Sister Hallstrom (Diane) and I feel privileged to come to Rexburg for the July 2015 commencement exercises of Brigham Young University-Idaho. We love this university and have been here many times. For a portion of my ministry, the Idaho Area of the Church was part of my assignment. I traveled to Rexburg often and have participated in various meetings held on this campus. In this beautiful conference center I have spoken at university devotionals and at a special stake conference broadcast to 78 stakes. Every time we are here, we immediately feel the spirit of this institution because it is harmonious with the Spirit of the Lord.
As a member of the Board of Trustees of BYU-Idaho and of the Executive Committee of that Board, I am regularly engaged in discussions and decisions about this university. Continually, I am inspired by how deeply the Lord and His prophets care about the youth of the Church and are willing to provide sacred resources to assist in their temporal and spiritual education. You are blessed to have this university and it is blessed to have you!
To you graduates, I say, "Congratulations!" and "Well done!" But, I also acknowledge there is a reason this event is called "Commencement" and not "Conclusion." Yes, it may conclude your formal education, at least on this campus, but it is the beginning of a new season of life. You may find that exciting, you may find it a little overwhelming; but, in any case, it is going to happen. You are moving on to new ventures and, hopefully, they exemplify progression in your life's goals.
Today, understanding this graduation event is not about me and that you will likely remember little, if any, of my message, I want to be relatively brief (insofar as a General Authority can be brief), I want to be practical, and I want to be clear. Considering your future, I will speak about priorities and seeking balance in your life. You will leave this institution and some of you will go on to further formal education. Some will begin your profession. Some of you will do both, simultaneously. Many of you leave married; several with children. You have held Church responsibilities, some quite demanding, and you will continue to do so. Life, if anything, will become even more complex, more demanding, and (if lived well) it will be even more rewarding.
Before my thirtieth year, I was called to be the bishop of an 850-member ward. Two weeks prior, I, with a partner, founded a company that had just hired and was responsible for several new employees. At the time, Diane and I had three active children ages one to seven. The daunting responsibilities to properly care for my young family, the Saints entrusted to my stewardship, and create a viable business, seemed impossible. Would I know how to allocate my time when any one of these three important and complex aspects of life could become all-consuming? Was it possible to achieve a balance? In those days, I often recalled a childhood memory. When I was a boy, The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the most popular programs on television. As a variety show, it featured performers with widely divergent talents. One was a man who appeared regularly. A number of poles, perhaps a dozen or more, were set up on stage, with stacks of dinner plates beside them. This agile individual would spin a plate on top of one of the poles; and then move to the next pole and spin a second plate; and then a third and a fourth. As he proceeded down the line of poles, the rotation of the plates on the first and second poles would begin to slow and the dishes were in danger of falling off and crashing to the floor. Seeing this, the man would quickly run back to those poles and with a gentle spin increase the motion that allowed the plates to keep spinning. The excitement of the act was to witness the ability of the performer to expand the number of rotating plates while not letting any fall. Invariably, a point would be reached where he was not able keep up. There was a limit to his ability to increase the number and properly care for the plates already in motion. The sight of dishes sliding from their precarious perches and the cacophony as they hit the hard floor vividly proved the point that even the most skilled performer has his limits.
Of much greater consequence, each of us must decide how many "poles" we are able to manage in our life, and what they represent. Some individuals are spinning a single plate, with all their effort, ignoring all other poles. Others are attempting to spin so many at the same time that the crashing of "plates" is often heard.
Leading a balanced life is difficult for many. There is not an exact pattern for everyone and even our own blueprint may change during different phases of our life. However, seeking balance—giving adequate time and effort to each of those things that really matter—is vital to our success in mortal probation. There are certain fundamental responsibilities we cannot neglect without serious consequence.
What are the essential "poles" of our lives? I suggest four:
- Our Love for Our Heavenly Father and Jesus the Christ
- Our Care for Our Family
- Our Service to the Lord
- Our Life's Temporal Work
Our Love for Our Heavenly Father and Jesus the Christ.
The scriptures speak powerfully of this sacred duty. A Pharisee, who was a lawyer, asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."[1] Describing it as part of the "doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father,"[2] Nephi taught, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ...and a love of God."[3]
Our love of the Father and the Son is foundational to all else. The Savior, representing the Father, is the source of peace.[4] Love for Him is the supreme motivation to keep "in the right way."[5] Every other aspect of our life is enhanced when we truly love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, as we will love ourselves and others more completely. Answers to our most challenging problems are found only when we love and have faith in Them.
Our Care for Our Family.
The Family: A Proclamation to the World states: "Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children...Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness...to observe the commandments of God."
Prophetic counsel has taught us that "No other success can compensate for failure in the home,"[6] and "The most important of the Lord's work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes."[7] Our desires and actions toward our family should be as exemplified by Lehi when he partook of the sweet fruit of the tree of life and immediately was "desirous that my family should partake of it also."[8] For many, properly caring for our family is the first area of compromise when other demands arise, as the results of neglect are not always immediately apparent. Nurturing the husband/wife relationship and building a spiritual home requires men and women of vision and commitment.
Our Service to the Lord.
A natural extension of our love for the Savior is our desire to serve Him. "If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me."[9] The way we serve Him is by serving one another. "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."[10] Elder Dallin H. Oaks said "Service is an imperative for true followers of Jesus Christ."[11] Our time spent in Church and community service may vary during different periods of our life depending on specific callings we may receive and our family circumstances. However, our desire and our availability to serve should never waver.
Our Life's Temporal Work.
Although temporal work is temporary, it is still important as a support to the other, more long-lasting aspects of life and provides valuable service to others. Again, the Family Proclamation gives clear direction. "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."
We strongly support obtaining a quality education (like you have done and may continue to do), which will allow choices in one's life work, and dedication to an honorable trade or profession that will serve our spiritual life.
These four "poles" must not be neglected. Each needs constant care to fulfill its proper role in making us "whole."[12] President Gordon B. Hinckley taught:
"I think...all of us in this Church...have a fourfold responsibility. One, they have a responsibility to their families, to see that their families have a measure of their time...None of us can evade that...That is basic and fundamental. If we are employed, we have a responsibility to our employer. We are not at liberty to short-change him...We have a responsibility to the Lord, of course, to do that which is expected of us as a servant in His house. And...we have a responsibility to ourselves to take some time to do a little meditating, to do a little exercise...How do you balance them? I don't think that is difficult. I served in many capacities in this Church. I am the father of five children, who were young and growing up when I was serving in those various capacities...We enjoyed life...We did what the Church expected us to do. There is safety in that program; it's inspired."[13]
As sincere followers of Christ, we must constantly evaluate what is most important. Are we so intensively focused on one pole that the plates atop the others are in danger of falling because of our neglect? Or, are we spinning too many poles and need to simplify our life to keep all that truly matters in proper motion?
How do we know if our life is out of balance? Well, most of us just know. We simply need to admit it and exercise the discipline to change, substituting higher values and better habits for those we have been living. We need to follow the counsel of President Spencer W. Kimball to "do it now" before any further damage is caused by our lack of attention to other indispensable parts of life.
For others, recognition of imbalance may not be so clear. While serving as a stake president, I observed as a member of our stake grew in prominence in the business community. He had a growing family and held positions of responsibility in the Church. All appeared to be in order. Then it became evident that he was paying too high a price for his temporal success. The first indication was his request to be released from all Church callings because of their time conflict with his work related obligations. Even more alarming, through a series of behavioral problems with his children, priesthood leaders became acutely aware that basic family duties were being neglected. Communication with his wife and children had deteriorated as they seldom saw him. When they did, he was usually preoccupied by professional demands or simply too tired for family activities or even meaningful conversation. Only through tragic and agonizing events was this man brought to a realization of the consequences of his actions on his own spiritual health and that of his family.
There are three magnificent resources to keep us in balance by seeing things "as they really are...and as they really will be."[14] Regular self-evaluation is critical to seeking a balanced life. These include public worship, family worship, and personal worship.
Public Worship.
Public worship is when we assemble as children of God, as brothers and sisters, as a community of Saints. These meetings are sometimes large like stake or even general conference, or sometimes are small like a quorum or Relief Society meeting, or a Sunday School class. Our assembly today is a form of public worship. In each of these meetings, we pray, we teach, we testify, and we edify—all with the purpose of increasing our understanding of our Father in Heaven, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We then have the responsibility to translate our ever-increasing knowledge into wisdom—to continually lessen the gap between what we know and how we live.
Temple worship is a sacred form of public worship because it directly involves ordinances and covenants which connect us with Deity. How connected are you to the temple and your covenants? Are you regularly using this holy form of public worship to strengthen your knowledge and your wisdom? As I have sought to live a balanced life, my prayers have focused more on a desire to live true to my covenants.
The most important of public worship meetings outside the temple is sacrament meeting. In addition to the worshipful activities that are part of most Church meetings, this sacred gathering centers on the living ordinance of the sacrament. As we begin and end the meeting and specifically in preparation to partake of the holy sacrament, we sing and we pray. Are we full participants? Are our minds and our hearts there, or are they somewhere else? Are our smartphones off or do we text and tweet (or for us older people e-mail) during the ordinance or during any part of the service? When the speakers speak, especially if they are less polished orators, do we arrogantly disconnect, thinking "I've heard it all before."
If we are guilty of any of these mistakes, what we are doing is reducing—perhaps eliminating—the ability of the Spirit to communicate with us. And then we wonder why we are not edified by sacrament services and other Church meetings?
Public worship is an essential opportunity to develop and maintain balance.
Family Worship.
Public worship should promote family worship. In 1999, the First Presidency counseled parents and children "to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities. However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform."[15] Of course, these same principles have been repeatedly taught by numerous Church leaders in countless ways over many years.
We live in a world of busyness. Traveling throughout the Church, I sometimes privately inquire of local leaders—and these are good Latter-day Saints—are you holding family prayer and family home evening? Often, I receive an embarrassed look and the explanation, "We are so busy. Our children's school and extracurricular activities, music and other lessons, social schedule, and Church functions keep them almost fully occupied. My spouse and I are tied up with work, Church, and other commitments. We are seldom together as a family." The spirit of the First Presidency's counsel is that if we are so busy doing good things that we do not have time for the essential things, we must find solutions.
When children are raised with meaningful family worship, they are more likely to follow the divine pattern of a balanced life.
Personal Worship.
Ultimately, spirituality is a personal matter. Public worship leads us to family worship, which leads us to personal worship. This includes personal prayer, personal gospel study, and personal pondering of one's relationship with Deity. "For how knoweth a man the master ... who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?"[16]
Elder D. Todd Christofferson said: "The importance of having a sense of the sacred is simply this—if one does not appreciate holy things, he will lose them. Absent a feeling of reverence, he will grow increasingly casual in attitude and lax in conduct. He will drift from the moorings that his covenants with God could provide. His feeling of accountability to God will diminish and then be forgotten. Thereafter, he will care only about his own comfort and satisfying his uncontrolled appetites. Finally, he will come to despise sacred things, even God, and then he will despise himself."[17]
The answer I found as a young bishop, and which has served me in the ensuing years, was simply that we must thoroughly understand the guiding doctrine and then do our best, each day. We organize, prioritize, and live worthy of spiritual guidance required when making the difficult decisions. Often, we seek counsel from those closest to us. From time to time, we may be "out of balance" for a brief period as the immediate needs of one portion of our life takes temporary precedence. When this occurs, we knowingly work through the issue and seek to stabilize ourselves as soon as possible, before the short-term need becomes a long-term trait.
If we are out of balance, we can change. We can delay and be compelled by the tragedy of a failing family, or the sorrow of losing our own spirituality; or, we can be attentive and continually nudged by the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Seeking balance among the essential responsibilities of life is preparatory to salvation.
We must "see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength."[18] However, to encourage our constant effort, we are counseled "it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore all things must be done in order."[19] It is my witness that it can be done, and the prize is "eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God."[20] Most of you already understand the principles I teach today. That is shown by how you are living. For others, perhaps some adjustment might be considered. For all of us, continual focus is required because we live in a world that can confuse us and societal priorities of material wealth, pleasure, or prestige can overwhelm the simple, but profound, personal characteristics that each of us must seek. My dear young friends, we need you—the Lord needs you—and you are needed forever—faith-filled, converted, and covenant-keeping. Bless you now, bless you in your critical next season of life, and bless you forever! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Matthew 22:36-372
[2] Nephi 31:21
[3] 2 Nephi 31:20
[4] John 14:27
[5] Moroni 6:4
[6] President David O. McKay
[7] President Harold B. Lee
[8] 1 Nephi 8:12
[9] D&C 42:29
[10] Mosiah 2:17
[11] Dallin H. Oaks (Pure in Heart (1988) p. 37
[12] Mark 2:17
[13] Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997) p. 33
[14] Jacob 4:13
[15] First Presidency letter, 11 Feb. 1999; cited in Church News, 27 Feb. 1999
[16] Mosiah 5:13
[17] CES Fireside for Young Adults, November 7, 2004, BYU
[18] Mosiah 4:27
[19] Mosiah 4:27
[20] D&C 14:7