What an absolute joy to be with you this morning. I am from Idaho Falls and it feels good to be here. The sky is bluer, air is cleaner, and your smiles are welcoming. I would like to get to know you briefly.
- Raise your hand if this is your last semester of school?
- If this is your 1st semester of school?
- If you served a Portuguese speaking mission?
- If you know exactly what you are going to do after graduation?
- If you don’t have a clue of what you are going to do with your life after graduation? That was me my last semester.
- If you attended FSY last summer?
- We need you this summer. Pray about applying to be a counselor to make a difference in the life of the youth.
- Raise your hand if the Lord loves you?
Our Savior knows who we are, where we are. Both here today in this glorious hall and online. He also knows where we are spiritually and emotionally. He loves every effort we make, every small step toward Him. He rejoices in every kindness shown to one another as shared by President Eyring last week in his beautiful message on nurturing. Our Savior Jesus Christ is eager to guide us if we will trust Him.
There is a quote by Frank Boreham that just stirs my soul no matter how many times I read it. Frank W. Boreham, an English Baptist preacher, was speaking of the events during the Napoleonic wars in the early part of the 19th century. He said:
Men were following, with bated breath, the march of Napoleon, and waiting with feverish impatience for the latest news of the wars. And all the while, in their own homes, babies were being born. But who could think about babies? Everybody was thinking about battles. . . . In one year . . . between Trafalgar and Waterloo, there stole into the world a host of heroes! . . . In 1809 . . . Gladstone was born at Liverpool; Alfred Tennyson was born at the Somersby rectory . . . Oliver Wendell Holmes made his first appearance at Massachusetts . . . and Abraham Lincoln drew his first breath at Old Kentucky. Music was enriched by the advent of Felix Mendelssohn at Hamburg. . . Elizabeth Barrett Browning [was born] at Durham. But nobody thought of babies. Everybody was thinking of battles. Yet . . . which of the battles of 1809 mattered more than the babies of 1809? . . . We fancy that God can only manage His world by big battalions . . . when all the while He is doing it by beautiful babies. When a wrong wants righting, or a work wants doing, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants opening, God sends a baby into the world to do it. That is why, long, long ago, a babe was born at Bethlehem.[1]
God has used this pattern through the ages. He prepares partners in His great work to shepherd His will forward.
Consider the year 1940. In this one year:
- The Battle of France began as portions of France were placed under German and Italian military occupation.
- German forces also invaded the Netherlands.
- The Battle of Britain was fought in the skies over southern England.
But what about the babies of 1940? Turn to your neighbor and tell them who are these babies?
- Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, born November 1940.
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, born December 1940.
- Elder Quentin L. Cook, born September 1940.
Which of the battles of 1940 mattered more than the babies of 1940?
The battles of World War II eventually came to an end and their commanders and captains have faded into time. But for us, a battle rages on: a daily fight of good versus evil. We have not been left without command. Elder Holland, Elder Uchtdorf, and Elder Cook are apostles that lead and guide the world, pointing to the source of peace, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Now let’s look at three more pictures. Who are these babies? Write down who you think they are.
Can the three of you stand? Thank you, Garrett Stanger, President Eyring, Rhonda Seamons.
You all who once were these very babies are born to change the world. You are a force for good or ill depending on the roads you choose and the vision you see of yourselves, the vision God sees of you.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:
The same God that placed that star in a precise orbit millennia before it appeared over Bethlehem in celebration of the birth of the Babe has given at least equal attention to placement of each of us in precise human orbits so that we may, if we will, illuminate the landscape of our individual lives, so that our light may not only lead others but warm them as well.[2]
Just like the babies of 1809, 1940, and of the early 2000s (all of you), He knows the power and influence you can have.
I hope you will hear and feel this next statement deeply! You are known by our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They know your name, your attributes and ambitions, your worries, and your weariness. Dear friends, they remember who you were in the pre-earth life. Understanding this eternal truth and choosing to live up to that divine potential is within your power. It will demand the very best of your agency and the strength that comes through calling upon Christ.[3]
Do you know what a life-hack is? I have a favorite life-hack that I like to use as a guide. It is better than a tutorial on how to fold a fitted sheet, or how to use cooking spray to keep heavy snow from sticking to your shovel (although, in Rexburg, this may come in handy).
Turning to the scriptures for a life-hack is much more reliable than social media. I invite you to write this in your phone. Tape it to your mirror. Or write it on the bottom of your shoe.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.[4]
This familiar invitation in Proverbs 3:5–6 includes three important elements: an invitation, a warning, and a promise.
The invitation (two invitations, actually): “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart” and “in all thy ways acknowledge him.”
The simple but everlasting warning: “Lean not unto thine own understanding.”
And the promise: “He shall direct thy paths.”
Don’t you love that the word “paths” is plural. It does not mean He will only direct our path once but over, and over, and over again. I can't think of anyone better to direct my life than our Savior Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at a scriptural example of trusting in the Lord with ALL your heart and allowing the Lord to direct your paths beyond what you think you know. In the Book of Mormon, we find the remarkable story of the Jaredites who were led by a prophet whose name was not mentioned but was only known as the brother of Jared. Beginning with Ether 2:6:
And it came to pass that they [the Jaredites] did travel in the wilderness, and did build barges, in which they did cross many waters.[5]
What does this scripture teach us about the Jaredites? They were a barge-building people. They knew how to build a seaworthy boat that would “cross many waters.”
The brother of Jared receives a command to build 8 barges according to the “instructions of the Lord.”[6] After building the barges exactly as instructed, he comes to the Lord in prayer:
O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.[7] O Lord, in them there is no light; wither shall we steer? And also, we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it was the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.[8]
Why would a perfect God give them an incomplete blueprint?
Can you imagine their thoughts as they begin to build barges that don’t make sense? The plan for barges that lacked light, air, and steering is literally the worst blueprint ever. They knew how to build barges. The brother of Jared trusted in the Lord with all his HEART. Have you ever stopped to think what was required of him to give his whole heart to the Lord? Leaning not to his own understanding, even though he knew how to build barges.
Maybe it wasn’t all about the light and the air, but the lack thereof was the opportunity for the brother of Jared to come to know Jesus Christ better as he sought revelation and more direction through prayer and diligent doing. Through this process, he came to know Christ.
Our trials, struggles, and concerns may be the very catalyst for us to come to know our Savior better as we trust the Lord with all our hearts, commending ourselves to the Lord.
We know how air was revealed, the problem with light was tenderly resolved. But steering, let’s focus for a moment on this significant question the brother of Jared brought to the Lord. “Wither shall we steer?”[9] The Jaredites thought they needed steering—a pretty good assumption in my opinion—but when no answer was given as to how to fix the barges to steer from point A to point B, they did the most incredible thing. In Ether 6:4, we read:
And it came to pass that when they had prepared all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon the water . . . they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God.[10]
With no way to steer, they prepared everything, jumped in, sealed themselves up as His, commending themselves to God, and let Him take them away.
In our own lives, there will be times when we must do just that, when we commend ourselves to the Lord and say:
- I know the fierce wind is going to come.
- I know the depths are going to be there.
- I know there is darkness ahead.
- I don’t know how many days.
- I don’t even really know where I’m going.
- I don’t know what it’s going to look like when we get out of this.
- But I’m going to trust the Lord.
Come what may, I am choosing to trust. I am going to allow the Lord to direct my path! I am commending myself to my God.
With one verse and a few problems, the brother of Jared’s relationship with the Lord changed.
How can we in 2023 commend ourselves unto the Lord and allow Him to steer our lives? Trust in the Lord with all thine heart—and lean not.
While attending college at BYU in Provo, I thought I was on a clear path to be an elementary school teacher. No one was more surprised than me when I realized during my student teaching—the beginning of my last year of studies—that I did not like being in the classroom. Didn’t the Lord know that about me? Why did He not direct my path to another major? I attended my classes and studied hard. I attended my meetings and strived to fulfill my callings—even my favorite calling of handing out the hymnbooks on the left side of the chapel.
Dear friends, I can stand here today to testify, looking in the review mirror, that the Lord did walk with me. I just did not realize the magnitude of His love and presence. As I knelt and presented the problem to the Lord over and over, eventually a sweet peace came to my heart and mind: Finish your degree and you will have a career journey of joy. I did not know what that meant, but choosing Jesus Christ each day, my life has unfolded more glorious than I could ever imagine.
I did not go on to teach in the classroom but had a career that I treasure in the high-tech industry. Yes, the Lord’s promise that He whispered to my heart came true. I had a career journey of joy. There have been tears, trials, uncertainty, questions, even questions that I am still asking, but Christ’s promise is sure: He will direct our paths if we commend ourselves to His keeping.
The Lord does not send us here without the help we need, but it is beholden on us to seek, ask, and heed. In Ether 12:41 we read:
And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever.[11]
Now, lest you think this process of trusting and commending is without trial and error, this video is a fairly good depiction of the journey most of us are on. (In the video, a sheep stuck in a hole was pulled out by its shepherd. The sheep then proceeded to jump back into the hole.)
Thankfully, our God is a God of first, second, and third chances.
May we allow the Lord to be all in our life. The more real Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are in our lives, the more we will learn to trust Them. That trust begins by mindfully moving closer to Them each and every day.
A young boy asked his father, "Dad, what is the size of God?" The father looked up at the sky, saw a plane, and asked his son, "What is the size of that plane?" The boy replied, "It is very small; I can hardly see it." Then, the father took his son to the airport and as they approached the plane, the father asked, "Now, my son, how big is the plane?” The boy replied, "Wow, Dad, it's huge!" And the father told him, "God's size in our life depends on how close or far you are to Him. The closer you are to Him, the greater and greater He will be in your life."
Your baby picture may not have been on the screen only because it was a task bigger than me to try to get them all, but you are needed, wanted, and called. When you look in the mirror, don’t forget what you may not always see?a glorious spirit, a daughter or son of God with potential wrapped inside of you. You have a purpose! I invite you to ask yourselves: what wrongs am I going to make right? What love will I fill the world with? What lives will I touch? What work am I ready to perform? You will have an impact upon the world; whether great or small, it will be significant.
I didn’t know where life would take me as a graduating senior in college, but I had faith. Faith enough to say, “I commend myself to Thee, Lord; I want to be about Your work.” That one choice led me to a life of far greater joy than any career ever could have.
It is imperative in this season of educational growth and progress to focus on school. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to have the Spirit accompany your studies. You don’t want to do your educational journey alone. Study your scriptures and textbooks together and you will notice an increase of divine understanding. I invite you to take the next 30 seconds and write down three things you can do or let go of to come to know God better. Write down how you will bring the Lord closer (like the airplane) and invite Him to be a bigger part of your life.
It would be a powerful opportunity to sit knee to knee with each of you and hear your testimony of Jesus Christ. I wish we had time. But we can testify collectively as one. Will you add your voice and your testimony to mine by joining in singing “Peace in Christ.”
I add my testimony to yours. Jesus is the Christ; He lives. The Babe whose birth we just celebrated is not only our first and forever gift of Christmas; He is our Redeemer. He will answer our questions if we will be open to hear Him. He will prepare us and guide us to fulfill our divine and eternal potential if we will commend our lives unto Him. May this new year be full of Him who is mighty to save!
Notes
[1] Frank W. Boreham, Mountains in the Mist: Some Australian Reveries, Abingdon Press, 1919.
[2] Neal A. Maxwell, That My Family Should Partake, Deseret Book, 1974.
[3] See Philippians 4:13.
[4] Proverbs 3:5–6.
[5] Ether 2:6.
[6] Ether 2:16.
[7] Ether 2:18.
[8] Ether 2:19.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ether 6:4, emphasis added.
[11] Ether 12:41, emphasis added.