"Applying Gospel Principles to Life's Challenges"
Bruce W. Blanchard
September 30, 2003
Good afternoon Brothers and Sisters. It is an honor to have this opportunity to speak to you today. It is my hope and prayer that the spirit will attend us this day, and my message may be of benefit to you.
I had the opportunity as a boy of being raised on a ranch. I had many opportunities to work outdoors side by side with my father and three brothers. On our ranch we raised beef cattle, sheep, horses and often had milk cows, chickens, and even pigs. On any given day in the summer when we were not in school my dad would get us up early and take us out to the fields and get us started on some task that needed to be done that day. Sometimes we would be working together and other times we would be left to ourselves to complete the task. It often seemed rather simple when dad would describe what he would like us to do. But frequently it didn’t turn out that way. One day my dad took me to a pasture where our bucks (or rams) were. He explained to me that he wanted me to herd the bucks from where they were now to another pasture that was probably a half a mile away. He left me with one of our dogs to help. It didn’t seem like too difficult of a job. So I told him I understood and he left. Our dog named Queen and I began to herd the 30 bucks towards our destination. Things were going quite well until we came upon a stream of water that didn’t have a bridge. For those of you who are not familiar with sheep, they do not like water. Well I knew they didn’t like water but I could see that the water was not very deep so I thought I could get them to cross the stream. So I began to yell and whistle and rush the bucks, trying to scare them into the stream. I also knew that sheep would follow each other almost anywhere, so I thought if I could get one across the stream the others would likely follow. Even with the help of Queen we couldn’t get the bucks to go into the water. I even got so desperate that I caught one of the bucks and waded out into the stream myself pulling the buck with me all the way to the other side. I was thinking that if the others could see one on the other side they would be willing to go across with it. Well, as I let go of the buck that I had just pulled across onto dry land, he could see the other sheep on the opposite side of the stream and he jumped back into the stream and went back to where the others were. Now I was standing on the opposite side of the stream by myself, and the bucks were all running off in the other direction. What seemed to be a simple task had become very complicated and challenging.
I think that sometimes our lives our like this experience, in that we may be going along living life quite smoothly and then an unexpected obstacle may get in our way. Sometimes these obstacles are created by our own bad choices and other times we had nothing to do with putting the obstacle there. Regardless of the source of the challenge it can be very difficult to overcome and seem overwhelming to us. Fortunately, we have been given tools to assist us as we face these challenges in our lives. Elder Richard G. Scott; states
As you seek spiritual knowledge, search for principles. Carefully separate them from the detail used to explain them. Principles are concentrated truth, packaged for application to a wide variety of circumstances. A true principle makes decisions clear even under the most confusing and compelling circumstances. It is worth great effort to organize the truth we gather into simple statements of principle.
At times in our lives, the trials we are facing do seem to be very compelling and confusing. It is comforting to me to know that if I apply correct principles to my challenges the decisions that I make can become clearer. Elder Boyd K. Packer explained,
From doctrine, we learn principles of conduct, how to respond to problems of everyday living, even failures, for they to are provided for in the doctrines.
Principles are general and abstract; they do not refer to specifics. Principles relate to the “big picture.” Living by principles means using them to make decisions in the situations we encounter. I would like to mention three of these gospel principles that I feel would help us as we face the challenges in our lives. I recognize that this is not a complete list of principles to apply; however, it is a place to start.
The first principle that I would like to discuss is humility. Humility is defined in the Webster dictionary as “modesty in self estimation.” President Gordon B. Hinckley, in his book Way to Be, describes humility this way.
Being humble does not mean being weak. It means being teachable. It does not require us to be trampled upon. It means acknowledging where our strengths and abilities come from. It also means recognizing that we are not here on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others.
I like the word teachable as a word to describe a person who is humble. A willingness on our part to look carefully at our role in creating, or contributing to the challenges we are facing is of great importance. It is frequently the case that when trials are before us that we will do one of two things. We will either quickly take all of the responsibility on ourselves as if we are the ones that caused or created the problem, or we will quickly look for someone else to blame for the problem. I don=t believe that either of these approaches works very well, or follows correct principles as we are taught in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I think it is our responsibility to honestly assess our role in the problem we are facing. We should accept responsibility for our part and to allow others to accept responsibility for their own actions.
Pres. Thomas S Monson makes this statement as he refers to humility:
I speak not of a groveling posture before one=s maker, but rather a true appreciation of our own potential as worthy sons or daughters of God and knowledge of our total dependence upon him. One can=t be one person and pretend to be another. Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, had Huckleberry Finn teach us this vital lesson. Huckleberry Finn is talking.
‘It made me shiver. And I about made up my mind to pray and see if I couldn’t try to quit being the kind of boy I was and be better. So I kneeled down. But the words wouldn’t come. Why wouldn’t they? It weren’t no use to try and hide it from him:YI knowed very well why they wouldn’t come. It was because I was playing double. I was letting on to give up sin, but away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all. I was trying to make my mouth say I would do the right and clean thing. But deep down in me, I knowed it was a lie, and he knowed it. YOU CAN=T PRAY A LIEYI found that out’ (emphasis added).
Having the ability to honestly look inside of us to assess our responsibility for our actions is a character trait that will bless our lives into the eternities. In Doctrine and Covenants 112:10 it reads:
Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.
If we can sufficiently humble ourselves to the point we are willing to follow the will of the Lord, he will guide us through the challenges we face in our lives. Sometimes our pride or relying on our own knowledge prevents us from hearing the guidance our Heavenly Father is so willing to give us.
In Luke chapter 15 we read the parable of The Prodigal Son. Typically as we read this parable we pay attention to the Savior=s teachings on repentance and forgiveness. As we read this parable today I would invite you to pay particular attention to how the Savior teaches us about the principle of humility. Notice how this principle applies to the father and each of his sons a little differently.
And he said, A certain man had two sons:
And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there he wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
And when he came to himself, he said, how many hired servants of my father=s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew nigh to the house he heard musick and dancing.
And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.
And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
And he answering said to his father, lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son thou are ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found (Luke 15: 11-32).
We are taught many gospel truths in these few verses. It seems that we can all relate in some way to this parable. Whether we are the parent of a wayward child, or if we are or have been the wayward child, or maybe we can relate more to the older brother in this parable. The older brother is the one I would like to focus on for a few minutes. He is described in the parable as always being faithful and obedient. He certainly was not responsible for the poor choices his brother made as he wasted his inheritance. It is easy to see why he felt angry when he came home to find his father throwing a party for his brother who had been so foolish. All the years of his obedience his father had never thrown a party for him. Feeling that he hadn=t been treated fairly, he became angry and wanted an explanation. His wise father taught him clearly of eternal blessings that would be his based on his faithfulness. He also helped him see the need of humility on his part, which would allow him to begin the process of forgiving his brother.
That leads us into the second principle that I would like to discuss today. That is the principle of forgiveness. In our lives we experience things that are hurtful. Sometimes the person responsible for the pain is very much aware that they are hurting us, other times they may not be aware that there actions are going to result in pain for us. Sometimes the pain that is felt is very deep and may last for a long time even years. Other instances it is more superficial and not as long lasting. In my professional career I have had the opportunity of trying to help very sincere individuals with this very difficult task of forgiving someone who has hurt them. It is not an easy principle to master, but it is one that will bring great peace into our lives as we successfully apply this principle.
To illustrate the potential results of not using this principle President Gordon B. Hinckley relates the story of Guy de Maupassant, the French writer. He tells the story of a peasant named Hauchecome who came on market day to the village. While walking through the public square, his eye caught sight of a piece of string lying on the cobblestones. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. His actions were observed by the village harness maker with whom he had previously had a dispute.
Later in the day the loss of a purse was reported. Hauchecome was arrested on the accusation of the harness maker. He was taken before the mayor, to whom he protested his innocence, showing the piece of string that he had picked up. But he was not believed and laughed at.
The next day the purse was found, and Hauchecome was absolved of any wrongdoing. But, resentful of the indignity he had suffered because of a false accusation, he became embittered and would not let the matter die. Unwilling to forgive and forget, he thought and talked of little else. He neglected his farm. Everywhere he went, everyone he met had to be told of the injustice. By day and by night he brooded over it. Obsessed with his grievance, he became desperately ill and died. In the delirium of his death struggles, he repeatedly murmured, “A piece of string, a piece of string.”
President Hinckley goes on to explain.
With variations of characters and circumstances, that story could be repeated many times in our own day. How difficult it is for any of us to forgive those who have injured us. We are all prone to brood on the evil done us. That brooding becomes as a gnawing and destructive canker. Is there a virtue more in need of application in our time than the virtue of forgiving and forgetting? There are those who look on this as a sign of weakness. Is it? I submit that it takes neither strength nor intelligence to brood in anger over wrongs suffered, to go through life with a spirit of vindictiveness, to dissipate one=s abilities in planning retribution. There is no peace in the nursing of a grudge. There is no happiness in living for the day when you “get even.”
My thoughts go back to many years ago when I was working with a young woman who had been hurt badly by a member of her family whom she loved and trusted. The type of hurt she received manifested itself in her with emotional instability. She struggled with interpersonal relationships and had a lot of feelings of self-doubt. As we talked about her feelings for this family member it became apparent to both of us that she had not been able to forgive this person for what they had done. This young woman was a person of great talent and ability. Almost anything she put her mind to she seemed to succeed at. However, since the bitterness and anger had settled into her heart, there were few things that she was doing up to her capability. Almost all aspects of her life were on a downward spiral. She worked very hard trying to forgive this family member for the hurt that she felt. It was not an easy or a fast process, but it was one that when she was successful with, it produced a tremendous feeling of freedom and peace. The family member that had harmed her initially was repentant and the beginnings of a new relationship occurred.
Along with the feelings of peace that come to us as we forgive others who have offended us, there are opportunities for meaningful relationships. To illustrate this idea let=s recall Nathaniel Hawthorne=s novelette “The Scarlet Letter.” The community where Hester Prynn lived would not allow her to put the sin of adultery behind her by causing her to wear a scarlet “A” on her chest for as long as she lived. Even though Hester goes on to become a great asset to the community by being a selfless nurse and a doer of good deeds, the community continued to insist that she wear the scarlet letter.
After several years a few of the people in the community began to see Hester in a different way. The scarlet “A” began to signify something other than adultery to them. To them it stood for “able or angel.” To those few who were able to forgive Hester for the sin she had committed, she became a real friend that was a blessing to their lives.
If we turn back to the parable of the Prodigal Son the Savior teaches us so clearly of the joy that is felt when we have a forgiving heart. The father in this parable was not only willing to forgive he was anxious to forgive. It seems to me that he had already forgiven his son before his son ever came back and asked to be forgiven. Our inability to forgive others is an obstacle in our lives that limits and hinders our personal growth.
President Hinckley said
A spirit of forgiveness and an attitude of love and compassion toward those who may have wronged us is of the very essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each of us has need of this spirit. The whole world has need of it. The Lord taught it. He exemplified it as none other has exemplified it.
If we think about our Savior hanging on the cross and asking his father to forgive them for they know not what they do, it would seem that it would be in our best interests to do all we can to forgive those who have offended us, as difficult as it may be to free ourselves of the burden of bitterness and holding a grudge. Again there is great peace and freedom that comes into our lives by applying the principle of forgiveness.
The third principle that I would like to discuss is the ability to have an Eternal Perspective. As we face life=s challenges, having the ability to look at the situation with an eternal perspective will assist us greatly in our decision-making. Having the ability to see the end from the beginning is of great use to us. Robert Millet, a professor at BYU frequently gives his students the final exam during the first week of the semester. The students obviously do poorly on the exam during the first week of the semester, however they begin to see all that they may learn over the course of the semester. They study and learn with the end more clearly in sight. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ we are blessed with knowledge of eternal truths. We understand that we lived with our Heavenly Father before coming to this earth. We understand the purpose of this earth life as a time to prepare to meet God. This life is a time to be tried and experience many opportunities for growth and learning. We also understand that after we leave this life that we have opportunities to continue on in our progression.
Approaching life=s challenges with this perspective can make a big difference. Pres. Thomas S. Monson relates this story to illustrate this point.
After the big London fire of long ago, the great English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, volunteered his services to plan and superintend the building of one of the world=s greatest cathedrals. Unknown to most of the workmen, he passed among them often, watching the construction.
To three stonecutters one day he put the same question: “What are you doing?”
One of them answered, “I am cutting this stone.” Another answered, “I am earning my three shillings per day.” But the third stood up, squared his shoulders, and proudly said; “I am helping Sir Christopher Wren build this magnificent cathedral to our God.”
The first stonecutter was only able to see his immediate task. The second was only able to see short-term benefit from his labors. The third saw that he was doing more than cutting stones or making a living, he was able to see he was creating something that would be a blessing for thousands for years and years to come.
Understanding that this life is only part of an eternal plan is very comforting to me. Knowing that our Heavenly Father is the creator of that plan is even more comforting to me. Having that knowledge that he cares about me and loves me and wants me to succeed gives me strength as I face the challenges in my life. Sometimes the obstacles in my way seem too difficult, but as I approach them with faith of things eternal I believe I will learn needed lessons.
In one of his weekly messages on “The Spoken Word,” Lloyd Newell relates the following true story.
It wasn’t the numbing cold that defeated the former Olympic champion, Florence Chadwick, on that day in 1952. Nor was it the dulling fatigue, which had accumulated during 15 hours worth of swimming in the currents off Catalina, nor the lack of endurance. There was still sufficient stamina to complete the last few hundred yards of the, 26 mile journey. But Florence was helped out of the water less than 2 mile from the shore, a short distance from being the first women in history to complete the difficult swim from Catalina to the California Coast. It wasn’t cold, fatigue, or weakness, which turned success to failure, but Lack of Vision. Florence couldn’t see the shore because of the fog. Had she known how close she was she would have kept going.
Many of us are like this in life. We have the ability to go on but we lose sight of our goal. We must see with our mind=s eye the vision we are seeking. Then when we have weaknesses that would turn our success to failure, we will be able to go on.
Later Florence was able to try to reach her goal again. This time when the fog settled around her and she couldn’t see the way, she swam on. All was the same, except Florence. This time she had a vision. When all seemed lost she swam on seeing her goal with her mind=s eye. She was able to complete her goal, being the first woman to complete this feat.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks states,
We are placed here on earth to progress toward our destiny of eternal life. These truths give us a unique perspective and different values to guide our decisions from those who doubt the existence of God and believe that life is the result of random processes.
Several years ago I had the opportunity of doing some work inside a State Prison. Prior to entering the prison for the first time, I was quite nervous. I had built up in my mind some preconceived ideas of what it would be like inside a state penitentiary. Having never been inside one before my imagination went wild. The only thing I had to work with was what I had seen in the movies, and you know how reliable that is. As I arrived at the prison the first day it looked more like the movies than I thought it would. The fences had razor wire across the top; there were tall guard towers with real live guards with guns standing in them. As I entered the inside of the facility a guard located in a protected booth opened every door that I went through. The door would slide open, I would walk through then it would slide shut behind me before the next door would open in front of me. I never did get completely comfortable with that process. I guess I always had some part of me that worried that they might not let me out some day.
The inmates that I met inside the prison were men who did not use an eternal perspective to help them face their life=s challenges. One evening I had one of the inmates approach me and asked if he could visit with me privately. He introduced himself. I will call him John. He said to me, “You=re a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aren’t you?” I told him that I was. He told me that he was also a member of the church. He asked if I had served a mission. I told that I had. John then told me that he was a return missionary as well. I asked John what his experience was like as a missionary. He described it as being wonderful. With tears in his eyes he shared his feelings about the church and our Savior. As we talked further we found out that we served in the same mission, with the same mission president, but not quite at the same time. I had gone home a few months before he entered the mission field. John served faithfully as a missionary, introducing the gospel to many people. I asked John if he would share with me how he ended up in prison.
He told me he had been raised in a LDS home. He attended primary as a child and mutual as a young man. John was faced with some challenges in his life as a youth and he began to drift away from activity in the church. He started experimenting with drugs and alcohol. This behavior increased to the point that he became addicted to heroin. He began committing crime to support his drug habit and was sentenced to prison at age 18. He served a short sentence and was released form prison and decided to turn his life around. He went back to church with a sincere heart and expressed a desire to serve a mission. He served successfully and after his mission he decided to pursue his education at BYU. Things were going quite well for John for quite some time. Then some challenges came into John=s life. He made some poor choices as he tried to deal with these trials and returned to the use of heroin, which again led him down the path toward prison. That is where I met him, in prison, incarcerated for many more years.
As I think back on John=s experience it touches my heart. Here is a man who has a testimony of the Savior and his teachings. He is an intelligent man with a mind that is capable of producing much good. Yet he was not able to apply gospel principles in his life when he was faced with difficult situations. Instead of looking at his trials with eternal eyes he looked at them with temporal eyes and chose shortsighted solutions to the situation.
In my minds eye I can still see a young boy alone on the other side of the stream watching the bucks run away. My father did not send me out on the ranch to fail, but rather to learn from the challenges that I would face. Elder Richard G. Scott said,
Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously.
It is my prayer that we will approach our life=s challenges with humility that will allow us to be teachable. That we will have a forgiving heart that will allow us to feel the peace and comfort that comes to us as we truly forgive others who may have offended us. That we will have the ability to look at the obstacles in our lives with an eternal perspective, which will guide us in these difficult times.
I bear testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That he lives. I bear testimony of the reality of having living prophets and apostles on the earth today to give us guidance and direction. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.