At this long awaited, and very important rite of passage in your life, Sister Clark and I extend to you our congratulations and our love.
I want to talk today for a few moments about what lies ahead for you and what I hope you take from your experience here. Brothers and sisters, because we live in the dispensation of the fullness of times, you will have many wonderful, and many very challenging experiences. With that future in mind, we have sought to prepare you to become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and a leader in your families, in the Church, and in the world around you. Being a disciple and being a leader is all about exercising your agency to act according to the principles of the gospel.
I believe there are three principles that will help you realize the great promise in your discipleship and in your leadership.
The first is character.
Character is the complex of personal attributes that define your capacity to act according to what is true and right in all circumstances. Elder Richard G. Scott has taught us that we build character when we decide and act with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: "Faith will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is used. Character is woven patiently from threads of principle, doctrine, and obedience."[1]
Building character is like building a house. If your house of character is to be strong, you must build it on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His commandments. The Savior used exactly this image in Luke 6:47-48:
"Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
"He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock; and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock."[2]
The critical actions in building the house came long before the storms and the flood. So it is with character; it is built in the decisions and actions of everyday life. Character comes out of a deep congruence between what we say we believe and what we do. That is what it means to act with integrity. A strong and noble character is built through a life of integrity.
Like the house built on the rock, we can be firm and unwavering in our commitment to the Lord. Christ is the Rock of Israel. He is our foundation. If we follow Him and if we “dig deep” and set our “house of character” on the Rock of Christ, we will be steadfast and immovable. To dig deep means to act with integrity, according to the doctrines of salvation and the principles of the gospel, time after time after time—no matter what the temptation or the challenge. Each time we dig a little deeper, we establish a character that is more and more like the Savior.
Now, a practical piece of advice: Do an integrity and character audit of your life. Write down the four or five principles and values that you believe are the most important in your life. Then check your actions against your values and principles. Do you behave consistently according to what you know to be true? If you find gaps, repent and put into action a plan to change. The second principle is competence.
Think for a moment about what actions you might take as a disciple and as a leader—in the family, in the community, at work. Here are some examples: give talks; teach classes; search out family history; design a house; build a house; manage a ranch with 10,000 head of cattle; fix the faucet; cook; operate on a patient’s heart; grow vegetables; teach a child to read; manage the finances of a multinational enterprise; share the gospel; organize and lead a ward cleanup project; preside over a ward; represent a client in a court of law; make loans in a bank; save a wayward teenager; teach school; nurse a patient to health; be a Scoutmaster; teach Primary; start and own a business. The list could go on and on. In all of these things, you will act. What happens when you act will depend on how well you do your part. You need to develop competence in the things you are given to do. You do not need to be the world’s expert. But you do need to do your best.
Let me share two quotes from President Hinckley with you. They capture the essence of this second principle. Here is what President Hinckley said at the dedication of the Hinckley Building:
"You don’t have to be a genius. You don’t have to be a straight-A student. You just have to do your very best with all the capability you have. You have to do your very best. And somehow, if you do that, God will open the way before you and the sun will shine, and your lives will be fruitful and you will accomplish great good in the world in which you take a part."[3]
Here President Hinckley teaches us that competence in being a disciple-leader comes from three things: (1) capability—this means learning how to act effectively; (2) doing your very best with that capability—nothing halfhearted or in a sloppy way—your very best; and (3) receiving the blessing of God—if you are faithful and give your best, God will magnify your capability.
With faith in the Lord and a willingness to do your best, you develop competence in your work and service. Indeed, President Hinckley has admonished us to seek excellence in what we do:
"This is the great day of decision for each of us. For many it is the time of beginning something that will go on for as long as you live. I plead with you: don’t be a scrub! Rise to the high ground of spiritual, mental, and physical excellence. You can do it. You may not be a genius. You may be lacking in some skills. But so many of us can do better than we are now doing. . . Don’t muff your opportunities. Be excellent."[4]
Now, here’s some practical advice: Wherever you go there will be people around you that have critical knowledge that you need. They will have skills they can teach you if you will take the time to listen and learn. Many of these people will not be in positions of formal responsibility over you. It may be an older couple in your ward who have just the insights you need to be a better mother or father. It may be the janitor in your building who knows how things really work. It may be a coworker who knows all about rearing boys. These people are all around you. Be open and humble, and learn from them. The third principle is confidence.
The road ahead will not be easy. There will be things that will test your ability, and your resolve, and your faith. If you are to be a disciple-leader, you must develop the confidence to face those things head on. Where does that confidence come from? Let me make it very, very clear. It does not come from you. The confidence you need is confidence in the Lord.
Ammon taught this principle very clearly:
"But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.
"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."[5]
The strength of the Lord is rooted in the Atonement. The Savior descended below all things in that He comprehended all things and overcame all things. He not only has power to redeem, to forgive, and to heal, but to magnify, and to enable. He can make weak things become strong. As He said to Moroni in Ether chapter 12:
"If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."[6]
My brothers and sisters, you have access to the powers of heaven.
So, here is the third piece of practical advice: Each night when you pray, ask the Lord to help you not trust in the arm of flesh, but trust in Him. Ask Him to show you your weaknesses. Ask Him for the strength to do what you need to do. Then, get up off your knees and go to work! Do your best. Act in faith. I bear witness, born of my own experience, that the power of the Atonement will come into your life.
In conclusion, I would like to leave you with a request and my testimony. Here is the request: When you leave here today, please take the Spirit of Ricks with you. Please take BYU-Idaho and what it means and what it stands for with you. You now represent the university. I hope and pray that wherever you go, whatever you do, you will act in such a way that people around you will see the great spirit that is on this campus in action. They will see in you the principles, the purposes, and the spirit of BYU-Idaho. I bear witness that God our Father loves us; that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer; this is His church and kingdom restored to the earth through the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith. A Prophet of God, whom I honor, and respect, and love, even Gordon B. Hinckley, leads us today. Your future is bright and glorious. May the Lord bless you and keep you all the days of your life. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Richard G. Scott, The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing, Ensign, May 2003, p. 75
[2] Luke 6:47-48
[3] Dedication of the Gordon B. Hinckley Building, 22 October 2002, Brigham Young University-Idaho
[4] President Gordon B. Hinckley, The Quest for Excellence, Ensign, September 1999, p. 2
[5] Alma 26:11-12
[6] Ether 12:27