can’t
do this or that. He gets us involved in wasting our time and resources in things
that lead us away from improving our lives and developing our talents. He blurs
our focus by diverting our attention. And this can happen to the very best
of you. Let me share an experience of how it happens.
A beautiful and vivacious young sister had just returned home from
a very successful mission in South America. As her stake president,
I had just completed an interview
and released her from her mission. I asked her, “What are your plans
for the future and how are you going to keep vibrant the beautiful spirit and
testimony that you have expressed here this evening?”
“Oh, that’s simple, President Staheli. I have my goals very clearly
outlined.”
And then she enthusiastically recited several of her goals. They included
daily prayer and scripture study, educational pursuits, and dreams
of the kind
of man she would marry, along with a few other goals. I commended her, thinking
that this young lady really had her life together.
Several months later this young sister called for another interview—this
time for a temple interview to be married and sealed in the temple to the young
man of her dreams. As we finished the interview I casually asked, “How
are you doing on your goals?”
“What goals?” she replied.
As I reminded her of our earlier conversation, I recited back to her
a few of the goals she had articulated to me. She teared up and her
face flushed
with embarrassment as she said, “President Staheli, I can’t believe
I have forgotten so soon that which was so important to me when I returned
home from my mission.”
She still was a worthy young sister, but she had been caught up in
the things of the world and had lost focus on some of the things
of greatest
worth to
her.
To those of you who have returned from missions, we would hope and
pray that you have not become too casual about nurturing your testimony
and
the Spirit
you enjoyed while on your mission.
Staying focused, disciplined, and committed to some meaningful goals,
both spiritual and temporal, is an important—in fact, essential—key
to your success here in this life and in the eternities to come.
3. Have the courage to be different from those in the world around you
One of the greatest challenges for all of us is to learn how to live
in the world without participating in all that it offers.
Worldly standards will always be in a state of flux, and the only true
and unchanging standards are those set by the Savior and His teachings
of the restored
gospel.
World standards are like fashions. They are frequently changing and testing
the levels of acceptability for that which provides new excitement, pleasure,
and a lure for the daring. The vice president of one of the major media networks
explained:
“Acceptability is an ever-expanding and retracting elastic band” (Roland
McFarland, quoted in Stanley, “The TV Watch,” E1).
That may be true for the world, but it is not for a true Latter-day Saint.
Unfortunately, frequent exposure to what at first is unacceptable will
over time legitimize in our minds that which we have seen and heard.
Be careful
that you do not become the victim of this seduction.
As you dare to be different, your exemplary conduct will not go unnoticed.
Although you will be tried and tested, your faithful adherence to the Lord’s
standards will be seen as a beacon in the night to those around you.
Since graduation from university my wife and I have lived our entire
married life in the mission field. We have traveled the world as part
of our business
career. In the earlier years of our career to be a nondrinking businessman
was an oddity—and not a well-accepted one either. Yet, with a few exceptions,
once people understood our principles and standards and our desire to stay
true to them, they respected us for them.
I could recite dozens of examples of my personal experiences on this
subject. I hope you will indulge me with just one.
More than a decade ago I was invited to join a small group of chairmen
and presidents of companies from around the world to form a council
to advise
the mayor of a very large city outside the United States. Our charge was
to help
him achieve world status for his city as a world-class financial center,
and at the same time upgrade the life and opportunities for its citizens.
I was
one of three heads of companies from the United States who was invited to
join this new council. At one point I served for two years as chairman of
the council.
In the meantime the mayor and I had become good friends. According to
custom, the chairman of the council would join the mayor at the beginning
of a major
annual banquet to offer reciprocal toasts. As I stood to do so with a glass
of water in hand, to my surprise the mayor explained to this large gathering
that my toast would be with water. And then to my amazement he went on to
make some very complimentary remarks about my standards and personal ethics.
Have the courage to be different when it is required of you to be true
to the standards of the Church. You will be respected for it. And if
occasionally
you are not, you need not worry, because that is not the kind of association
you will want or need in your future.
For those of you who are struggling with yourself because you may have
crossed a line of the Lord’s standards, please know there is a way back. The
Lord loves you. His great atoning sacrifice was wrought so that the principle
of repentance and forgiveness could be applied in each of our lives.
Make an appointment this very week to see your bishop or branch president
so that he can open the door to helping you be clean and comfortable with
yourself
and your relationship with your Savior.
I have not addressed the standards of morality and the Word of Wisdom
tonight because of what President Boyd K. Packer taught and counseled
you at this
same broadcast last month (see The Instrument of Your Mind and the
Foundation of
Your Character [CES fireside for young adults, 2 Feb. 2003). His talk
and very clear counsel was some of the very best that you will ever
hear. If
you did
not hear it or cannot recall it, get a copy of his talk and study carefully
how he addressed the issues of morality and the Word of Wisdom.
4. Lose yourself in service to another
In closing I want to ask you for a special favor that will bring you
joy and happiness as you lose yourself in service to another. Former
President of
the United States George Bush said, “Any definition of a successful
life must include service to others” (remarks to Points of Light Foundation,
13 Dec. 1990; see also Dotson Rader, “‘I’ve Had a Wonderful
Life,’” Parade Magazine, 1 Dec. 1996, 5).
King Benjamin taught the standard for service when he said: “Behold,
I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when
ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your
God” (Mosiah 2:17).
The Savior’s life, as the ultimate example of service, made clear His
feelings of the importance of our service. He said: “Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew
25:40).
This evening we have talked extensively about how we prepare ourselves
spiritually and temporally for our future success and happiness.
We commend the many of
you who are also experiencing the blessings and personal satisfaction that
come from serving others.
Now for the favor: Each of you here tonight must know of one or more
of your friends or acquaintances who is struggling with some of the
principles we have
been discussing. Some are discouraged, and some have even lost hope. Others
have been disappointed or have faced daunting challenges that they were unable
to understand or handle emotionally. The end result, for whatever reason, is
the loss of faith in and a testimony of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
They have become less active or inactive. In many cases personal habits or
transgressions have overshadowed them with guilt—to the point where it
has become difficult for them to come back.
In Chicago, a large city of the United States, a survey found the names
of three thousand young adults who are members of the Church. Less
than six hundred
of those were active. A “search-and-rescue” program was undertaken.
A team effort of active young adults with the full-time missionaries and youth
leaders is producing an encouraging response. Many of these inactive youth
are responding to the invitation to come back.
Attendance at sacrament meeting has increased 35 percent during the
first three months of this effort. That’s more than two hundred additional young
people attending sacrament meeting. Some are meeting with their bishops and
branch presidents and clearing up the issues that have kept them away. Testimonies
and commitments are being reawakened. Lives are being changed.
A new bishop of a young single adult
ward in Canada organized his own search-and-rescue program. Eighteen
months later the ward had taken
on a new feeling of spiritual
enthusiasm. Of those who returned, 61 were invited into disciplinary
councils. Old issues were discussed and handled, and 58 of the 61
became active. Marriages blossomed in the ward, with 99 percent of them being
sealed in the temple.
What greater service could each of you render than reaching out to
someone you know who needs a helping hand to return to full fellowship
in the gospel
of Jesus Christ?
Will you accept our challenge tonight to join with your youth leaders,
priesthood leaders, and institute teachers and directors to lose
your life in the service
of helping another young person return to the fold?
The counsel the Lord gave to the Prophet Joseph Smith in June 1829
is applicable to each of you as you accept this challenge:
“And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance
unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be
your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!” (D&C 18:15).
Summary
Now, I conclude as I began. Is the road you are now traveling and the
present conduct of your life leading you to achieve your full God-given
potential?
“As the finest generation in the history of the Church,” much is
expected of you.
In summary, keep the fire of your testimony burning brightly through
faith, prayer, scripture study, and the spiritual blessings that
come from obedience
to the Lord’s commandments.
• Take responsibility for who you are
and what you want to become.
• Stay focused and use your time wisely.
• Have the courage to be different from those in the world around you.
• Lose yourself in service to another.
As you do these things the Lord will bless you and strengthen you so
that you may move forward in magnifying the talents and opportunities
He has given
you.
I bear testimony, my brothers and sisters, of the divinity of Heavenly
Father’s
plan for each of you. Jesus is truly our Savior, and He very much loves and
cares for each of you. As you keep His commandments and follow the counsel
of the prophet and your leaders, He will be there to guide you through the
challenges that lie ahead.
May His choicest blessings be with each of you, I pray in the name
of Jesus Christ, amen.
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