It’s a humble privilege to share the feelings of my heart with you today. Like many of you, I was once an anxious student, wondering how my life would unfold. You’ll be blessed as you put your trust in our Heavenly Father and deepen your personal relationship with Deity. Think of the growth you’ve experienced from your infancy until now! Deeper growth is ahead of you!
Speaking of infancy, I’d like to share with you an experience from my youth. My amazing mother told me that as a baby I met the prophet Harold B. Lee under embarrassing circumstances. The prophet rinsed out my cloth diaper that was soaking in the toilet! President Lee was visiting my great-grandparents while my mother and I were there. President Lee went into the bathroom and saw my diaper. He cleaned it in quiet service to my mother. So, my claim to fame is a prophetic diaper!
As I ponder President Lee’s example, I’ve come to understand that mortality is about learning to follow the Spirit, even in small things. For example, my wife follows the Spirit by setting up apartments for refugees in asylum. No one asks her to do this. Will we choose to act as mortal angels for our Savior, or will we choose to indulge in diverting or possibly disastrous distractions?
Our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, revealed the key to confronting worldly challenges. In his devotional “Hope of Israel,” he made a prophetic promise, saying:
I promise you that if you will sincerely and persistently do the spiritual work needed to develop the crucial, spiritual skill of learning how to hear the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, you will have all the direction you will ever need in your life. You will be given answers to your questions in the Lord’s own way and in His own time. . . . When you know your life is being directed by God, regardless of the challenges and disappointments that may and will come, you will feel joy and peace. [1]
Who wouldn’t want joy and peace today, with the Savior by our side?
The Information Age is emblematic of these latter days, of which every prophet in history has foretold with anticipation, and for which our journals will be eagerly devoured by our posterity. Reflective of today’s world are many “I” words, like internet, iPhone, iPad. It’s no coincidence that so many “I” words are often more about “I” than “we!” Here are some “I” words that can describe and then prescribe what we should do to address the opportunities and challenges of the Information Age.
Innovation
Innovation is a Latin word meaning “to make new,” and our Heavenly Father inspires astonishing new technological innovations, as many of you have noted on the discussion board for this devotional. I recall as a young man my father bringing home what was then cutting-edge technology: a first-gen IBM laptop that filled an entire suitcase! It would’ve been painful to put that laptop on a lap! Through my father’s influence, my brother, sisters, and I learned to appreciate the power of technological innovation.
Think about the following: (1) more smartphones are manufactured daily than toothbrushes; (2) more people today have a mobile phone than an indoor toilet. [2]
Intel, the company I work for, has created marvelous innovations.
Think about the inspired technological innovations happening today: (1) artificial intelligence and deep learning that can provide answers to questions we haven’t even thought of yet; (2) smart plows interrogating soil and informing us what the earth wants us to plant based on data, thus creating a higher yield; (3) autonomous-driven cars reducing auto fatalities and injuries (over 87% of which are caused by human error); (4) drones delivering goods to your door, saving whales, and filling the sky with light and color.
Inspiration
Inspiration is part of our Heavenly Father’s plan as a master inventor, directing miraculous innovations to fulfill eternal purpose such as the earth itself; the Liahona; Ark of the Covenant; the great ships of scripture; revealed temple design, ancient and modern.
Some experiences given to Moses may have predicted things to come.
Another great inspiration is BYU-Idaho online and Pathway programs. I cherish my role as a part-time adjunct professor for BYU-Idaho online. The online and Pathway programs are inspired by the Lord for our day, permeating the world with education and inspiration. A wealth of experience and love comes from these online administrators and professors, who sacrifice time and talent to show students that not only can a spiritual and secular education coexist but such coexistence was the design of education from the very beginning. It’s truly a modern-day miracle.
Imitation
Imitation is something the adversary uses in our innovative world too.
Often the ease of innovation creates laziness, character lapse, lowered resistance to sin, and even criminal temptation. Truly the path of least resistance makes humans and rivers crooked. The innovation is not typically the problem; the problem is the use to which it’s employed.
Two scriptures, intended for our day, demonstrate what ancient prophets foresaw as a blessing and challenge in our innovative world.
The prophet Daniel said:
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. [3]
Intercontinental travel today has us running to and fro, and Daniel’s other prophecy is fulfilled in that knowledge has increased. Back in 2003, Google’s former CEO said that more knowledge in terms of data is created in two days than from the history of humankind up until now. [4]
But does that mean wisdom and truth have increased along with knowledge? The Apostle Paul, prophesying about our day, said that we’d be “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [5]
So, today, why are we distracted from a knowledge of the truth? Think about it. In the pre-existence we basked in our Heavenly Father’s love for eons of time. We then come to the earth, separated by a veil. Our spirits yearn for the constant love we felt before. On the earth we either seek such love by hearkening to the Spirit, or we seek imitations of that love. Have you ever wondered why imitations of God’s love have similar physical sensations to the Spirit? Drugs, indulgence, even innocent extreme life activities can make us feel that “rush”—an imitation of a deeper, constant love for which we yearn. In truth, the devil’s pills always kill but are liked for their sugar coating!
Social media can be a blessing if used appropriately, but a big problem is when I view a social media post, I often compare myself on my worst day to what seems to be someone else’s best day! This results in despondency and a need for a “rush” to compete with what I must surely be missing! We must not get caught up in the thick of thin things!
A former Microsoft executive, Darren Remington, is working with our stake presidency to uncover the deeper motivations and functionality of social media. Darren produced a short video and other materials found at www.bewise.org. A billionaire I once worked for calls social media the “cancer of our time.” Other business leaders believe social media confounds “popularity” with “truth” (perhaps the way the news media often confounds political bias with truth). We must therefore be savvy consumers of both. When we understand the true motivations of the creators of social media, and how your data is used, we can more safely engage, all the while sending a clear message to innovators about the more righteous experiences we want to enjoy.
In a humorous attempt to see how technology affects us, a British company looked at how the hand could be adapted to make using smartphones easier. The result is a little frightening:
A more-pointy index finger helps navigation. Gel pads on some fingers let us clutch more securely! The thumb and little finger bend to hold a phone better. Our palm develops a shelf where a smartphone could rest. These adaptations seem creepy but are based on a survey of smartphone-related injuries, the most common of which was “phone planting,” which is a black eye or other injury sustained when holding a phone above you, dozing off, and losing your grip! [6]
In his talk “Things as They Really Are,” Elder David A. Bednar raised an apostolic voice of warning:
If the adversary cannot entice us to misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and physically from things as they really are. [7]
Elder Bednar then asked two important questions about our use of technology:
(1) Does your use invite or impede the companionship of the Holy Ghost?
(2) Does the time you spend enlarge or restrict your capacity to live, love, and serve in meaningful ways?
2 Nephi 2:25 says that we are that we “might have joy,” [8] and innovations can bring us joy. But remember that JOY stands for Jesus, Others, then Yourself. The following simple gospel-related “I” words can help us find joy in innovation.
Integrity
Integrity should be the bedrock of our use of innovation. The word “integrity” comes from the Latin “integer,” meaning “whole or complete.” Math majors know that an integer is a whole number having no fractions. So, if you have integrity, you have no “fractions of character.” Another way to define integrity is simply what you think, say, and do when no one is watching. I testify that a living God sees our thoughts, words, and actions, and blesses our lives accordingly.
My favorite integrity quote is attributed to Mother Teresa, who stated:
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway. [9]
Interpersonal Connections
Interpersonal connection was the subject of a BYU-Idaho study recently published in the Church News regarding the relationship between social media and loneliness. The study concluded that the more time spent on social media, the more loneliness the user felt. [10]
We need interpersonal connection and service to feed our souls. My favorite church calling was as a jail minister/missionary. I’d often prepare a lesson only to have the Spirit whisper, “My son, teach the inmates about baptism,” or some other principle. When I listened to the Spirit, words were placed into my heart, and often the inmates would say the lesson was an answer to their prayers. Enhance your time developing interpersonal connections and service versus more time in a virtual world!
Improvement
My father, who passed away last year, taught me that “the hardest work is doing nothing, because you can never take a break.” The same is true with our use of technology. Have you ever felt exhausted after hours online? This is truth! I recently created a five-word list on my daily calendar that reads: “Script, Seek, Scribe, Sweat, Strum” (scriptures, seek in prayer, scribe in journal, break a sweat, and strum guitar). Try to find a similar phrase that will gently remind you! Janell Greenwood’s devotional challenge from last week was, “Accept the work of building wholesome recreation into your life,” which is a great invitation!
Increments
Incremental change is part of the plan of our perfectly patient Father in Heaven. My mother always said, “By the inch, it’s a cinch; by the yard, it’s hard.” Some things we absolutely need to avoid, like pornography. But if video games are an issue, pray for incremental guidance and closely follow the Spirit. If your problem is too much texting or social media, pray for inspiration and set goals to limit your time, particularly during church, family time, or after a certain hour.
We respect someone who takes a stand! We respect people who tell us they don’t even look at devices during certain hours. Remember: if we don’t stand for something, we may fall for anything!
Imbalance
When discussing imbalance in our lives, Elder L. Tom Perry stated that “as technology sweeps through every facet of life, changes are occurring so rapidly that it can be difficult for us to keep our lives in balance.” [11]
My wife, Kelly, is an example of balance, constantly re-balancing our family’s life with hikes, teaching the children how to cook nutritious meals, limiting screen time, helping prepare family home evening or family council, all while pursuing classes and personal goals. Her re-balancing efforts are a monument to her as a marvelous family nurturer.
Set a goal while online to refer someone to the Church’s website or bear testimony on social media. Search online with purpose, such as researching the next skill you’ll develop. If you love technology, research careers that allow you to shape the world’s future. Whether as an engineer, businessperson, or professional, there’s always room for people of integrity to shape the world’s innovations. The Lord will guide your prayerful path, as He did mine.
Impassioned
Use innovation to research what you’re passionate about. In South Africa we worked with Zulu children who only wanted a computer to research online about being an astronaut or marine biologist—anything other than what their life seemed to hold for them. In our privileged lives, we take devices for granted. Let’s honor Heavenly Father with our worthy use of technology.
Influencing Others
An example of influencing others includes the stake social media page I helped create, which connects to co-workers and Oxford classmates from China, the Middle East, and around the globe. They have asked about our Church because of my posts there. Our voice can sound in every ear and to the far corners of the earth through technology today! I call this “every member a media-nary” and invite you to join me!
Pray for creative responses in your influencing. There is a story of a 16-year-old boy who texted his father, “I want to grow my hair long.” The father answered, “Then I won’t allow your driver’s license.” The son responded, “The Savior had long hair.” To which the father texted, “True, and the Savior walked everywhere He went.” Prepare yourselves for questions from those who may be influenced by the world.
Insights Inside
Finally, look for insights inside from the Spirit. An early trial in my life was giving up a four-year scholarship to serve a mission in Italy. Upon my return, I was humbled to discover I could test out of many Italian classes due to my Italian fluency. My grades not only helped my acceptance to law school but with a law school scholarship that the Lord had lovingly returned to me. The scripture Ether 12:6 came to mind—that we “receive no witness until after the trial of our faith.” [12] But the Lord had further refining to do. After my first year, my top-20% law school status was challenged when a drunk driver hit us head-on, which, in turn, decimated my law school grades. I made a covenant with the Lord not to study on Sundays (amongst other covenants), much to the chagrin of my law school study partners. My covenants resulted in nearly straight A’s the remainder of law school and a return to the top 20% upon graduation.
Conclusion
They say the “longer the spoke, the greater the tire,” so I will conclude.
I know the Savior lives and that His Atonement has power not only to heal us from sin but from inadequacy, fear, and weakness. I know the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith, a prophet of God who restored the gospel to the earth in the latter days.
You are noble offspring of God, with a divine right to communicate with your Heavenly Father, which communication exceeds the power and clarity of any earthly device.
I invite you to ask the Lord in mighty prayer, “How can I be a mortal angel and a ‘media-nary’ using today’s innovative technologies?”
My promise is, as you deepen your personal “revelation-ship” with Heavenly Father, He will inspire you, and make your “highs higher and your lows higher.”
Notes
[1] Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel,” Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018.
[2] Mark Tweeker and Kleiner Perkins, Internet Trends Report 2018.
[3] Daniel 12:4.
[4] “Guardian Activate 2010: live coverage,” The Guardian, July 1, 2010; theguardian.com/media/pda/2010/jun/30/guardian-activate-summit-2010-liveblog.
[5] 2 Timothy 3:7.
[6] “Will our hands evolve to make smartphone use easier?”; broadbandchoices.co.uk/features/will-our-hands-evolve-to-make-smartphone-use-easier.
[7] David A. Bednar, “Things as They Really Are,” CES fireside address, May 3, 2009.
[8] 2 Nephi 2:25.
[9] This poem is often attributed to Mother Teresa.
[10] Sarah Jane Weaver, “BYU-Idaho Study Links Loneliness to Social Media Use,” Church News, Nov. 17, 2017; lds.org/church/news/byu-idaho-study-links-loneliness-to-social-media-use?lang=eng.
[11] L. Tom Perry, “If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear,” Ensign, Nov. 1995.
[12] Ether 12:6.