The Book of Matthew in the New Testament records: After six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here.
To you young adults assembled this evening in the Marriott Center and to you receiving this program by way of satellite transmission, I echo the same words: Lord, it is good for us to be here. I pray for the inspiration of the Lord to be with me and with you.
While some of you are married, I believe the majority have not yet taken that step. Some of you may need a little extra encouragement.
Many years ago I served as a mission president. I had 450 of the most marvelous missionaries who ever served the Lord. After returning home, my dear wife and I were a little surprised one evening as we ran a tally on our missionaries, to find that there were some missionaries who had not as yet found that special someone. We determined we would try to do something to help. I said to Sister Monson, "Frances, let's invite three or four of our lovely lady missionaries over to the home and let's plan an activity where they can tell us who of all the single returned male missionaries they would like to have invited to a little fireside in our home. Then we will show pictures of the mission, and we will arrange the seating so that they can become better acquainted with one another." I might say that the four girls whom we invited eagerly responded to the challenge.
In shoe boxes we maintained individual 5x7 photographs of every missionary. We had four such boxes, with over a hundred missionary pictures in each. As those four girls sat around our living room, I said to them, "Here is a gift. Each of you thumb through a box of pictures and tell me which of all the pictures represents the young man whom you would most like to have invited to come to this fireside." My, that was an interesting scene. I think that the only way I could adequately describe it is to ask a question. Have you ever seen children on Christmas morning? We went forward and invited four young men to join these four young ladies in our home, and we had a glorious evening. At the conclusion of the evening, I noticed two of them slowly walking down our driveway, and I said to Sister Monson, "This looks promising." They were walking very close together.
It wasn't long after that when I received a telephone call from the young man. He said, "President Monson, do you remember that I promised you that if I ever fell in love I would let you know?"
I said, "Yes, sir."
He said, "President, I have fallen in love."
I said, "Good, with whom?"
He said, "You'll never guess in all this world."
I was discreet. I didn't guess. I said, "You tell me." And he named the lady missionary with whom he walked side by side and hand in hand from our party that evening. Today this fine couple is happily married. They have five children and six grandchildren and are diligently serving the Lord.
We live in a changing world. Technology has altered almost every vocation: farming, engineering, architecture, medicine, teaching, businessto name but a few. We must cope with these advanceseven these cataclysmic changesin a world our parents and grandparents never dreamed of and on a playing field we can scarcely comprehend. Amidst the confusion of our age, the conflicts of conscience and the turmoil of daily living, an abiding faith becomes an anchor in our lives. In todays world some young people dont know who they are and what they can be or even want to be. They are afraid, but they dont know of what. They are angry, but they dont know at whom. They are rejected, and they dont know why.
A gentle nudge reminds us that there will be intense competition in the workplace of tomorrow. Remember the promise of the Lord: If ye are prepared ye shall not fear. Fear is a deadly enemy of progress. Our journey into the future will not be a smooth highway which stretches from here to eternity. Rather, there will be forks and turnings in the road, to say nothing of the unanticipated bumps. Pray daily to a loving Heavenly Father who wants you to succeed in life. In so doing, remember the advice given years ago by LaVern Watts Parmley, a former General President of the Primary Association: We cannot ask God to guide our footsteps if we are not willing to move our feet.
We know where we want to go. Do we have the resolutioneven the faithto get there? President N. Eldon Tanner answered this question in his own mind when he declared: I would rather walk barefoot from here to the Celestial Kingdom. . .than to let the things of this world keep me out.
A favorite poem of mine gives to each of us the challenge:
Stick to your task til it sticks to you;
Beginners are many, but enders are few.
Honor, power, place and praise
Will come, in time, to the one who stays.
Stick to your task til it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it, too.
For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come lifes victories, after awhile.
Let us remember the advice from Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to they who endure unto the end. The Apostle Paul further counseled: They which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
In the private sanctuary of ones own conscience lies that spirit, that determination, to cast off the old person and to measure up to the stature of true potential. But the way is rugged, and the course is strenuous. So discovered John Helander from Goteborg, Sweden. John was a young adult. He had the same yearnings for the blessings of success as do all. But John is handicapped, in that it is difficult for him to coordinate his motions.
At an activity of young people in Kungsbacka, Sweden, John took part in an 800 meter running race. He had no chance to win. Rather, his was the possibility of being humiliated, mocked, derided, scorned. Perhaps John remembered another who lived long ago and far away. Wasnt He mocked? Wasnt He derided? Wasnt He scorned? But He prevailed. He won His race. Maybe John could win his.
What a race it was! Struggling, surging, pressing, the runners bolted far beyond John. There was wonderment among the spectators. Who is this runner who lags so far behind? The participants, on their second lap of this two-lap race, pass John while he is but halfway through the first lap. Tension mounts as the runners press toward the tape. Who will win? Who will place second? Then comes the final burst of speed; the tape is broken. The crowd cheers; the winner is proclaimed.
The race is overor is it? Who is this contestant who continues to run when the race is ended? He crosses the finish line on but his first lap. Doesnt he know he has lost? Ever onward he struggles, the only participant now on the track. This is his race. This must be his victory. No one among the vast throng of spectators leaves. Every eye is on this valiant runner. He makes the final turn and moves toward the finish line. There is awe; there is admiration. Every spectator sees himself running his own race of life. As John approaches the finish line, the audience, as one, rises to its feet. There is a loud applause of acclaim. Stumbling, falling, exhausted but victorious, John Helander breaks the newly tightened tape. Officials are human beings, too. The cheering echoes for miles. And just maybe, if the ear is carefully attuned, that Great Scorekeepereven the Lordcan be heard to say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
Each of us is a runner in the race of life. Comforting is the fact that there are many runners. Reassuring is the knowledge that our Eternal Scorekeeper is understanding. Challenging is the truth that each must run. But you and I do not run alone. We take confidence from the hymn:
Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
Ill strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
Ill never, no never, no never forsake.
Let us shed any thought of failure. Let us discard any habit or trait that may hinder. Let us seek; let us obtain the prize prepared for alleven exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom of God.
Norman Cousins wrote: No man need fear death; he need fear only that he may die without having known his greatest power-the power of his free will to give of his life to others. If something comes to life in others because of you, then you have made an approach to immortality.
He who conquered death and atoned for the sins of the world, even Jesus Christ, invited each of us to follow His divine example. Follow me became His kind instruction. Come, learn of me, was His personal invitation to the learning that lasts beyond life and which endures through eternity.
Where money, rather than morality, dictates ones actions, one is inclined away from God. Turning away from God brings broken covenants, shattered dreams, crushed hopes and wrecked lives. Such a quagmire of quicksand I plead with you to avoid. You are of a noble birthright. Eternal life in the kingdom of our Father is your goal.
Such a goal is not achieved in one glorious attempt; rather, it is the result of a lifetime of righteousness, an accumulation of wise choiceseven a constancy of purpose.
There is a fable told about Euclid and Pharaoh and geometry. It is said that Pharaoh, entranced by some of the explanations and demonstrations of Euclid, wished to learn geometry, and Euclid undertook to teach him. He studied for a brief period and then called in Euclid and said that the process was too slow for him. He was Pharaohthere must be a shorter road! He did not want to spend all his time to learn geometry. Then Euclid gave voice to a great principle. He said, Your majesty, there is no royal road to geometry!
There is no royal road to salvation and exaltation. There is no royal road to success in any endeavor.
The Book of Mormon provides a road map for our safe journey: It came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.
Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.
In the unique manner of Jesus, He frequently taught in parables, that His listeners might more readily understand. He, being known as the carpenters son, emphasized that a house divided against itself shall not stand. He likened those who do not keep His commandments to a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. However, those who hear His words and follow them He likened unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Allied with such counsel is the word of the Lord found in the 88th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants: Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.
What a magnificent blueprint for you and for me when we remember the counsel of Paul to the Corinthians: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Some counsel to assist us comes from a variety of sources. Let me name but a few. From the Lerner and Lowe musical, CAMELOT, is the classic line: We must not let our passions destroy our dreams. From the same musical but in a separate setting, Compassion is not weakness, and violence is not strength.
From Alma: Wickedness never was happiness.
From Paul to Timothy: Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
From the modern-day prophetsPresident David O. McKay: First the thought, then the action. Control your thoughts, and you control your actions. And from President Gordon B. Hinckley: The voice of modern revelation speaks a promisean unmatched promise that follows a simple commandment. Here is the commandment: Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly. And here is the promise: Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God.
From Tennysons Sir Galahad: My strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure.
From John Ruskin, the British essayist: Wherefore, when we build let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight, nor for present use alone; let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for, and let us think as we lay stone on stone that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred, because our hands have touched them; and men will say, as they look upon the labour and wrought substances of them: See, this our fathers did for us."
In a survey which was made in selected wards and stakes of the Church, we learned a most significant fact. Those persons whose friends married in the temple usually married in the temple, while those persons whose friends did not marry in the temple usually did not marry in the temple. The influence of ones friends appeared to be a more dominant factor than parental urging, classroom instruction or proximity to a temple.
We tend to become like those whom we admire. Just as in Nathaniel Hawthornes classic account, THE GREAT STONE FACE, we adopt the mannerisms, the attitudeseven the conduct of those whom we admire, and they are usually our friends. Do not associate with those who are planning for temporary convenience, shallow goals or narrow ambition; rather, associate with those who are striving for those things that matter mosteven eternal objectives. In Alexander Popes classic poem, he portrays the cunning of the Adversary:
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
A popular song from an earlier time gives a lighter touch to the subject:
Youve got to accentuate the positive,
Eliminate the negative,
Latch on to the affirmative,
And dont mess with Mr. In-between.
This is your day of decision. Think, ponder and pray about the decisions in your life. Very few are trivial. Most of them have far-reaching consequences. One has said, The door of history turns on small hinges, and so do peoples lives.
At times, discouragement can sweep over us, cloud our vision or stifle our efforts. Such can be overcome when we do not take counsel from our fears. Let us look outward into the lives of those who need our help and look upward for the direction to provide such help.
Elder Richard L. Evans counseled young men and young women: We who are young should never become so blindly absorbed in our own pursuits as to forget that there are still with us those who will live in loneliness unless we let them share our lives. . . .We cannot bring them back the morning hours of youth. But we can help them live in the warm glow of a sunset made more beautiful by our thoughtfulness, by our provision and by our active and unfeigned love. Life in its fulness is a loving ministry of service from generation to generation.
A righteous and faithful patriarch in Shreveport, Louisiana, passed to his eternal reward just over a year ago. He gave many hundreds of patriarchal blessings to young men and young women to guide them through mortality and beyond. May I close this evening with his story.
Many years ago, President Spencer W. Kimball shared with President Gordon B. Hinckley, Elder Bruce R. McConkie, and me an experience he had in the appointment of a patriarch for the Shreveport Louisiana Stake of the Church. President Kimball described how he interviewed, how he searched, and how he prayed, that he might learn the Lord's will concerning the selection. For some reason, none of the suggested candidates was the man for this assignment at this particular time.
The day wore on. The evening meetings began. Suddenly President Kimball turned to the stake president and asked him to identify a particular man seated perhaps two-thirds of the way back from the front of the chapel. The stake president replied that the individual was James Womack, whereupon President Kimball said, "He is the man the Lord has selected to be your stake patriarch. Please have him meet with me in the high council room following the meeting.
Stake president Charles Cagle was startled, for James Womack did not wear the label of a typical man. He had sustained terrible injuries while in combat during World War II. He lost both hands and one arm, as well as most of his eyesight and part of his hearing. Nobody had wanted to let him in law school when he returned, yet he finished third in his class at Louisiana State University. James Womack simply refused to wear the label "Handicapped."
That evening as President Kimball met with Brother Womack and informed him that the Lord had designated him to be the patriarch, there was a protracted silence in the room. Then Brother Womack said, "Brother Kimball, it is my understanding that a patriarch is to place his hands on the head of the person he blesses. As you can see, I have no hands to place on the head of anyone."
Brother Kimball, in his kind and patient manner, invited Brother Womack to make his way to the back of the chair on which Brother Kimball was seated. He then said, "Now, Brother Womack, lean forward and see if the stumps of your arms will reach the top of my head." To Brother Womack's joy, they touched Brother Kimball, and the exclamation came forth, "I can reach you! I can reach you!
"Of course you can reach me," responded Brother Kimball. "And if you can reach me, you can reach any whom you bless. I will be the shortest person you will ever have seated before you."
President Kimball reported to us that when the name of James Womack was presented to the stake conference, "the hands of the members shot heavenward in an enthusiastic vote of approval."
Whom God calls, God qualifies.
Tonight I include one and all who comprise the audience for this fireside, wherever you may be, in a sincere prayer that we may:
Know what we should know;
Do what we should do;
Be what we should be.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
N O T E S
