On Tuesday last week all of the employees of BYU–Idaho gathered during the morning for a meeting in the Taylor Chapel. In the afternoon, the faculty met together for another three hours. In both of those meetings, they talked about you and they prayed for you.
This week your arrival has stirred excitement here on campus. An important part of your success here depends on the preparedness of the faculty and staff. And I can tell you after sitting in on their meetings last week, they are prepared. They are committed to the mission of this school, and they are committed to you.
Let me just review with you for a minute the mission of BYU–Idaho:
Build testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and encourage living its principles.
Provide a quality education for students of diverse interests and abilities.
Prepare students for lifelong learning, for employment, and for their roles as citizens and parents.
Maintain a wholesome academic, cultural, social, and spiritual environment.
You often will hear President Clark speak of the mission using two words: disciple and leader. The faculty and staff here are committed to helping you become a disciple of Jesus Christ while learning the skills you will need for successful leadership responsibilities in all areas of your life—in your home, in the Church, in your employment, and in your community.
While the school is prepared and committed to its mission, your success here is largely dependent on you. May I suggest for your consideration one piece of motherly advice? As you dig into this education OF YOU, try to forget yourself. That might seem like a contradictory statement. You might ask, “How can I get an education if I am not working on ‘me?’”
The first part of the answer is in this scripture:
. . . Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.[1]
This scripture speaks to the mission of BYU–Idaho.
A disciple loves the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind. And a leader is full of love for those he leads. He loves his neighbor as himself.
The second part of the answer is in these words of the Savior:
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.[2]
Forgetting yourself does not mean that you truly forget “you.” It means that you develop better when your main focus is on others.
If you lose yourself in sharing your insights, discoveries, and perspectives in class, you will learn more than if you are simply an observer in the classroom.
If you lose yourself in service and participation, contributing to the happiness and well-being of others in your apartment, you will find happiness there.
If you lose yourself in prayer with and for your family and roommates, you will find those prayers bless you as well.
If you lose yourself in conversation with another student who just happens to be crossing the Taylor Quad, or give a hurried mother a helping hand through a doorway, or introduce yourself to those around you when you eat at the Galley or the Nordic, you will find blessings of friendship.
But if you are only thinking of yourself as you walk across campus or participate in the activities here, you might end up lonely.
When you calculate how many students there are on this campus (13,500 this semester) and realize that the number of students you mingle with naturally in your apartments, wards, and classes is just a small percentage, then you will recognize that you have a responsibility to meet and serve and get to know as many of your fellow students as you can. You could be the future spouse of one of them!! That is an unselfish perspective!
In Zion at BYU–Idaho, our attitude toward and concern and respect for our fellow students must consistently emulate the life and teachings of the Savior.
In keeping these first two great commandments which capture our mission at BYU–Idaho—loving the Lord God with all our hearts, souls, and minds and our neighbors as ourselves—we will make a mighty contribution to the well-being of Zion.
I bear testimony that these scriptures are true. I invite you to put them to the test. May you forget yourself and grow this semester at BYU–Idaho is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Matthew 22:37-39
[2] Matthew 10:39