We are focusing today on the idea of where we might stand that would be, or could become, a holy place. My premise will be as follows: any place we stand that is on the pathway leading to Christ becomes holy. Therefore, the issue of locating and following that path becomes of essential significance to each of us. “And now, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that when ye are assembled together ye shall instruct and edify each other, that ye may know how to act and direct my church, how to act upon the points of my law and commandments, which I have given.” [1] This Doctrine and Covenants reference contains three words of instructive significance, leading to what appears to be the essence of the message: instruct, edify, and act.
We do much to instruct. Most who do so have serious intention that their efforts will indeed edify, which we understand to imply that the one being instructed is being strengthened or improved spiritually through the process.[2] And then we trust that instruction which leads to edification will become both the catalyst and the resource for the resultant action. I assume it is within the mark to observe that not always do these elements occur in perfect sequence. It is no doubt true that not all instruction results in edification, and not always does instruction and edification result in appropriate or adequate action. But we who instruct typically pray that some linkage will occur. In any case, it is of such matters I wish to visit with you today.
There would be few, if any, in this congregation who would not know at least the spiritual basics of how one would proceed with coming to Christ. Most would have some understanding of the requirement for faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The great issue almost always comes down to acting on what we know—to doing. Jesus made this eloquent plea to the Nephites: “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me [act], and repent of your sins [act], and be converted [be edified], that I may heal you?”[3] We sometimes do not fully grasp the truth that our failure to act on what we know binds the Lord. Perhaps we count so much on His love for us and His merciful atonement that we may be led to a groundless conclusion that in the end He will simply not choose to deny us. We may miss the significance of the phrase “that I may heal you.” The fact that He may want to and yet not be able to is illustrated in these passages:
"How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem . . . yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not."[4]
He was willing to heal them; but they, by their failure to be edified, their failure to act in certain specific regards, would not let Him do it! And this is Israel with whom He is pleading. The invitation is to those who had been spared.
Suffice it to say that it appears to be the almost universal plight of men and women to, at least in some degree, know more than we do. Perhaps then, creating a link between instruction and edification becomes the essential component in the process of coming to Christ.
It is upon certain elements of that link that I wish to center my remarks. There are, of course, many elements—some of which will be unique to given individuals as per their own personal relationship with the Savior. However, some of those elements of linkage would seem to be rather universal in application. It is of those I wish to make observation.
Believe That We Can Come Unto Christ
We must be believing! We must believe that we can come unto Christ. The importance of this element is emphasized in 1 Nephi chapters 10 and 11. Having been taught the beauty of his father’s vision, Nephi exclaimed:
"I . . . was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things . . . which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him."
"For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me."
"The Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?"
"And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father."
Then, only after making determination of Nephi’s level of belief, did the Spirit say to him:
"Blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired."[5]
Then followed one of the most beautiful accounts in all of scripture relative to the Savior’s birth, life, mission, death, and atonement.
Believing we can come to Christ necessitates our overcoming what, for many, is a natural feeling of personal inadequacy. Typically, we tend to be amazed when our name is called for something we judge to be beyond our mark. We do not think of ourselves as Relief Society presidents, bishops, stake presidents, General Authorities, etc.
Our souls tend to resonate with that of David, who said when brought before the Lord: “Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?”[6] We might be encouraged in dealing with our inadequacies—real or imaginary—by a teaching from Elder Joseph Fielding Smith given while he was serving as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
"Salvation does not come all at once; we are commanded to be perfect . . . [but] it will take us ages to accomplish this end. . . . That will not come all at once, but line upon line, and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life."[7]
An exaggerated awareness of our weaknesses and limitations may lead us to make comparisons with others whom we esteem to be better qualified, better trained, or more naturally gifted. Of such comparisons Elder Marvin J. Ashton said:
"I am also convinced of the fact that the speed with which we head along the straight and narrow path isn’t as important as the direction in which we are traveling. . .There is a natural, probably a mortal, tendency to compare ourselves with others. Unfortunately, when we make these comparisons, we tend to compare our weakest attributes with someone else’s strongest. For example, a woman who feels unschooled in the gospel may take particular note of a woman in her ward who teaches the Gospel Doctrine class and seems to have every scripture at her fingertips. Obviously these kinds of comparisons are destructive and only reinforce the fear that somehow we don’t measure up and therefore we must not be as worthy as the next person. . . I feel that one of the great myths we would do well to dispel is that we’ve come to earth to perfect ourselves, and nothing short of that will do. . . we will not become perfect in this life, though we can make significant strides toward that goal."[8]
On another occasion, in personal conversation that occurred while Estella and I were on assignment to a stake conference with him, Elder Ashton shared with us his significant concern for parents who appear to claim undue credit for successful families while other parents tend to assume undue blame for children who struggle in one way or another. He told us that, in his view, most parents who rear great children “simply had great children to raise.” He thought it conceivable that parents with challenging children might, in fact, be the better parents and, if not for their parenting skills, their children may have had even greater challenges. He later referenced this same notion during his April 1990 conference address:
"Consideration for the feelings of others should always be important to worthy Latter-day Saints. Rightfully we may be happy about the number of children with which we have been blessed, the missionaries who have served, the temple marriages of our offspring, and the accomplishments of family members; but others who are not so fortunate may have feelings of guilt or inadequacy. They may have been praying long and hard for the same blessings about which we are boasting. These people may feel that they are out of favor with God."[9]
Over the years, I have found his observations to be extremely comforting and a source of encouragement for parents burdened with self-doubts concerning their acceptability and/or their capacity.
Further evidence for the value of patience with self and the processes of edification was indicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley at the 1995 Mission Presidents Training. He explained that presidents would not know how effectively they had discharged their stewardship until 25 years after their missionaries returned home. Only then would it be known how much good their missionaries had done for others or how well they were doing personally and with their own families, marriages, church service, and spiritual development (taken from Robert M. Wilkes’ personal notes). Such counsel seems to apply across much of the process of productive living.
Have a Cause for Christlike Action That is Greater Than Our Own Self-Interest
For some of us to successfully bridge the gap from instruction to edification it will be helpful, if not essential, for us to have a cause for Christlike action that is greater than our own self-interest. Joseph F. McConkie touched the essence of this idea when telling, as follows, an incident in his own family history:
"Many years ago in a small town in the southern part of the State of Utah, my great-grandmother was called to be the President of the Relief Society. During this period of our Church’s history there existed a very bitter and antagonistic spirit between the Mormons and the Gentiles.
"In my great-grandmother’s ward one of the young sisters married a Gentile boy. This, of course, did not please either the Mormons or the Gentiles very much. In the course of time, this young couple gave birth to a child. Unfortunately, the mother became so ill in the process of childbirth that she was unable to care for her baby. Upon learning of this woman’s condition, great-grandmother immediately went to the homes of the sisters in the ward and asked them if they would take a turn going into the home of this young couple to care for the baby. One by one these women refused and so the responsibility fell completely upon her.
"She would arise early in the morning, walk what was a considerable distance to the home of this young couple where she would bathe and feed the baby, gather all that needed to be laundered and take it with her to her home. There she would launder it and then return with it the next day.
"Great-grandmother had been doing this for some time when one morning she felt too weak and sick to go and perform the service that had become her custom. However, as she lay in bed, she realized that if she didn’t go the child would not be provided for. She mustered all her strength and went. After performing this service she, and I suppose only with the help of the Lord, was able to return to her home, and upon entering her living room collapsed into a large chair and immediately fell into a deep sleep. She said that as she slept she felt as if she were consumed by a fire that would melt the very marrow of her bones. She began to dream and dreamed that she was bathing the Christ child and glorying in what a great privilege it would have been to have bathed the Son of God. Then the voice of the Lord spoke to her saying, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these ye have done it unto me’."[10]
In its simplicity, this account becomes a remarkable reflection of how one might approach edification on the wings of people and causes esteemed to be of greater importance than our narrow self-interest. It is the heart and soul of the disciple’s way.
Rise Above the Temptation to Self-Design Our Pathway to Edification and Discipleship
One who would successfully come to Christ would necessarily rise above the temptation to self-design his/her pathway to edification and discipleship. Paul taught that Christ, “being made perfect, . . . became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”[11] Moroni taught the doctrine as follows:
"And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ, and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith."[12]
There is a “right way,” and it is Christ’s way. It is of His own authorship and design. To follow it may require us to frequently, and sometimes for lengthy periods of time, employ a patience that can only be born of faith. I recall the account of a young woman convert whose parents disowned her when they discovered that she had been baptized. In fact, they went one step further—announcing that they were “trying to forget she ever existed.” The young woman loved her parents dearly and could hardly bear the cost of membership being imposed upon her. Yet she persisted. She had been instructed, and she knew the right way! She patiently wrote weekly letters assuring her parents of her love for them and avowing the correctness of her decision. For many months she had received no response from them. She began to wonder if she could hold out absent their love and support. One Sunday evening her phone rang. It was her mother. “We cannot forget you ever existed,” the mother declared. “You are our daughter; we miss you, we need you, and we love you. Could you possibly come home for a weekend? There are some things we wish to say to you.” Eagerly the girl responded: “There are some things I wish to hear. I’ll be home this weekend.” Her faith in the decision she had made was vindicated. The path required for her personal edification had not been easy, but it was the “right way.” She had followed the Savior’s path. It was not the path she would have designed for herself! But, in the newness of her convictions, she found the strength to pursue the path Jesus had designed. It was the path He had authored. Perhaps through her trial, she, like so many others, had come to know something of the connective spiritual tissue that ties true instruction to genuine edification and the attendant capacity to act.
Press Forward By Backing Off
Sometimes instruction contains counsel that surprises us. If not carefully understood, it may almost seem to contradict itself. The fact is that, at times, pressing forward may require us to back off or change our pace. On one occasion following a relaxing dinner and evening of pleasant conversation with President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the stressful and critical happenings of World War II, Prime Minister Winston Churchill observed that “it was the nicest evening he had had. . . How easy it is really to do big things if you can get an hour off!”[13]
Perhaps Nephi knew something of the spiritual benefit “an hour off” could have when he described events prior to his astounding vision. He “sat pondering in [his] heart” and was consequently “caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which [he] never had before seen, and upon which [he] never had before set [his] foot.”[14] Big things, indeed! His pondering prepared him for one of the greatest visions ever recorded.
Enos also came to a vital self-realization and remembrance concerning the pathway to Christ when he “went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which [he] had often heard [his] father speak concerning eternal life . . . [sank] deep into [his] heart.”[15] Perhaps Enos, too, pressed forward by stepping back through his “hour off” in the forests.
It may be the case that in part, at least, moving forward on the pathway to Christ, the path referred to by Moroni as the right way, requires time—time to do big things, time to do important things, time to:
- reflect,
- pray,
- ponder,
- study,
- have dates with husbands and wives (we must retain prerogative of defining what a date is),
- foster righteous sociality,
- see the beauties/smell the roses, and
- nurture the good elements of one’s personal possibilities in numberless ways that are proper and helpful.
Such time may seem beyond the realities of our individual circumstances. Such time may appear to be a luxury we cannot afford with all else that imposes demands on a limited resource. In spite of all that seems obvious, time for such things may yet be part of the Master’s way.
And so we come full circle to the point of beginning—which was the scriptural mandate to instruct and edify one another in preparation to act. It is for that purpose that BYU-Idaho sponsors and willing learners attend Education Week. We all hope to instruct and to be instructed. We have heard much and will yet hear more of things pertaining to faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost; of disciples and discipleship; of Coming—and of being healed. We pray there will be, for each of us, glimpses of insight and discovery, even if fleeting and incomplete. We speak of glimpses that, if reflected upon, prayed about, and pondered, could, over time, take on qualities of strength and maturity even understanding.
Our wish is that out of the experience of this week, many will become aware of their unacknowledged capacities to:
- believe themselves invited and capable of coming to Christ,
- recognize that causes may become enabling agents that can move us beyond goals inspired only by self-interest,
- accept Christ’s way as the “right way,” and
- acquire the discipline necessary to appropriately back off so as to press on.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Doctrine and Covenants 43:8, emphasis added
[2] Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, p. 396
[3] 3 Nephi 9:13, emphasis added
[4] 3 Nephi 10:5, emphasis added
[5] 1 Nephi 10:17; 11:1, 4-6, emphasis added
[6] 2 Samuel 7:18
[7] Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 2, pp. 18-19
[8] On Being Worthy, Ensign, May 1989, pp. 20-21
[9] Neither Boast of Faith Nor of Mighty Works, Ensign, May 1990, p. 65
[10] My Errand from the Lord, A Personal Study Guide for Melchizedek Priesthood Quorums 1976-77, pp. 154-55
[11] Hebrews 5:9, emphasis added
[12] Moroni 6:4, emphasis added
[13] Jon Meacham, Franklin and Winston, pp. 120-121, emphasis added
[14] 1 Nephi 11:1
[15] Enos 1:3