My dear brothers and sisters, it is good to be with you at the beginning of a new semester on another great day at BYU-Idaho. I rejoice at the privilege to speak to you. You are beloved of the Lord.
Today, I want to talk about you: about who you are and who you are becoming. The word of the Lord through His living prophets has made it very clear:
All human beings--male and female--are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.[1]
This is who you really are. This is your eternal nature and identity. Here is your purpose:
In the pre-mortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.[2]
You are the spirit sons and daughters of God. You are having a mortal experience to become worthy heirs of exaltation and eternal life with an eternal companion in an eternal family with eternal increase.
Now, you may be wondering what this has to do with the things you worry about in your daily life--going on a date, passing math, learning to write well, finding a major, or getting a good job.
Here is my answer: who you really are and who you are becoming eternally have everything to do with the details of your mortal life. In fact, if you come unto Christ, He will shape and develop your eternal identity and character through your choices and actions in every part of your daily life. Through the power of His atoning sacrifice, He will change your heart and help you become more and more like Him.
This is a process of spiritual growth in which the Lord stretches you and blesses you. Two virtues or qualities of character are at the very heart of this process: hard work and humility. When you act with faith in Christ to humble yourself before Him and do hard work, these two virtues work together to create a powerful, dynamic cycle of spiritual growth. This is the way that you, the beloved spirit sons and daughters of God, gain wonderful, strengthening, earthly experience and progress toward happiness and joy in mortal life and exaltation and eternal life in the world to come. I will speak first about hard work.
Hard Work
Hard work is inherent in mortal life. As God said to Adam at the very beginning of mortal life on the earth, "By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread."[3] Developing the capacity to do hard work is an essential part of the Father's plan for His children.
When we think of hard work, we often bring to mind something physically demanding. But hard work is not just physical. When I speak of hard work today, I have in mind work that requires sustained application of physical, mental, and spiritual effort with energy, intensity, stamina, and endurance.
Think for a moment about the work that had to be done by the people who settled this valley and started this school. In 1870, about 14 years or so before the pioneers arrived here, the U.S. Geological Survey declared this whole area uninhabitable. Yet, those early settlers were undaunted. They had to dig miles and miles of canals with pick and shovel in the dead of winter. They had to find ways to grow food in a hostile desert with a very short growing season. They had to battle mosquitos, illness, wolves, hunger, and discouragement.
In their poverty they built a school and nurtured it through years of hardship and depression. They sacrificed and invested in that school, solved difficult problems, and encouraged and inspired generations of young people who came through its doors. The school that started in a log cabin eventually became Ricks College and then BYU-Idaho. The people who settled this valley and laid the foundation for BYU-Idaho had to do hard work that demanded faith, courage, and diligence.
You and I encounter hard work in our personal lives, in our families, in our employment, in our schoolwork, and in our service to the Lord. In fact, everything that matters in the Father's plan for us requires hard work. Hard work is a precious gift from the Lord, which He gives us with this command for our mortal journey:
Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might.[4]
Humility
I now come to the virtue of humility. The Savior's mortal life was the great example of humility. He was perfectly teachable, perfectly submissive to the will of the Father, and perfectly willing to sacrifice everything He had for His brothers and sisters. Christ-like humility is the opposite of pride and selfishness; but it is not weak or timid. It is not lacking confidence or courage. Think of the Savior cleansing the temple or calling the Pharisees to repentance.
Humility opens the mind and the heart to the Spirit and the guidance and strength of the Lord. Humility leads us away from reliance on the arm of flesh and toward trust in the Lord. It fosters kindness, patience, and a willingness to sacrifice, serve, and obey. It is essential to a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
Humility is a virtue that is both developed through what we do and given to us through the mercy and grace of the Savior. As Alma taught Zeezrom:
I wish from the inmost part of my heart . . . that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering.[5]
Alma describes here a process of becoming: we humble ourselves before the Lord so that we might become truly humble through the gifts of the Spirit. Humbling ourselves before the Lord is a pattern for life in which we put Jesus Christ and His kingdom at the center of our lives. We turn to Him and act with faith in Him to repent of our sins, keep His commandments, and humbly seek His mercy and grace in everything we do.
Hard Work and Humbling Ourselves Before the Lord
In a life centered on Christ, hard work and humility work together to create a powerful, dynamic cycle of personal spiritual growth. The Lord taught this cycle of spiritual growth to Moroni when Moroni struggled with his writing on the plates. Please turn with me to Ether, chapter 12, verse 27. The first line in that verse says: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness."[6]
We all have personal limitations and shortcomings, but the ultimate weakness in all of us is the natural man, the fallen man. The Lord will help us see our personal faults; but more importantly, He will show us the natural man within us.
How does the Lord show us our weakness? If we come unto Him, the Savior invites us to do the hard work of "[putting] off the natural man and [becoming] a Saint."[7] You and I do that in the crucible of mortal life--repenting of sin, coping with illness or death, gaining an education, creating an eternal family, forgiving others, magnifying a calling, and much else. If we do not shrink from that work but act with faith in Him to do it, the Lord will help us see our weakness by stretching us to do these things that are far beyond our native ability.
The Lord's purpose in stretching us is clear in the second line of the verse: "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble."[8]
Please note the word "may." After we see our weakness, we must choose to humble ourselves before the Lord and seek to put off the natural man with faith in Him. When we do, the Lord gives us this great promise: "my grace is sufficient"[9] to "make weak things become strong unto [you]."[10] Through the power of His Atonement, the Savior not only helps us do the hard work of putting off the natural man, He helps us become a Saint by changing our very nature, strengthening our character, and blessing us with increased spiritual capacity.
If you and I come unto Christ, that stretching and blessing process happens over and over in our lives. It is a recurring cycle of personal spiritual growth, but it is not automatic and it is not mechanical in any way. It happens because of the choices we make and the actions we take all through the stretching and blessing cycle.
For example, even after we have recognized our weakness and humbled ourselves before the Lord, the way may be hard and the blessings may not come for a time. We may get tired or discouraged. We may feel unappreciated and unrewarded. We may be tempted to cut corners or give up. Thus, all through the stretching phase of the cycle, you and I must decide: will we choose Christ and continue to do the hard work with faith and humility?
If we choose Him and stay the course, the blessings of the Lord will come in His time and in His way. Through His mercy and grace "weak things will become strong unto [us]."[11] We will grow in spiritual strength and capacity and become more and more like Him.
However, all through the blessing phase of the cycle, we face another choice: will the Lord's blessings of spiritual strength create in us feelings of gratitude and humility or will we attribute the blessings to ourselves and grow in pride and selfishness?
If pride and selfishness creep into our hearts, the cycle will stop and even reverse. If the blessings of the Lord lead us to greater gratitude and humility, the cycle of personal spiritual growth will continue.
Applications: Learning, Marriage, and Service to the Lord
The principles of hard work and humility and the stretching and blessing process of the Lord have important application in every part of life. I want to illustrate the power this process has in three life experiences that are vital to the Father's plan of happiness and particularly important for you at this time in your lives. The three experiences are learning, marriage, and service in the Lord's kingdom.
Experience #1: Learning
Brothers and sisters, learning is hard work. That is especially true for the deep learning that is essential to the Father's plan of salvation. Elder Dallin H. Oaks described deep learning in his talk "The Challenge to Become" this way:
In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something. . . . To testify is to know and to declare. The gospel challenges us to be "converted," which requires us to do and to become.[12]
I want you to think of learning as an increase in your power to know, to do, and to become. This is deep learning, and it is hard work. Deep learning is not cramming facts and figures into your short-term memory so you can pass a test or doing the minimum amount of work required to get a good grade.
Deep learning involves doing the hard work of reading with purpose, taking notes, asking questions, and writing down insights that come. It involves working the problems, practicing and more practicing, learning the techniques, and working to understand the principles and concepts so you can apply them. It is preparing for and actively participating in classes. It is helping others by teaching them what you have learned. It is doing all of this over and over again so that you grow in knowledge and skill.
And there is much more. Deep learning is a profoundly spiritual experience. It only comes in its full power through the Holy Ghost, who is the true teacher. Therefore, all your work and study must be done with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and with meaningful prayer, reflection, and pondering. If you humble yourself before the Lord so that His Atonement can work in your life, the Holy Ghost can help you grow in true understanding, change the way you see the world, and change you.
Sometimes you may feel you are working hard and being stretched but still struggle to learn. I know what that feels like. I remember feeling that way during my freshman year. I was far from home in a school that was very different from anything I had known before. I was scared and a little intimidated. I studied but struggled to learn and do well in school all year long. No young man ever was happier to go on a mission than I was.
I loved my mission and learned and grew spiritually during those years. By the time I returned to Harvard I had completed my mission, studied one year at BYU, and married Sue. I enjoyed my year at BYU very much. I learned much better than I had as a freshman, but I still was not confident I could do the work at Harvard. Let me share with you what I discovered.
If you ever struggle to learn and get discouraged, please take to heart this counsel: humble yourself before the Lord and then take responsibility for your own learning. Resolve to work harder and to work smarter. Resolve to get help so that you can change the way you work. Don't blame the teacher, or the textbook, or the materials. And please do not feel you cannot learn. When the Atonement of Christ is working in your life, your capacity to learn is unbounded.
I give you this promise: if you humble yourself before the Lord, seek His help, and keep working in faith to diligently do what is in your power, He will reach for you and lift you and bless you. I know that is true. You may not get an A in every class, but you will grow in the power to know, to do, and to become.
Experience #2: Marriage
"Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God."[13] It is central to His plan for His children. God ordained that marriage here in mortality between you and your companion should be an eternal and a holy relationship--founded in sacred ordinances and covenants, sealed forever by God's holy power. It should be a relationship where your love and joy grow, mature, and deepen as the Atonement of Christ works in your life and in your marriage. It should be a relationship in which you and your spouse love each other with all your hearts "and cleave [unto each other] and none else"[14] so that your hearts will be "knit together in unity and in love."[15] You become an eternal unit; you become one in Christ.
This is the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. It is an order of the priesthood that confers upon husband and wife, if they are faithful, the greatest blessings the Father gives to His children. Such a marriage and such blessings are amazing and wonderful; but, brothers and sisters, a celestial marriage is something you build. It takes time and effort. For two people to truly become one, there has to be change, sometimes significant change, in habits, attitudes, desires, perspectives, and ways of thinking and feeling. This is truly a mighty change of heart, and it is hard work. Let me give you an example.
I grew up in a home where my mother gave me a list of all the household chores I needed to do. One day, not long after we were married, I told Sue that if she would give me a list of chores I would do anything she wanted me to do. I thought this was pretty generous, but she got upset with me! She stamped her foot and said, "I am not giving you a list. This house is just as much your responsibility as it is mine. If you see something needs to be done, just do it."
That was a new thought for me. I had to learn a whole new way of thinking about the house. I had to take responsibility for seeing what needed to be done and doing it without a list. I started from that day to try to do that. But it was hard to change old habits and attitudes. I tried, and Sue had to learn to be patient with me. We both learned--with a lot of help from heaven. We had to humble ourselves before the Lord and seek His help. We learned there is a great unifying power in hard work and humility in marriage.
Elder L. Whitney Clayton taught that power in these words:
Humility recognizes that no one can change someone else, but with faith, effort, and the help of God, we can undergo our own mighty change of heart. Experiencing the mighty change of heart causes us to treat others, especially our spouses, with meekness. Humility means that both husbands and wives seek to bless, help, and lift each other, putting the other first in every decision.[16]
Experience #3: Service to the Lord
Opportunities to serve the Lord Jesus Christ are all around you. From the moment you enter the waters of baptism and become members of His true and living Church, and sometimes even earlier, the Lord calls you into His service. He gives you formal callings in His Church. He sends you on personal assignments to love and minister to His children. He blesses you with responsibilities like sharing the gospel, doing family temple work, and being a good neighbor from which you will never be released.
The Savior gives you laws, ordinances, commandments, and the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide your path. He calls you to repentance when you falter. If you turn to Him and away from sin, He blesses you with His redeeming power, He cleanses you, and He strengthens you in your life's journey along the strait and narrow path.
The Lord's love and expectations for you are very high: He wants you to become like Him and enjoy all the blessings the Father has prepared for you. That is why He stretches you with hard work in His service. It is hard work to rescue a lost soul, lead and support a family, or magnify a calling. But this is the Lord's work, and He will bless you as you do it.
Some people shrink from all this hard work. In fact, there is a widespread point of view in our society that the easy way, the way without hard work, is the best way. Sometimes we hear that idea even in the Lord's Church and even in this university.
Not long ago there was a discussion in an elders quorum about home teaching. Recognizing that the level of home teaching effort was far below what the Lord required, the quorum had a good discussion of how they might make substantial progress. Then a young man, a returned missionary, said: "I think the Church is just asking too much. The expectations are so high that no one can meet them. The Church just ends up making us all feel bad because we can't meet these unrealistic expectations."
Those sentiments are real, but misguided. Hard work is simply essential to the Lord's plan for you. You are not here to have things easy, nor does the Lord relax His standards and His commandments so you won't feel bad if you don't meet them. His plan is not to lower His standards to your level of ability. His plan is to lift you up with His love and power so that you may put off the natural man and become a Saint. In fact, He wants you to feel godly sorrow and regret when you don't keep your covenants. He wants you to repent and turn to Him for help.
If that misguided young man repents and acts with faith in the Savior to get out and do the hard work of home teaching despite the obstacles and problems he faces, the Lord will stretch him. If that young man will humble himself before the Lord, seek His almighty help to lift and strengthen the people he home teaches, the Lord will bless him. If he continues that pattern in every aspect of his life, that young man will become a righteous husband and father and a mighty elder in Israel.
Conclusion and Testimony
Brothers and sisters, at the very heart of the interaction between hard work and humility in your lives is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord stretches you and the Lord blesses you. He is the way to personal spiritual growth, to peace and happiness, and to eternal life.
Jesus has made it possible for you to meet every trial, every challenge mortal life gives you. The great Jehovah, the Creator, humbled Himself before His Father and did the hardest work of all. Here is His own description of that work:
For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit--and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.[17]
Because of that marvelous atoning sacrifice, the Savior has all power to lift and strengthen you, to cleanse you from sin, to change your hearts and strengthen you with His power to do hard work. I bear witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer. I testify He loves you and desires to use His glorious power to bless you. You have to be diligent, and you have to humble yourselves before Him. But if you act with faith in Him, you can do whatever hard work you face and grow in strength of character and spiritual capacity with His help and with His power. I so testify and leave you with my love, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] The Family: A Proclamation to the World
[2] Ibid.
[3] Moses 4:25
[4] Doctrine and Covenants 75:3
[5] Alma 13:27-28
[6] Ether 12:27
[7] Mosiah 3:19
[8] Ether 12:27
[9] Ether 12:27
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ether 12:27
[12] "The Challenge to Become," Elder Dallin H. Oaks, General Conference, October 2000
[13] The Family: A Proclamation to the World
[14] Doctrine and Covenants 42:22
[15] Mosiah 18:21
[16] "Marriage: Watch and Learn," Elder L. Whitney Clayton, General Conference, April 2013
[17] Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19