Who's on the Lord's Side?

"Who's on the Lord's Side?"

Janet Scharman

April 8, 2003 

It=s wonderful to be here with you.  It=s wonderful to be a member of this great Church and to have had the opportunity this past weekend to receive counsel from prophets, seers, and revelators and others of our leaders who love us and want us to be the very best that we can.  How blessed we are to be living during this season of the history of the Church when the fulness of the gospel has been restored.

Thank you for that kind introduction.  A few things were left out, however, that I think are note worthy, so I hope you will indulge me for a few moments while I add a little.  I think you may be interested to know that I never lost an election for school office.  I=ve never once had a bad landing while sky diving, or have had to quit before finishing a marathon, and I haven=t received even one rejection of a story submitted to a major magazine.

All of this could be quite impressive unless you understood that I have never failed in any of these efforts because I have never attempted to do any of them.  So, in reality, lack of my failure in these areas cannot at all be construed as any sort of success or accomplishment.  In fact, if no failure were the desired measure, we could spend our entire lives being very safe but experiencing minimal progress in many realms of our existence.¹

Perhaps failure is on my mind because as I look to the future only a few short weeks, I=m well aware that due dates for research papers and finals are fast approaching.  For some this will be a happy culmination of all your hard work, and the stream of A=s covering your report card will once again reinforce why you have such a healthy self-esteem.   For others, in spite of hard work and months of sleep deprivation the results of your efforts could cause you to question if you are even college material.

I well remember one of my first semesters at the university.  I was taking a physics course and had dutifully attended each session, taking copious notes.  There were times I had actually picked up the text and read portions of it, and so I felt somewhat confident as I walked into class the day of my first midterm.  That was a memorable experience for me, and one I am not likely to soon forget.  I sat down at my desk with the exam and read through the questions on the first page, and then the following pages.  I just sat there dazed for a few moments, unable to answer any question, when finally a brilliant thought occurred to me.  I got up, walked to the back and checked the number on the door with the hope that I had accidentally walked into the wrong room.  That hope quickly died as I immediately realized that I was indeed in the correct room, on the correct day, with the correct test in front of me.  Sadly, as I returned to my seat with pencil in hand and an untouched answer sheet next to the test, I had to come to grips with the fact that there was hardly a question that evoked even an inkling of familiarity for me.  So, I did the only thing I could, under the circumstances.  I panicked and burst into tears B and in the end gave a much less than stellar performance on the exam.

My father was a professor at that same university, and he highly valued both education and hard work.  He often used to tell us children, AYou can do anything in this world you want if you are willing to pay the price.  And if you really want it, the price will be worth it.@  I really wanted to not fail physics, but it was clear that the price I would have to pay would be much more than I had given to my studies in high school.  I moped and worried, got angry and then depressed.  Finally, I paid the price meaning in this case, I put in the kind of hard work a college physics class demanded and, although definitely not the class star, I am happy to report that in the end I passed the course. 

That was actually a critical point in my life as I had to acknowledge that no matter how smart or talented or attractive or humble or spiritual we are, there will always be things that create challenges for us.  And actually, that seems to be an essential part of the Lord=s plan for us B that we are tried and tested in ways that lead to growth experiences.  There are just a lot of things in life that are hard, and we can be defeated by them or we can make the decision to not give up, to hang in there and keep moving forward towards our goals.   Elder Maxwell has reminded us that ANo one was foreordained to fail...Let us remember that we were measured before and we were found equal to our tasks...When we feel overwhelmed, let us recall the assurance that God will not over-program us.  He will not press upon us more than we can bear.@²  That doesn=t mean that we are equipped or prepared to do absolutely everything exactly the way WE want to do them.  The Lord has given each of us all the gifts we need to succeed in the tasks He deems to be of importance in this life and, with His help and our willingness to repent, to learn and to grow, we can attain the greatest treasure of all B the opportunity to return back to His presence to live with Him forever.  Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves, as Elder Maxwell also said, that ADiscouragement is not a lack of adequacy, but a lack of courage.@³ One of the marks of having a gift,@ Katherine Anne Porter added, Ais the courage to use it.@⁴

Satan is skilled at sapping our courage, confusing us, making us believe at times that we aren=t good or capable enough.  He is a wretched soul and he wants us to be as unhappy as he is.  And, if he succeeds, if we give in to what he wants instead of what we truly want, he wins and we can miss some of life=s most valuable learning experiences and be diverted from our journey back home.   The result, as Nephi said, is that Athe devil cheateth their souls@⁵ as he seeks Athe misery of all mankind.@⁶

When tests don=t go well, when relationships falter, when our expectations are not fully met, we can sometimes lose our courage and can be tempted to focus on our inadequacies.  Christian author Eugene W. Brice told the story of a high school senior who refused to give into discouragement.  He received a letter of rejection from the college he wanted to attend and immediately decided to draft this response.  ADear Admissions Officer,@ he began.  AI am in receipt of your rejection of my application.  As much as I would like to accommodate you, I find that I cannot accept it.  I have already received four rejections from other colleges, and this number is, in fact, over my limit.  Therefore, I must reject your rejection, and I will appear for classes on September 18.@¹  This is a strategy that likely would not work very well for BYU-I, but I applaud this young man for not giving into defeat.  If he could learn from disappointments and channel his energy and efforts into self-discipline and good work habits, he still would have great opportunities for success. 

Mr. Brice gave some other examples.  AIn 1902, the poetry editor of Atlantic Monthly returned a sheaf of poems to a 28-year-old poet with this curt note: >Our magazine has no room for your vigorous verse.=  The poet was Robert Frost, who rejected the rejection.  In 1905, the University of Bern turned down a Ph.D. dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful.  The young physics student who wrote the dissertation was Albert Einstein, who rejected the rejection.  In 1894, the rhetoric teacher at Harrow in England wrote on the 16-year-old=s report card, >a conspicuous lack of success.=  The 16-year-old was Winston Churchill, who rejected the rejection.@ ¹

Sometimes rejections come from others.  At other times we do a very good job of creating our own difficult circumstances because of lack of thought or preparation or because we let our emotions take over.  Regardless, in the end each of us individually must decide how we will respond, one by one, to situations which confront us. 

Let me share one more personal experience, if I may, that occurred when I was 20 years old, about the same age as many of you.  I was invited by a group of acquaintances to go on a five day river trip here in Idaho.  This was a group who had run a number of rivers and there just happened to be an extra opening for this particular trip.  I must confess that I gave little thought to what this adventure would actually involve.  As I was preparing, my concerns were more focused on coordinating outfits and making sure I had my water proof sun block. 

The first touch of reality hit when I saw that our bags were being lashed onto the rafts.  It had made sense to me that we put everything in waterproof bags since water from the river might, of course, splash into the boat.  It just hadn=t occurred to me that anything from inside the boat might go over the edge into the river.  This reality was reinforced as we were given gear to wear.  First, a super duper extreme life jacket made specifically to turn the wearer face up in the event that she might be knocked unconscious when B not if B but when she was plummeted out of the raft while going through a set of rapids.  Added to that was a life belt and a helmet.  This was followed by a brief lesson on how to go through the rapids without a boat B hands and feet first so that we could push off of rocks as we were being swept down river.  Images of sun bathing and leisurely floating along were fast disappearing from my thoughts.

While standing there, trying to reconcile my rather undefined but definitely mild expectations with what was right in front of me, I noticed the leader of our group having an animated conversation with the forest ranger.  I moseyed over to see if I could hear what was being said.  The forest ranger was trying to discourage our group from beginning our trip.  The river was extremely high and, in this case, that meant that it would be more dangerous than usual.  In fact, just the day before a man had been killed going over the first falls.  There were two bits of very important information for me from the comments I overhead.  First, while at that age I was typically game for high adventure experiences, drowning on a river trip was a little higher than I was willing to go.  Second was the word Afalls.@  No one had mentioned anything about going over a waterfall.  In reality, it turned out to be only about 10 feet high, but 10 feet from the security of solid ground off shore looks quite different than 10 feet when you=re sitting in a little, flimsy rubber raft while gazing at white water swirling wildly below.  After much discussion, and in spite of my concerns, we were finally given permission to go and the river trip began.

After only a brief time on the river, we pulled to the side and hiked up a short distance to see what was ahead of us and to make plans for negotiating the rapids.  We first had to go through Ping Pong Alley, so named because the large boulders caused the small rafts to bounce along like little ping pong balls.  This was not a particularly dangerous area, but Velvet Falls followed right after.  This is where the man had died the day before because his boat had gone over the edge side-ways and had rapidly filled with the backwash of the falls, making it impossible for him to float ahead out of harm=s way.  Once through Ping Pong Alley, the critical point was to go over the falls with the raft facing straight on.

There were a few boats ahead of us and we could see them disappearing one by one over the edge.  Finally it was our turn and just as we approached the waterfall, our boat was knocked sideways.  Terror filled my heart.  I wondered what my water logged body would look like in a casket.  Would anyone come to my funeral?  Fortuitously, just at the critical moment, the person in the middle seat of our raft took the oars and turned us around backwards B but straight.  I think I will never forget the feeling, as I looked over the edge of the boat, literally hanging on for dear life to the ropes attached to the sides of the boat as we plummeted over the edge.  I=m happy to report that we survived.  There was no time to relax, however, because we had to immediately begin bailing out the water which had filled our boat.  Then we paddled wildly to get into position for the next rapids.  And that=s how it was the entire day.  Paddle like crazy.  Hang on for dear life.  Bail.  Paddle.  Hang on. Bail.  By the time we pulled onto shore for the night I was exhausted.  My hands and knuckles were bloodied from being knocked around through the rapids.  My muscles were sore.  I had lost one of my sneakers along the way.  It was raining and I was cold.  I had never gotten unscared the entire day.

I went up to the leader of the group that night and said, I=m not normally a quitter, but I just can=t do this for 4 more days.  This is too hard and I can=t stay terrified for this long.  He was so kind and so understanding and finally he said, AYou=re right. You can=t do it.  You=ll never make it to the end.  You should just quit right this minute.  But there=s a detail you ought to know before making a decision, and it=s that there are only two ways out of here.  One is on the rafts with our group.  The other is to walk out on your own.@  I looked down at my shoeless foot and up the steeply rising mountains on both sides with no apparent trails anywhere.  And immediately I rejected his rejection and determined to ride the river.  I finally got the hang of river running and was even able to enjoy the trip.  It was still hard work, and my stomach churned with each rapid, but in the end it turned out to be one of the most powerful experiences of my life.

I tell you this story to make two points.  Sometimes we are valiant and noble and just refuse to be defeated.  Other times we don=t give in, not because of any seeming greatness of character on our part, but because there really isn=t a viable choice.  Regardless, not allowing ourselves to be overcome by despair reaps benefits.   We still learn and grow by working through the difficult tasks of life.  The second point is that a lot of those difficulties cannot be controlled by us.  There are natural laws with resulting consequences, everyone around us has the right to exercise agency, we do not have the power to fix every problem.  Life presents us with all kinds of white water rapids and the best we can do is be prepared before they hit, remain as calm as possible when we=re in the middle of them, and that may mean relying on a higher power than ours, and then do those things that will give us maximum control afterwards.

Even the most holy and elect of God=s servants have had moments of facing their own version of white water rapids B of feeling out of control and uncertain about the journey ahead, and thus being hesitant to proceed.  When the Lord first approached Enoch with a special calling, Enoch=s response was this as recorded in Moses 6:31: AI am but a lad and all the people hate me.@  He wasn=t just being humble or exaggerating the challenges ahead of him.  In truth he was young and the people really did not like him or want to hear what he had to say.  He didn=t know how he was going to accomplish what was asked of him, but he was prepared and he trusted that the Lord would help him.  Because he didn=t give up, because he hung on through the ups and downs, an entire city of his brothers and sisters were taken back to our Father in Heaven in the most special of ways.  

In Exodus we read of another of our great prophets, Moses.  You recall his response to the Lord=s calling for him to lead the children of Israel out of bondage.  AI am slow of speech,@⁷ he said.  Many of you who have been on missions to foreign countries or who have learned another language know how quickly you can lose ability with that language when you haven=t used it for a while.  Remember that at the time of Moses=s calling, it had been 40 years since he had spoken either Egyptian or Hebrew.  The prospect of trying to communicate effectively with Pharoah and his leaders as well as with the hundreds of thousands of Israelites on such an important issue must have been daunting.  Who could have blamed him had he refused to venture into such dangerous unknowns, a journey that would last 40 more years?  But he didn=t say no.  He refused to fail the Lord.

The prophet Nephi was willing to go and do whatsoever the Lord commanded him, but added Anotwithstanding my weakness.@⁸.  Even our beloved prophet, President Hinckley, shared his concern at the responsibility of leading the Church in modern days with these words shortly

after being sustained as prophet:   AI do not know why this mantle has fallen upon my shoulders,@ he said.  AI suppose some of you also wonder.@⁹  I=m guessing none of us wondered.  But he did.  He clearly felt the weight of such hefty responsibilities demanded of a prophet a God, a prophet to the world.  Yet he moved forward and has continued with extraordinary strength and wisdom.  Elder Neal Maxwell has reminded us that Athere is a difference...between being >anxiously engaged= and being over-anxious and thus under engaged.@³  Our fear of failure can be immobilizing if we can=t see the boulders in the middle of the river as learning and growth opportunities, trusting that the Lord is there to help us negotiate the rapids.

I promise that each of you will have many white water experiences during your life times.  If you are not in the middle of one right now, another is probably right around the bend.  You can panic or be overwhelmed and quit, or you can hold on with all your might.  Sometimes that may mean the white knuckle kind of holding on, not just casual, gentle touches.

As righteous youth of the Church, I know you are often compared to the armies of Helaman.  Especially given the current events of the world, I too cannot resist the comparison.  I reflect on what Mormon told us about his abridgement of the sacred records which had been handed down from generation to generation; that he could write only one-hundredth of what was there.  Obviously, with the Lord=s help he had to pick and choose what would be of most value to the people of our day, the intended audience for the book, and the result is that fully 1/3 of the Book of Mormon is about wars and fighting.  Perhaps now is the very time that he foresaw.

For me, one of the most dramatic of all these stories in the Book of Mormon is of the Stripling Warriors.  This was a difficult time as the powerful Lamanites were literally destroying everything of their enemies B their homes, and lands, and families.  As terrible as it was, the Anti-Nephi-Lehis feared for their eternal salvation more than for their lives and the temporal things of this world, and they remained true to their promise never to fight again.  Their children, the 2000 young men we now know as the army of Helaman, or the stripling warriors, watched in horror at the atrocities of the attacking army.

These young men honored the promises of their fathers, but felt compelled to action themselves.  I imagine those young men were very much like you students here in Idaho B bright, hard working, caring, righteous young people.  But...they were NOT soldiers, nor had they ever been trained to fight or to go into battle.  And perhaps most telling of them is what they did as they made their decision to try to protect home and family.  They did not approach a great general or experienced military leader for help, as some might have thought wise.  They went to their prophet, Helaman, who, as you recall, also had not been trained in the ways of war.  The young people were clear that if they had any chance of victory, it would not be because they had been prepared in brilliant stratagem, by the standards of the world, but because the Lord would be on their side.

As they prepared for their first battle, they realized they would be facing the largest and most powerful of the Lamanite armies.  What were they feeling as they had to come face to face with the reality of the consequences that their commitment to fight might personally mean?  The circumstances would have demanded that they summon every ounce of faith and courage they could muster.  Undoubtedly they must have had some feelings of trepidation, but they trusted their prophet and had faith in the protecting power of the Lord.  I believe they understood as Elisha had on another occasion that Athey that be with us are greater than they that be with them.@¹⁰  They knew the Lord would enlist the support of divine spiritual forces.

As we all know, these young men fought and were victorious.  And, in spite of the obvious imbalance of the two armies, as measured by the great differences in training and experience, this is the only time I recall in the entire Book of Mormon when it is specifically stated that not one soldier=s life of the winning army was lost.  Not one.  This was nothing short of a miracle.  There is an explanation given to us in Alma 52 :21 which tells us the stripling warriors did Aobserve and perform every word and command with exactness.@ How often could that be said of each of us?

The fighting of the Stripling Warriors and the current events we have been watching nightly on the news represent one type of war.  Happily you are all safely here in Rexburg for the time being, far from the reality of the war in Iraq.  I would suggest to you that there is another more constant, pervasive and dangerous war happening right here where we are, and it is the fight for our very souls.  The attacks often come with surgical precision as the weapons of destruction infiltrate our hearts and minds almost seemingly undetected.  They are disguised as lyrics to music, harmless TV sitcoms, images in the media, addictions, peer pressure.  Because Satan has been in battle so long, he has become adept in the strategies that lure us into dangerous war zones away from true security and protection.

This latter type of war is not new to us.  In fact, President Gordon B. Hinckley has said,  AWe are involved in the same battle that went on before the world was created.  It is the battle between truth and error, between the design of the Almighty and his Beloved Son, on the one hand, and Lucifer, the son of the morning, on the other.@¹¹  There is little written about that pre-existent struggle, but the scriptures have given us some important insights.

Our Heavenly Father presented a plan to His children.  He would create a world on which we would be challenged, experience weakness and failure, but which would provide the exact kind of training ground necessary for us to progress to an exalted state.   I can picture the dilemma this created for us: The opportunity to become as our Father in Heaven and to live with Him eternally, but understanding that what would be required of us to reach that goal was beyond any talents or power that we possessed on our own.  Lucifer presented an option he said would guarantee we would make no mistakes.  All we had to do was relinquish to him our right to make decisions for ourselves, and he would handle everything.  From the perspective we now have that seems a ludicrous proposal since it would obviously defeat the very purpose of this earthly estate.  However, on a simple, insecure level I can understand how appealing this may have been.  There have been a number of particularly difficult times in my life when I have wished that someone else could just take care of the problems and resolve them to my liking.  I may have even petitioned the Lord to deal with issues I didn=t fully understand were within my ability and responsibility to handle.  I must confess there have also been those times when I have wished I had the power to take control for my own children when they have struggled.

Apparently Satan=s ideas were, in fact, attractive to a large number -- one-third of the hosts of heaven we are told.  The Lord=s plan may have felt too risky, and perhaps Lucifer was able to entice them to his way of thinking by capitalizing on their fear of failing during this state of probation.  The result is that this one-third will never have the blessing of being able to fail at or struggle with any of the earthly challenges that have and will continue to confront each of us, and that is because, at least in part, at a key time they chose not to try.  That decision eliminated for them the opportunity to progress, which condemns them to a state of misery forever.

The Lord wants us to have choices and trusts that we will be able to deal with their associated consequences, good or bad.  As painful as it must be for our Heavenly Father to watch us blunder through some of life=s challenges, He would never deny us the opportunities for growth that come by having us contend with difficulties, by refusing to be defeated.  In fact, He has clearly stated that His work and His glory is to bring us safely home and His plan would assuredly include a way for us to fulfill his purposes.

Jesus understood the plan.  He understood that each of us individually must travel the path that leads back to our Father in Heaven.  He also understood that we could not do it alone, that what we had to offer would not be enough.  It was He who volunteered to make up the difference for what each of us would lack in all ways B when we weren=t righteous enough, wise enough, strong enough B and he provided a way for us to access that atoning gift.

In Job 38:7 we learn that we Ashouted for joy@ at this prospect.  We accepted the promise that Jesus would do for us what he said he would do.  Gathered together around our Father as spirit sons and daughters, we had faith in Jesus to be our Savior, to provide the only means by which we could return to our Heavenly Father.  Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ continues to be as important today as it was when we declared ourselves and fought valiantly on the Lord=s side.  In fact, it is the first principle of the gospel.  A colleague of mine, Richard Williams, said, AThe test of life is to do the will of our God.  Faith is not the part of the test designed to make it difficult to return to Him, it is what our god has given us to make it possible to return to Him.  The trial of faith is not to see what we will do without Him but to see what we can do with Him.@¹²

That is what the stripling warriors understood.  There were only 2,000 of them, but there are 10,000 of you here at one school, with hundreds of thousands of additional young people spread across the world who are members of the Church.  Can you imagine the powerful influence you could have if you performed every word and command of the prophet with exactness!  It was not easy for the stripling warriors and the forces of the world may make it even more difficult for  you.  But, AYou are the future of the Church,@ Elder Eyring said in an address to university students.  AGod knows that.  And so he now asks more of you than he has asked of those who were here before you, because the kingdom will need you more.@¹³

That can feel a bit overwhelming, but Elder Perry has also reminded us that AYou are a part of this special generation.  It is not by chance that you are here at this important time in the history of the Lord=s work...You have been preserved and prepared for your time on earth to be a part of this great army...You are better educated and trained for this responsibility than any of the other generations which have inherited the earth...I challenge you to use all of the power and enthusiasm your souls can muster to move forward with this great opportunity which is ours...May we accept the challenge that we have been called to assume in this great day.@¹⁴

A well known hymn begins with the words, AWho=s on the Lord=s side?  Who?  Now is the time to show.@¹⁵  We are in the final hours before the Savior comes again.  The last battles are under way and the outcome is certain; but the sides are still aligning and you are being required to declare.  As Elder Perry said, the Lord sees you as His mighty army, and you can loudly proclaim your allegiance by being true to the righteous desires of your heart B now, this day, this very minute.  It=s very possible that you won=t do it all perfectly every time, but that should not be cause for hesitation.

You may recall that the bombing of Afghanistan was announced during General Conference a year and a half ago.  That was a somber moment, intensified by the backdrop of September 11.  Our dear President Hinckley stood at the pulpit of the Conference Center in Salt Lake City and with these words reassured us that AGod has made it clear that if we will not forsake Him, He will not forsake us.@¹⁶   That statement is as true today, April 8, 2003, as it was then.  The war of missiles and bombs has begun, and the current situation in the Middle East is indeed grave.   Although very different circumstances and a different kind of war, the battle which began before the world was created continues to rage everywhere even here in Rexburg, Idaho.   And so I implore each of you to reach within the depths of your heart and mind to answer this question: AWho=s on the Lord=s side?  Who?  Now is the time to show.@  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

1. Eugene W. Brice,AGood News about Failure.@  Kansas City Downtown Rotary Club.  Kansas City, Jan. 6, 1983.
2. Maxwell, Neal A.AA More Determined Discipleship,@ Ensign, Feb. 1979, 69
3. Maxwell, Neal A.ANot Withstanding My Weakness,@ Ensign, Nov. 1976, 12.
4. Gross, GeraldAHow Writers Can Reject Rejection@ www.webdreamer.com/gross_home_page.html, accessed Mar.11, 2003.
5. 2 Ne 28:21
6. 2 Ne 2:11, 17-18.
7. Exodus 4:10
8. 2 Ne. 33:11.
9. Hinckley, Gordon B.AThis Is the Work of the Master,@ Ensign, May 1995, 69.
10. Kings 6:16.
11. Hinckley, Gordon B.AStand Up for Truth,@  BYU Devotional Address, Sep. 17, 1996.
12. Williams, Richard N. AFaith, Reason, Knowledge, and Truth,@ BYU Devotional Address, Feb. 1, 2000.
13. Eyring, Henry B.AA Child of God,@ BYU Devotional Address, Oct. 21, 1997.
14. Perry, L. Tom.AAccept the Challenge,@ Ensign, Aug. 2002, 8.
15. Cornaby, Hannah Last .AWho=s on the Lord=s Side?@  Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, p 260.
16. Hinckley, Gordon B.ATill We Meet Again,@ Ensign, Nov.2001, 89