I am thrilled to be with you today in this magnificent conference center. What an impressive gathering of young adults! For the Presiding Bishop of the Church, these types of speaking occasions are fairly rare, so today I feel greatly honored and blessed to have this opportunity to address you.
I'm also grateful to have my dear wife, Valérie, with me. In a few weeks we will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Anniversaries are emotional moments that bring joy blended with a little bit of nostalgia. As we look back over our years together, we count our many blessings and also take stock of the inevitable passing of time.
It seems like just yesterday when the two of us met. I still clearly remember the excitement and the sweet feelings that grew in me as Valérie and I began dating. I knew very quickly and without a doubt that she was the one for me-both in this life and eternity. Nothing gave us more joy than spending time together, whether it was walking in the park, studying at the library, or participating in Church activities. We counted each hour and each minute, hoping to be able to stop-or rather slow down-the passing of time so we could enjoy each other's company a little bit longer.
I remember once we had an entire day to spend together, so we decided not to do anything. We did not go out, we planned no specific activity-we did nothing! We somehow thought that if we did nothing, time would go by more slowly. Today, remembering this makes me smile. It is rather ironic that we tried to slow down the march of time when we had an eternity of being with each other awaiting us. Even these past 30 years of marriage are but an infinitely small portion of our eternal life together.
Man's Time and God's Time
Time is an essential element of our earthly existence as human beings. It is one of our most useful and precious resources. The success of our mortal experience depends in large part on how wisely we use it.
But time is also limited and difficult to manage. It is always too short. A philosopher once noted: "The quantity of interesting things to do on this earth is infinite, but the time we have between our birth and our death is by nature, finite... There are always more interesting books to read than we can ever read, more interesting people to meet than we can ever meet, more beautiful scenery to see than we can ever see."[1]
Furthermore, it is unrealistic to want to control the passing of time. We often speak of "saving time" or of "taking our time," but whether we act or not, time will still pass at the same speed. We cannot suspend it, slow it down, or speed it up. Each second that arrives flees immediately without ever coming back. There is no pause or rewind button to push.
In order to face the challenges of daily life, men and women of our era are engaged in a breakneck race against time. Today's catch phrase seems to be "Do more and more in less and less time."
We try to scrimp on everything, including on the most precious moments of life. Time for conversation is reduced to a few words thrown about in haste on Twitter or Snapchat. The time spent enjoying a meal is often reduced to a hamburger hastily swallowed after being purchased at the fast food drive-through window. The time to read a book is reduced to surfing the web without reading anything in depth. We are surrounded by a culture of speed and shortcuts.
Yet we do not have to buy into this view of time. As Latter-day Saints, we know that this life is but a fleeting moment. As defined in the plan of salvation, it is also a pivotal time between pre-earth life and eternal life. Each moment, each act, each experience of our mortal lives can influence our eternal destiny and potentially has value that is both priceless and infinite.
We live in two different space-times, which I call "man's time" and "God's time." In Alma we read, "All is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men."[2]
Man's time is counted within and confined to the limits of our own memories. We do not remember our pre-earth life, and we are blind about our future. Conversely, our Heavenly Father has a perfect vision that encompasses the eternities. He "knoweth all things from the beginning"[3] and "knoweth all things which are to come."[4] He knows us intimately to a degree we cannot even begin to comprehend, and He has a perfect knowledge of our abilities and eternal potential.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, it is written, "[God] hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart."[5]
In the French edition of the Bible, the words "He hath set the world in their heart" are translated as "He has planted the thought of eternity in their heart." I love the idea that our Heavenly Father has planted in our hearts the ability to think of eternity, which is to reason and act with an eternal perspective.
I invite you to include a vision of "God's time" in your life. Do not allow yourself to be locked in the narrow vision of mortality. Enlarge your perspective to include the eternities. As you do this, your life will be more meaningful and open up new horizons to you.
So how can we give an eternal vision to our mortal lives? I would like to propose five simple principles that, if diligently applied, will help you in this effort.
First Principle: Learn from Your Past and Move Forward
We all know very little about our future. On the other hand, the past seems to occupy a great deal of our thoughts. It is full of memories-some of them joyous that bring happiness to our souls, and others that we would prefer to forget forever.
One of my favorite cartoon films is The Lion King. Your generation grew up to the sounds and images of this film-I don't need to tell you who Simba and Rafiki are. After the death of his father, the king, Simba flees far from his kingdom because he feels guilt over his father's death. He wants to escape his past, which designates him as the heir to the throne. His friend, the wise old baboon Rafiki, gives him some sound advice in this scene, which I'm sure you will remember:
"It looks like the winds are changing," says Simba.
"Change is good," Rafiki replies. "Yeah, but it is not easy. I know what I have to do, but going back means I have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long."
When Simba says that, Rafiki hits him on the head with his staff.
Shocked at that response, Simba asks, "What was that for?"
"It doesn't matter! It's in the past," replies Rafiki.
"Yeah, but it still hurts," Simba moans.
"Oh, yes," Rafiki answers. "The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it."[6]
My brothers and sisters, all of our past experiences, both good and bad, are useful and contribute in one way or another to our eternal progress. We cannot change the past, but we can learn from it and move forward.
Sometimes our past acts like a magnet. It attracts us a little like a "paradise lost" that we continually try to find again. We may say to ourselves, "It was so much better when I lived with Mom and Dad. It was so much more exciting when I was on my mission. It was much more fun when I was in high school with my friends."
I love this video entitled "Look Not Behind Thee,"[7] which was produced by the Church a few years ago to celebrate the New Year. It begins with a discussion about the story of Lot's wife, who as we know was turned into a pillar of salt after looking back to her past.
So my young friends, as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has said: "I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in... Faith is for the future."[8]
Second Principle: Don't Get Discouraged-It Is Never Too Late
Recently I heard the story of John Akhwari. John was a marathon runner who represented the country of Tanzania in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. After running for 20 miles, Akhwari suffered a leg cramp and fell down, dislocating his knee. His coach wrapped his leg and advised him to drop out of the race. He firmly refused and took off running again. The last portion of the race was terribly difficult. Limping, it took him more than an hour to run those last six miles. When he finally entered the stadium to cross the finish line, night was beginning to fall and the spectators had begun to leave. However, when those who remained saw him arrive, they gave him a standing ovation and loudly acclaimed his arrival. After he crossed the finish line, John passed out from exhaustion. Later, journalists went to the hospital and interviewed him. They asked him, "Why didn't you listen to your coach and stop running?" His answer was, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race."[9]
John Akhwari didn't win a medal that day. But he earned the respect and praises of the public and of his country. He was the true hero of the race. Very few people remember the name of the gold medalist, but many can remember the story of the young runner from Tanzania.
In the same way, our Heavenly Father did not send us to earth to start the race but to finish it. The doors of heaven are open for those who arrive, whether they are early or late. There is no time limit to run the course, no ranking, and no medals. The honors and awards are the same for those who arrive among the first finishers as they are for those among the last.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explained this principle in this way: "[The Lord's] concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there. It is never too late so long as the Master... says there is time."[10]
Third Principle: Don't Wait-Now Is the Time
The fact that it's never too late to finish does not mean that we have all the time in the world. The reality is that we don't have much time.
In the Book of Mormon, Amulek expounded on the purpose of life. He said, "This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."[11] He didn't say, "This life is one of the times for men to prepare to meet God." He said it is the time.
This life is the time where the stakes for all eternity are played out-our salvation and our eternal future. The good news is that once we depart this life, if we have remained faithful to the very last moment, we have the assurance of inheriting eternal life. As Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, "There is no such thing as falling off the straight and narrow path in the life to come."[12] So the effort is really worth it. Even if we live to be a hundred years old, this life remains a very brief moment, and it is worth expending all of our efforts to get to where we ultimately want to be.
Perhaps you will remember a general conference talk in which Elder Gary E. Stevenson compared our mortal lives to the four minutes it takes to race a small skeleton sled down the track in the Olympics. Athletes may have prepared themselves all their lives for this one decisive point in time when, in just a few moments, their entire athletic careers can be played out.
While addressing the youth of the Church, Elder Stevenson said: "Now, consider how your pathway to eternal life is similar to these athletes' 'four-minute performance.'...This life is your four minutes. While you are here, your actions will determine whether you win the prize of eternal life... The clock is ticking... Do you sense the urgency?"
Then Elder Stevenson added this encouragement: "Do it now. Don't wait. Your four minutes will pass quickly, and you'll have eternity to think about what you did in this life."[13]
My dear young friends, someone once said, "Tomorrow is a wonderful place where we store all the things we don't want to do now." But eternity is made up of a succession of nows, not a string of tomorrows. Don't put off your efforts to change and progress. Don't be idle or lazy. Use each moment of your life to prepare for your eternity.
Fourth Principle: Accept God's Time
In many respects, our lives are like a stage race. Each age includes a few milestones to be reached. For example, at age 12, a young man may receive the Aaronic Priesthood and a young woman may attend Young Women classes. Sixteen is the age to begin dating. At 18 or 19, it's time to go on a mission. Then you hope to marry after serving a mission.
All of these milestones are good, and they help us to set goals in our lives. However, what happens when our personal circumstances do not allow us to reach these steps at the expected age? I remember one of my daughters saying to whoever wanted to listen that if she wasn't married by the age of 21, it would be a disaster. Happily for her, she did get married at the age of 21. But how many are there among us who don't have those same opportunities? Should we despair when such blessings are slow to come?
The reality is that even if we master our choices and our actions, we have only limited control of our life's timetable.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks once compared our lives to an athletic competition. At the beginning of the game, even though everyone knows the end time, no one knows what the final score will be. In life, he taught, it's just the opposite. If you are faithful, you can be assured of who will win, but you don't know either the hour or the day when the game will end.[14]
God always keeps His promises. For the faithful Saints, blessings will inevitably come, but they will come "in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will."[15]
Recently I received a letter from a young member of the Church whom I met three years ago at the Provo MTC. His words moved me to tears, and I would like to summarize them for you.
Spencer describes himself as being a proud and stubborn young man during his youth. He didn't always live according to the gospel principles and often neglected attending church. Unfortunately, when he was 17, a serious accident left him with a fracture in his spinal column. The accident also fractured his dream of enlisting in the army, a dream for which he had prepared himself many long years.
Spencer began to build a feeling of resentment toward God; how could He have done this to him? One day Spencer's bishop invited him to serve a mission. That inspired him to pray for the first time in a very long time. While he was praying, a thought came to his mind; military service had been his excuse for not serving a mission, but now he no longer had an excuse. He had to go on a mission.
With the help of his bishop, he diligently prepared himself to serve and was called to the Argentina Mendoza Mission. He entered the MTC with great excitement and anticipation in his heart. However, one morning just a week later, Spencer woke up and couldn't move his legs. He was taken to the emergency room in a panic. A couple of days later, even though he was back on his feet, he learned that at the recommendation of his doctors, he had to leave his mission and return home.
Spencer wrote: "I had never been so depressed in my life. I remember going back to the cafeteria and my zone all being there. ... I broke down in tears. I was hurt and shattered to the point where I didn't know if I would ever recover."
Back home, he didn't speak to anyone for three or four days. He sank deeper and deeper into depression and despair. He was bitter toward the Church. He didn't feel comfortable attending meetings in his young adult ward. He felt despised and rejected for not having finished his mission.
But one day he met a wonderful young woman by the name of Elizabeth. They began dating, and she convinced him to return to the Church. One year later they got married, and they are now expecting their first child in August. Spencer started his career selling shoes, but he was able to improve his employment situation to become a personal trainer. Today he and his wife work together and manage their own business that provides wedding services.
Spencer concluded his letter with these words: "I could not be more blessed... Recently, I went through a box of old things and found my missionary journal. Only six pages were filled, and four of those six were thoughts about love and impressions on how a man should love his family. I have now become aware that my mission was a short yet special moment to get my life in order and realize the man I should be. My only regret is not seeing that sooner."
As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."[16]
We can place our trust in our Heavenly Father. He knows the needs and hopes of each one of us. He loves us with a perfect and infinite love. If we live righteously, we can be assured that everything that occurs in our lives-successes and failures, joys and sorrows-are in accordance with His will and will contribute to our eternal happiness.
Fifth Principle: Tomorrow Is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life
We cannot change the past, but we can change the present and the future. We can change the course we are on and build better tomorrows.
I love this encouraging passage: "It is madness to... abandon all dreams because one of them has not come true, to renounce all attempts because one has failed... It is folly to condemn all friendships because one friendship has betrayed you, to no longer believe in love just because one of them was unfaithful, to throw away all chances and opportunities to be happy just because something did not go in the right direction. There will always be another opportunity, another friend, another love, a new strength. For each ending there is always a new beginning."[17]
What would it be like to live in a world where no one could ever change, where things could never be erased, whether that be our words, our actions, or our mistakes? What would it be like to live in a world where our pain or heartaches lasted forever or where wounds would never heal?
That's what a world without a Savior would be like. Happily, that world does not exist. The Savior came and gave His life for all of us. Thanks to His infinite Atonement, we can access power that will heal our wounds, free us from the chains of sin and suffering, and enable us to improve our lives every day.
This power is accessed through repentance. Repentance is not reserved just for sinners. It is for all who haven't yet reached perfection, which includes you and me.
I invite you to make repentance a part of your daily lives. Don't go to sleep at night without repenting. The process is fairly simple. Evaluate your day, your thoughts, and your actions. Humbly recognize your imperfections and mistakes. Then, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, talk to your Heavenly Father and ask Him to help you be better the next day.
I promise you that if you adopt this simple practice, you will see many things change in your life. It will take place step by step, "line upon line, precept upon precept."[18] Each day will be the beginning of a new life.
Conclusion
My young brothers and sisters, the wall of the Stanford University Memorial Hall is inscribed with words of great wisdom: "All that is not eternal is too short, and all that is not infinite is too small."[19]
I encourage you not to allow yourselves to become locked in the narrow and short-term perspective of this world. Take a step back and contemplate the eternity that is before you. Move forward without procrastinating and without getting discouraged. Trust in the Lord and His timetable for you. Call upon the power of His atoning sacrifice. In His infinite goodness, He has reserved marvelous blessings for each one of you that will be granted "in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will."[20]
Long ago Valérie and I made the decision to adopt an eternal vision for our lives. This has helped us love each moment of our earthly voyage. It has given us courage and hope in challenging times and brought purpose and joy to our existence.
I testify that this life is a wonderful moment of eternity. We are here with a glorious goal, that of preparing to meet our Heavenly Father. He and His Son, Jesus Christ, live. They love us with infinite love, and They desire our eternal happiness. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Bruno Jarrosson, "Les secrets du temps," Maxima, Sept. 27, 2012
[2] Alma 40:8
[3] 1 Nephi 9:6
[4] Words of Mormon 1:7
[5] Ecclesiastes 3:11
[6] The Lion King (1994; DVD, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2011)
[7] "New Year's: Look Not behind Thee," https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-12-21-new-years-look-not-behind-thee?lang=eng
[8] Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Best Is Yet to Be," Ensign, Jan. 2010, 24, 27
[9] Stan Isaacs, "Bud's Olympiads Are Worth Their Weight in Gold," Newsday, Nov. 5, 1991, 109
[10] Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Laborers in the Vineyard," Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 33
[11] Alma 34:32
[12] Elder Bruce R. McConkie, "The Probationary Test of Mortality," address delivered at Institute of Religion, Salt Lake City, Utah, 10 Jan. 1982; see also Joseph Fielding McConkie, Here We Stand, 178
[13] Gary E. Stevenson, "Your Four Minutes," Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 84, 85
[14] Dallin H. Oaks, "Preparation for the Second Coming," Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 10
[15] D&C 88:68
[16] Jeffrey R. Holland, "An High Priest of Good Things to Come," Ensign, Nov. 1999, 38
[17] Zirtaeb Onamaac, Ordinairement extraordinaire (2015); frequently misattributed to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince (1943)
[18] 2 Nephi 28:30
[19] In Thomas S. Monson, "Pioneers All," Ensign, May 1997, 95
[20] D&C 88:68