Dear graduates, loved ones, and friends, welcome to this graduation ceremony. All of you have made sacrifices for these sweet moments of celebration. They will live with us in memory. And you graduates will enjoy the fruits of your educational efforts for a lifetime. The world is better because of your successful efforts.
Like you and many others though, I have been concerned by the discord in our public discussions. Division sometimes seems more prevalent than unity.
Happily though, we can alter that trend as we draw upon eternal principles and engage optimistic, like-minded people. Above all, we can invoke the powers of heaven. The prophets and the scriptures assure us that goodness will ultimately prevail.
But we must do our part. And it will not be easy. The prophets and many other inspired leaders have spoken on a crucial subject: persistence. From the scriptures come these exhortations regarding persistence:
- “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”1
- “But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.”2
- “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and [He] that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”3
- “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same should be saved.”4
And from President Russell M. Nelson:
- “We can acquire holiness only by enduring and persistent personal effort.”5
While pondering the trait of persistence, I have been reminded of the persistence of Church President Heber J. Grant, who presided over the Church for nearly 27 years. President Grant was born in the Utah Territory in 1856. His father, Jedediah Grant, died when Heber was just nine days old. His mother, Rachel, was left widowed.6
Rachel, though, persisted as a devoted parent, becoming a powerful force for good in Heber’s life, teaching him both religious and secular truths.7 She also set an example of leadership, serving for many years as the president of the Salt Lake 13th Ward Relief Society in the downtown area.
Heber seemed to be an awkward young man. Yet he rarely gave up on a project. For example, he mastered tasks such as learning to throw a baseball.
His target was a spot on a ward member’s barn. He threw until his arm ached. In time he learned to throw strikes. Then, he learned to throw strikeouts. And, through persistence, he qualified to join the Utah territorial baseball championship team.8
With equal zeal, Heber went to work on his poor penmanship, which was characterized as chicken scratch. But again, he persisted.9 In time, he qualified to teach penmanship at the University of Deseret (University of Utah).10
Later in life, Heber founded businesses, including a bank.11 He was also a founder of Utah Sugar Company12 and an investor in the Salt Lake Theatre.13
But there were also wrenching setbacks. Heber lost much of his family’s money in the economic panic of 1893 when he was 37 years old, and he was left with debts that took him years to repay.
Heber also presided over the Church during a long, challenging time, from 1918 to 1945.14
The so-called Roaring Twenties was a decade of spiritual license, when financial fortunes tempted the rich as well as the poor. But then came financial collapse, a Great Depression leading to poverty for many people. Some families splintered.
Paradoxically, World War II finally transcended the Depression. But the war was horrific, ultimately taking tens of millions of lives, mostly civilians.15
Ever eager to strengthen the Church, Heber responded to many calls to service. To this day, one of the Church’s greatest legacies is the welfare program, which he instituted in 1936 in the depths of the Great Depression.16
Now, in these global, digital times, we have new programs for promoting temporal welfare. The campus of BYU-Idaho is a welfare generator, fostering leadership, intelligence, and goodness.
In addition, we have BYU-Pathway Worldwide. Through Pathway, Church members and other industrious people can access relatively low-cost, high-quality learning experiences and academic credentialing benefits. That makes Pathway truly worldwide.
Persistence produces forward motion, no matter the obstacles. Graduates, you are prepared for a lifetime of persistence, destined to overcome the world and qualify for eternal life. May we all persist in our righteous goals. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
- Galatians 6:9.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:13.
- Hebrews 10:36–39.
- Matthew 24:13.
- Russell M. Nelson, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings,” Ensign, May 2001.
- “Historical Summary,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2011.
- Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards, Deseret Book Company, 1941.
- Ibid.
- Bryant S. Hinckley, Heber J. Grant: Highlights in the Life of a Great Leader, Deseret Book Company, 1951.
- Ibid.
- Ronald W. Walker, “Young Heber J. Grant: Entrepreneur Extraordinary,” The Twentieth Century American West: Contributions to an Understanding, Charles Redd Center for Western Studies, 1983, https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/young-heber-j-grant-entrepreneur-extraordinary/.
- Robert A. Burton and Paul Alan Cox, “Sugarbeet Culture and Mormon Economic Development in the Intermountain West,” Economic Botany, 1998, https://www.jstor.org/stable/4256061?seq=2.
- George D. Pyper, “President Grant – The Patron of Drama, Literature, Art, and Music,” The Improvement Era, Nov. 1936, https://archive.org/details/improvementera3911unse/page/n27/mode/2up.
- “Heber J. Grant, Seventh President of the Church,” Church History, https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/landing/prophets-of-the-restoration/heber-j-grant.
- John Graham Royde-Smith, “Costs of the war,” Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-II/Costs-of-the-war.
16. “The Life and Ministry of Heber J. Grant,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2011.