Brothers and sisters, I consider it a great privilege to be among you today. You hold the promise of the very best of our future. I remember sitting in your seat more than a few years ago thinking I was just one of thousands. Could I really make a difference? Indeed, each of you can, and far more than you expect. You have a bright, exciting, yet challenging future before you. What the next couple of decades hold for you may not be clear, but we are blessed with a knowledge of our ultimate potential.
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to participate in a sport that I suspect few, if any of you, have tried. Perhaps that is because you have more wisdom than I. The sport is skeleton, an Olympic event. In skeleton, you lie down on a sled on your stomach and go head first down the bobsled track with your face about 2 inches from the ice. As a first timer, you go about 60 miles an hour while pulling several G’s in many of the turns.
The first time I went, I felt mixed emotions: fear and terror. In reality it was a mix between exhilaration and survival. Within a few seconds, I had accelerated to almost 60 miles an hour, wondering if I had made a wise decision.
I had received some coaching in advance wherein I was told that since I was totally inexperienced, I should just act like a sack of potatoes and not move, look straight down at the ice in front of my face and hold on. As I rocketed down the track following this advice, I found myself banging into the sides of every turn on the way down – a very rough ride indeed. The end of the ride would never come quickly enough.
After gliding past the finish line, I emerged from the track facing the eager question from a track employee, who also is a skeleton Olympian from Turkey, who asked, “How did you like it?” I quickly described what happened and asked for more coaching. He then told me to lift my head enough to look down the track and when I entered a turn, I should turn my head that direction, which would slightly shift my weight, putting me on a better line.
As I took the next run, I looked down the track to see where I was going and prepare for the upcoming corners. The feeling was very different: somewhat more intimidating to see how fast I was going, but with a greater sense of controlling my destiny. I quickly accelerated and approached the first corner. As I approached the left turn, I turned my head left and “swoosh!” I went cleanly through the corner. Beautiful! The only downside was that I went even faster. I approached the next corner, turned my head and “swoosh!” another clean corner. I was enjoying a great, clean run, until turn 14, which I took too high and ended up dropping down “bam” into the side of the track before crossing the finish line, much more thrilled with my run. It was truly an exhilarating experience.
I gained far more appreciation for the Olympians who take thousands of runs looking for every one-thousandth of a second that can make the difference between gold and silver.
As I reflect upon my three runs down the skeleton, it provides insight into a broader view on our mortal experience. Many times we are looking at what is immediately in front of us on a day to day basis, just like looking straight down at the ice. We may fail to look up, to “look down the track,” to have a longer view of where we are going. We can have a “cleaner run” through life, avoiding many of the bumps, bruises and pitfalls of not staying on track. We should strive to keep an eternal perspective in mind as we move through life’s varied experiences.
I remember back to my days in college, where I could barely think a few days ahead due to upcoming classes, papers and exams. I would look to the weekend for relief and perhaps with the hope of someone who would actually go on a date with me. I generally failed in the latter category, but that’s fine, because I ended up with the prize of the century with my dear wife, Jennifer. Nevertheless, we can easily get distracted with all the commotion about us and get pulled into the day-to-day enticements of the world.
But we need to have a longer view of where we are headed – we need to “look down the track”–because it will have an impact on what we do today. If we keep in mind our ultimate divine destiny, we will likely take steps that are more consistent with who we really are. We at times may fail to fully appreciate the magnitude of our divine potential or divine opportunity. We have the promise of the wonderful potential for eternal life through the atonement of the Savior and through our adherence to the principles of the plan of salvation. An eternal family; eternal increase with eternal joy can be ours. We have this promise before us. Also before us is the challenge of the gauntlet of the world through which we must pass, all while keeping our focus on our ultimate destiny. As we run this gauntlet, we should ask ourselves, “Who is our constant companion?” Is it the world, or is it the Spirit? The answer to the question can, in large part, determine our ultimate destiny.
The world in which we live today is one foretold millennia ago by the ancient prophets and reaffirmed through their counterparts today. The battle lines are drawn and we are engaged in a war for the souls of mankind. We are witnessing the world ripen in iniquity as was prophesied would occur in the last days. We can readily witness the rapid escalation of deteriorating standards. It almost seems like it is changing on a daily basis and that it is accelerating. Decades ago, President David O. McKay said, “Satan is still determined to have his way, and his emissaries have power given them today as they have not had throughout the centuries.” Do you understand the magnitude of that statement? And this statement was decades ago. Satan’s emissaries have power as they have not had throughout the centuries. You can see how that power has translated into where the world is today.
Let us turn to the scriptures to see the descriptors of these last days – some of these references are becoming more familiar as they are becoming cited more frequently. Beginning with 2nd Timothy, Chapter 3, verse 1: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” Note the phrase, “last days.” “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” Are not these becoming more and more pervasive in society? “Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” Did Paul not see precisely our day? What accurate descriptors! “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away…Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”[1] What was viewed in ancient days as severe forms of wickedness has become commonplace today – and broadcast into virtually every corner of the world and our homes. Who is your constant companion?
Now let us turn to 2nd Nephi 28: 20-21. “For behold, at that day shall he [Satan] rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.” Do we not see an escalation in this phenomenon? If we stand up for traditional family values, we may be accused of being discriminatory or intolerant – when, in fact, we are standing up for divine, eternal truths. This is a stunning reversal of what were once widely-held values, to being not only cast aside by many, buy in some cases ridiculed.
Nephi now continues with a warning voice more directed to members of the Church: “And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea Zion prospereth, all is well – and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.” Satan gives us the message that everything is OK, we are doing well enough, we have too much to do to worry about the necessity of daily scripture study, that going to Church on Sunday is good enough. Maybe we aren’t doing everything we should be doing, but we shouldn’t worry about it. Being passive in our spiritual pursuits is a victory for the adversary.
While we have the tremendous comfort in the knowledge of knowing that the Savior and those with Him will be the ultimate victors, this is also a battle fought one soul at a time, including for each of ours. It is not enough to take a casual approach to our divine destiny that all will be OK. We each need to keep in mind an eternal perspective of what is occurring around us and what we are doing to be engaged in the battle for righteousness, including our own personal righteousness. The adversary would have us be casual about our relationship with divinity and see it weakened over time to the point that we become more vulnerable to his advances and temptations. Who is your constant companion?
How is it that someone brought up in a righteous family, in the strong influences of the Church, and perhaps served a mission, testifying countless times of the divinity of the work, would eventually fall away? The world intrudes upon us almost incessantly, if we let it. We can have the constant “buzz” of various media around us, telling us that the world is “OK,” while the Spirit has almost no chance to fight through. If we become casual in our relationship with deity, the road is paved for the adversary to slip in. It could very well be that the world, in fact, becomes our constant companion. When does the Spirit have the opportunity to break through? Or even if it does, it may become overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of other influences.
I would like to take you back a few years to the time of the Olympics in Salt Lake City. We had spent over two years of incredible efforts trying to get everything ready, in spite of a troubled history. The summer before the Games were to be held, we were finally beginning to feel somewhat confident that we would do well. However, just five months before the Opening Ceremonies were to be held, 9/11 was thrust upon all of us – an unimaginable tragedy. I clearly remember that morning, sitting at our headquarters speaking with Mitt Romney on the phone, who was just then driving by the Pentagon as it was enveloped in smoke, thinking “how are we going to host the world in just five months and keep them safe?”
We then embarked on a full review of our security planning and although we found it to be quite solid, we saw areas that needed enhancements. The law enforcement agencies and members of the Secret Service, FBI, military and FEMA were great partners and became good friends. One area of strength was protecting the athletes, thinking back to the tragedy of Munich – making sure we did everything to ensure their safety. The most vulnerable time for the athletes is when they are been transported to and from the venues. We put in place something called AVLs, or Automated Vehicle Locators, into each athlete transportation vehicle. These AVLs were GPS-based wherein the location of each vehicle was continuously communicated to security headquarters. In addition, each vehicle’s specific route was programmed into our database such that if it went off course by more than 50 feet, alarms would go off at security headquarters. We had Secret Service stationed throughout the Olympic theatre, who could respond quickly to any emergency.
A few days before the Games began, athletes arrived to settle into the Olympic Village and to practice at the venues. During this period, the AVLs were active and one morning, the alarms went off. A bus for a hockey team was off course. We called the driver on the radio and then the cell phone. No response. Could we have trouble already, even before the Games began? The Secret Service was scrambled to the location of the bus and found it empty – in a McDonald’s parking lot. They ended up joining the driver, safe and sound, for breakfast at McDonald’s. Tragedy averted.
When we go off course a little, do the alarms go off for us? Do we have the Spirit with us to warn us? Do we listen to the Light of Christ, or our conscience? Do we recognize when we are heading a little off course and quickly change directions to the straight and narrow path? If we begin to ignore the alarms or if we don’t hear them anymore, we should put our heads up, “look down the track” and recognize where we are headed, especially when we think things are somewhat OK; yet we may, in fact, be off course. The easiest way off course is just a little at a time, when it is barely noticeable. This is a key part of the message of “All is well in Zion.”
The easy, natural path is to follow the way of the world and all it holds. Such is the behavior of the “natural man.” President McKay said, “Sin thrusts itself upon you. It walks beside you, it tempts you, it entices, it allures. You do not have to put forth effort. Evil seeks you, and it requires effort and fortitude to combat it.” On the other hand, “all good things require effort. That which is worth having will cost you part of your physical being, your intellectual power and your soul power…But you have to seek, you have to knock…truth and wisdom are gained only by seeking, by prayer, and by effort.”
As we lift our sights from the ice, so to speak, and “look down the track” to see where we are headed, the nature of our divine destiny, we gain an eternal perspective. We understand that it takes sincere effort, focus and preparing a plan to not only withstand the pressures of the world, but to advance spiritually to one day realize the seeds of divinity within us. President McKay continues, “The gospel gives us a chance to live above this world and its temptations, and, through self-control and self-mastery, to live in the Spirit, and that is the real life here and after.” This is what we seek – the Spirit in to become a true, day-to-day constant companion. Who is your constant companion?
Now, how do we go about this? First, we take a step back from our lives and assess how we are doing. What daily effort do we exert to gain the Spirit in our lives? How do we push back from the world? We are given the simple, yet incredibly powerful basics, “search, ponder and pray.” Allow me to suggest the following: we can begin immediately to enjoy a “daily devotional,” wherein we take time to sup from the word of God, ponder the things of our lives and then approach Him in earnest prayer. It then becomes far more natural to DO the will of the Lord as we go about our daily lives.
As part of this daily devotional, we have been challenged by our prophet to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. Have we each accepted that challenge? It is not too late to begin. If you started when the challenge was issued, just four pages a day will do it. These four pages can build a stronger spiritual connection to the Lord that is essential to move forward spiritually. President Hinckley said, “There will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”[2] What great promises! The Book of Mormon is a tremendous gift of divine clarity from the Lord and should be one of our most prized possessions, and greatest friends we have here on earth. Its clear message of the divinity and saving power of the Lord give us spiritual strength. King Benjamin recognized the power of sacred scripture in daily living, when, in teaching his sons, he declared the following in Mosiah chapter 1, verse 5:
I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief.
I appreciate that phrase, “have his commandments always before our eyes.” We should live likewise and the prophet has suggested one way to do so.
Building on this study, we can take quiet time to ourselves. President Hinckley elucidated,
We live in a world of rush and go, of running here and there and in every direction. We are very busy people. We have so much to do. We need to get off by ourselves spiritually…Get by yourself and think of things of the Lord, of things of the Spirit…Think of the things of God. Just meditate and reflect for an hour about yourself and your relationship to your Heavenly Father and your Redeemer. It will do something for you.[3]
I am convinced that one of the weapons of the adversary is distraction from that which is most important. In addition, much of what comes into our lives pulls us down, in some cases in a very subtle way, and in other cases precipitously. Through the constant barrage of the TV, the videos, the Bluetooth cell phones, the Ipods, the internet, the satellite radio, the CD players, we receive a constant infiltration from the declining moral standards of the world and can fall victim to its message. It does impact us. A recent book highlighted how the new digital age is literally “rewiring our brains.” Let’s take a step and assess, who is our constant companion?
When can the Spirit break through? How can the Spirit compete with this inundation? The adversary does indeed have power unlike ever before. He has electronic tools and means to sway us. We need to create time for the Spirit to break through; for the still, small voice to speak to us and guide us. It is there. WE but have to knock and live worthy of it. Who is our constant companion?
If we have spent time in our daily devotional absorbing the word of God and contemplating who we are and how we are doing, we can then effectively seek our Father in prayer, with this prior preparation opening the opportunity for real communion with divinity, laying the foundation for the Spirit to become our companion.
When we take the next step of doing His will, we keep our companion with us. It is surely a blessing to have that added power in our lives. However, we still live in a busy, and tempting world. One way to stay strong in the face of worldly challenges is to think of the savior being right beside us and how we would act in this particular situation. Just visualize that for a moment. The Savior walking beside us, observing the things we do and say. We can utilize this approach in fighting temptation. It bears similarity to having the Spirit with us, and to help guide and direct us. As the world continues its geometric progression into declining moral values, we, in turn, need to be stronger to withstand what comes our way. Being strong enough today may not be strong enough for tomorrow.
Hurricane Katrina has had a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of people. Of particular note is the staggering impact it had on New Orleans. We have witnessed an entire city partially submerged. As we all know, the city is below sea level and is protected by levees. These levees were designed to withstand a Category 3 hurricane, taking the risk that this would be strong enough. We then witnessed a raging Category 4 hurricane, which overwhelmed the levees, resulting in unprecedented flooding in the area. The city was simply unprepared for what hit them.
It seems like we are in the midst of a hurricane of a different form – a raging storm of increasing wickedness that would try and capture us in its grasp. The question for each of us is how well are we prepared to stay on the Lord’s side? Our we strong enough for what may eventually come our way?
We can strengthen ourselves. We can push back on the world. Once again, in the words of President McKay, “Resist him (the adversary) and he becomes weaker and you become stronger, until you can say, no matter what your surroundings may be, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan.’” We arrive at a point “that our souls might bask in the light of the Holy Spirit.”
We then have the opportunity to enjoy the marvelous fruits of the Spirit, which are many. First, we enjoy the knowledge that we are on the right path and receive the accompanying peace of conscience. This leads to tasting the true happiness which the prophets describe in the scriptures. In 1 Nephi 11, we read,
Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.[4]
This is what is most joyous to the soul and what the Savior desires for each of us. His mission, in the end, is to help us achieve eternal happiness. Second, we have the Spirit as our guide in all aspects of our lives. Third, we receive gifts of the Spirit that may be different for us of us, but some are common to all. One of the great gifts of the Spirit is that of charity, as promised in Moroni, chapter 7. Fourth, it becomes a Comforter to us in times of need.
We will all face difficulties and challenges throughout life. Be prepared. It will happen. The knowledge that what we are doing is right, combined with the power of the Comforter greatly assists us to bear such burdens that will come our way.
In February of 2000, after I had spent one year fully engaged in trying to help turn things around at the Olympics, our son, Michael, who was 18 at the time, was becoming ill. We were told that it was the flu, and not to worry about it. He kept getting worse so finally we took him to the emergency room. I vividly remember standing in one of those examination rooms with my son and wife, hearing the words, “Your son has cancer.” I felt like I had been run over by a truck. I began asking questions like, “Why me?” “Why our family?” “We have been trying to keep the commandments, so how could this happen?” I didn’t understand. We then turned to the Savior more than ever before. The Spirit became a more important part of us. It is interesting how we wait until times of need to turn more to Him.
It turned out that Michael had a tumor that filled most of his chest cavity, and in fact, had collapsed one of his lungs. We began a journey with countless surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, all in a battle for survival. He lost weight, lost hair, had mouth sores, was constantly sick and at one point was taking 22 pills a day. He got to the point where he couldn’t walk up the stairs and we had to carry him.
In the midst of his treatments, he was invited to give his testimony at the farewell of his best friend, whom he had helped reactivate. When he got up, Michael said something we had never heard before. He said, “The day that I found out that I had cancer, when I went to say my prayers that night, the only thing I could think to say was to thank my Heavenly Father for this experience, because I knew it would make me a better person.” He understood at that moment the divine plan. He could “look down the track” and have an eternal perspective. Mike is doing reasonably well at this point, attending BYU and serving in the temple one day a week. He knows he needs that extra blessing of the temple to keep a constant reminder of having an eternal perspective.
The knowledge of an eternal perspective, combined with the Comforter, provided an entirely different context to our experience. We emerged with a far better comprehension of mortality and our complete reliance on things eternal.
When you are focused on what is truly important, the world fades away. We turn to the loving embrace of the Savior and enjoy the warmth of the Spirit. The atonement addresses more than sins, it provides comfort in times of need. In Alma, chapter 7, verses 11 and 12, we read,
And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
Brothers and sisters, you have a divine destiny that awaits you. As we awaken to the full impact of the turmoil that exists in the world today, we can see things differently. Take a step back and take a real inventory of what you see around you. The world at large has many elements that are very troubling and need to be recognized for what they are. However, the Savior has given us many wonderful gifts to aid us in our return to Him. Fortunately, you attend a great institution that will give you a great foundation. There are many wonderful things around you here that will aid you. Please take advantage of the many resources that are available to you and appreciate them. One of the greatest resources we have is the Book of Mormon. Another is having the Sprit as your constant companion.
Let’s put our heads up and “look down the track” to see where we are headed. An eternal perspective puts things in their proper priority. Let us heed the warnings when we get off course, especially when the drift is subtle. Let us each have a daily devotional to keep that eternal perspective we need, and to have the Spirit as our constant companion. With this foundation, we can avoid the pitfalls of the world and be better prepared for the difficult challenges when they come. Ultimately, we can then experience the eternal happiness the Father and the Son have made available, all dependent upon us.
Notes
[1] 2nd Timothy 3:1-7
[2] Ensign, August 2005
[3] Gordon B. Hinckley, Brigham City Utah Regional Conference, Feb. 22, 1997
[4] 1 Nephi 11:21-22