Life is short and it sucks sometimes but go be happy --Grey's Anatomy

Okay now it's the part where everything get's better right!?

Things I've learned.

I was just reading my one and only journal from all my high school years.  It's funny to look back and read all the crazy things I was stressed over.  From my first date to hoping that people would show up to my sweet 16. It's amazing how much you forget and take for granted.  This year is half over and I only have a couple more months of high school left.  Seniorites is the worst.  I never go to school and that's kind of a bad thing cause I kind of need to if I don't want to repeat my senior year.  Don't get me wrong this year has been amazing but I think I've been through it once and that's good enough for me.

 

The last couple years I've been through a lot.  There has been times where I thought my life was over.  I was thinking today about gymnastics the day it was over was the worst day of my life but it was the biggest turning point in my life.  I don't know where I'd be now if that hadn't been taken away from me

Surgery was the next big event in my life.  I remember everyone coming to visit me but it wasn't the surgery that impacted me the most it was when everything was over the cast was off and I was left to wonder what to do with my life.

Student Council came next.  It had a bitter sweet ending but it was an experience that you could not recreate.  The people I meant and the lessons I learned were amazing.

My sophomore year I meant one of the most amazing girl.  She was just what I needed and her and I's spontaneous adventures were the best.

 

Cheer was the next door that opened in my life.  I never thought in a million years that I would ever cheer it was a great experience for me and I loved it. I meant another amazing girl and I couldn't have gotten through the year without her. Not a day goes by that I don't miss it.

The day I had to quite cheer was my worst nightmare.  It was like a bad dream all over again.  I know that the night my coach told me to sleep on I didn't get any sleep.  There was so many times where I convinced myself I would be fine and almost changed my mind.  But the next day I had to go tell my team I was done.

 

I would say the next thing that happened was these three boys.  The day I quite cheer I came home and they were playing basketball in my backyard.  It seemed so normal.  They were exactly what I needed at that time.  I could be having the worst day and we would hang out and I wouldn't be able to stop laughing by the end of the night.

 

Football season I meant one of my best friends.  This girl is so like me I wonder where she's been my whole life.  We are almost the same person it's crazy and I'm so grateful for her.

 Football ended and a lot of other things with it.  Life got hard.  I had to have surgery again.  I started to see a lot of true colors come out.  But it was in this time and all the other hard times I went through that I learned the most about myself.

Right now my life is not ideal.  I struggle a lot with my elbow but I'm so grateful for it.  If I didn't have to quite gymnastic I would have never gone through any of this never meant any of these people.  So many amazing experience would have never happened.

For all of you who are struggling right now with why things are happening.  I promise you that so many great things will come out of it.  Things didn't change over night for me and it took a long time to accept different things but nothing happens for no reason there is a reason for everything.  If your life isn't going how you want it CHANGE! you have that power and only you.  Don't let anyone tell you how or what to do with your life.  But listen to your parents most of the time they know what there talking about.

You don't have to go through anything alone.  There were many times where I thought I was all on my own and no one would understand.  Sometimes people didn't know how I felt but just to have them to talk to was amazing. For me that person was my cousin.  We are two year apart and she has lived in california her whole life and i've lived in Utah that's been hard but it has brought us some much closer because we charish the time we have together.  If you don't feel like you have anyone talk to me.  I feel that I would have wasted so many experience if I couldn't turn around and help someone else.  You also have a father in heaven who loves you and is always there for you.

 

always ask yourself what door is opening? and well your finding that door it's okay to be upset but don't spend so much time feeling sorry for yourself that you miss an opportunity.  Never forget to smile!

Your Potential, Your Privileges

During high school I have never failed to surprise myself.  I have done many different things through the years.  My sophomore year Student Council was my thing.  I dedicated my time to that and it was good.  My junior year I cheered. It was wonderful it was the closest I had come to gymnastics and I'm so happy I did it.  This year, my senior year. I'm on student council again and I'm a sports med intern.  With these different activities has come different friends and different experiences.  I've been at the bottom of the food chain, the middle and the top.  If you would have asked me my sophomore year what I would be doing this year I'm positive I would not have come up with any of the things that have happened.  As I've tried almost everything in high school I've had many different experiences.  One of the things in particular I've dealt with this year is gossip, judging, and I guess you could go as far as to say bullying.  The first year and a half of high school I laid low I stayed in my comfort zone.  I had good friends I was content with who I was and was not about to cause any little uproar I wanted to keep as many people as I could happy with me.  There was nothing wrong with this and I don't regret any of it.  But about half way through my junior year I started to see all the things I could be doing if I would just step out of my comfort zone just a little bit.  I started talking to different people I stopped caring so much of what others thought of me and I put myself out there a little more everyday.  But as you start talking to more people more people know who you are.  More stories are made up about you and more rumors are spread.  When all this started happening at first I was able to turn the other way, ignore what was being said and I kept living my life the way I liked.  Things started to get worse friendships started to be destroyed my strong foundation was being chipped away.   I started to let everyone else affect my life.  I was letting what the world said about me affect me.  I knew this was happening and it was driving me crazy that I was not being myself.  Most people would say they would give anything to go back and do it all over again.  I could not disagree more because through all this I have had to learn to rely on my savior and my testimony more than ever.  I love this talk by President Uchtdorf  because it reminds me that I have a choice to make I can stay in the safety of my cabin and eat my beans and lemonade where I know nothing can hurt me or I can see what life has to offer for me I can taste of all the wonderful things and learn so much from it.  I might get hurt but I will be able to learn and strength myself so much more.  You all have that choice to make also.  I challenge you to enjoy life never wish away a moment because your waiting for something better make that moment what your wishing for.  Don't let anyone tell you who you are and where your going.  Make that decisions on your own and with the help of your father in heaven.  So many of you have amazing potential but you won't leave your box for fear of getting hurt.  We all make mistakes and we all fail sometimes but that is when we learn who we are and who we want to be.  And when all else fails go Pray.   

You are a Child of God.

"I've seen better days, but I've also seen worse.  I don't have everything that I want, but I do have all I need. I woke up with some aches and pains but I woke up.  My life may not be perfect but i am blessed."

I love this quote.  I'd like to share a little story with you.  For the past couple weeks of my life I have not been feeling the best, My elbow has been in constant pain, I felt like I had no friends, and I have been very overwhelmed with everything.  The problem was I was looking for someone else to step in and change my life.  No one else can change your life but you.  It's nice to have someone to talk to and you always do.  Prayer is an amazing thing.  We take it for granted sometimes.  Life gets hard and it's so easy to focus on the bad.  It's easy to blame others for things that are affecting you.  but in the end you are responsible for your own happiness.  Right now my life is not ideal.  I have a lot of decisions I need to be making soon but no one else can make those decisions for me.  I know that different things will get in the way of what I want to do but I need to be able to recognize it's only Satan trying to stop me from doing what is right.  I know that god has a plan for me.  I know that if I'm doing what is right he will guide me exactly where I'm suppose to be.  Put your trust in him and he will move mountains for you.  We have those rough patches in life.  I've hit one nothing goes your way it seems but those are the days we are being blessed the most and learning the most.  Hang in there.  There is always someone on top cheering you on waiting anxiously for the day you get to return to him.  For now change those bad days into good.  Share your light with someone else who might be struggling.  Always remember you are a child of the most high god. 

Special Needs Seminary

This semester I was blessed to be in Special Needs Seminary.  It was the one of the best experiences and blessing in my life.  I could be having one of the worst days and I would go to seminary and those kids would make me feel so good about myself and teach me so much about what truly matters in life.  I have had many amazing days in this class and I wish I would have done better at writing them down but I would like to share one with you.  On the last day we were writing in our journals.  Our teacher would always give us a little glue in with a question on it we were suppose to answer, the question this last day's was How do I feel about my savior Jesus Christ?  After we had finished this he asked us to share what we had written.  As we went around the room all the answers were amazing and so positive and it was so great to sit back and reflex on all the things the Savior has done for us.  As we went around one of the Special Needs girls answer really stuck with me.  She said I feel good about my savior because he loves me.  I don't know why that hit me so hard but I was in tears in the middle of seminary.  As I thought through the rest of the day why that impacted me so much I could never really figure out.  But it was one of those things that was said at the most perfect time.  These last couple weeks have not been the highlight of my life and at times I have forgot that I have a Savior that loves me.  Never forget someone is always there for you.  Remember the words spoken from one of the most special of gods you children.  "I feel good about my savior because he loves me" Something as simple as that can change your attitude right around.    I challenge all of you today to reflected on the question. How do you feel about your Savior Jesus Christ?

Mistakes

We all make mistakes and most of the time the hardest part is forgiving yourself for that mistake. High school is a learning experience and most of the time were learning. Now comes the hard part forgiving yourself for that mistake. The worst is when you can blame everyone else but in the end you were blind to see what was going on right in front of you but all you can do is forgive and forget. If only it was that easy! The worst part is when you really thought you knew people better than that. Completely blind sided!

Women's Pull

This summer on trek we had a women's pull.  it was up possibly the steepest and rockiest hill of the entire trek.  From the beginning we had planned to help each other by pulling one cart up the hill and then going back down and getting another cart.  right before we set off on our journey we learned we couldn't do that.  That meant myself, a twelve year old girl, a girl with a broken foot, and our ma who had been on bed rest for quite sometime and had just recently been cleared from it would have to pull our cart up the steep and rocky hill.  We watched as group after group started to tackle the hill.  some struggling more than others.  the time arrived and it was our groups turn to start our journey.  the first part was flat ground i didn't take it as a good sign when we could barley move then.  the river part came next as we started across the river we hit our first rock we were stuck.  at that moment i became so frustrated.  i thought of myself as a strong girl i knew i had most of the load of my cart and was disappointed i could not complete this task by myself.  well we were stuck in the river we had to ask for help from other women who were not assigned to a cart.  will there help we got out of the river.  we then thanked them and asked that they no longer help us.  after that we started up the steepest part of the hill.  big rocks were sticking out everywhere and in my mind i was thinking i would even want to do this a four wheeler.  we tried and tried again but by ourselves we could not make it up this hill.  again we had to ask for help.  by this time i was very upset.  i wonder why i could not complete this task by myself.  the rest of the hill we had to have help from the others and even some "angels."  we reached the top of the hill and i burst into tears.  most people were crying but not for the reason i was.  in all my pain i was mad at myself.  i still did not understand how i had not been able to pull a cart that weight two to three times more than me up a rocky hill.  i know i was not thinking clearly the odds were clearly not in my favor.  i continued with this attitude for the next couple hours. many tears were shed and finally i forgot about it. 

I share this with you not to make me frustrated again as the story sometimes does, but as i look back on this experience it has more meaning to it then to show how much stronger girls are than boys(: In our lives we are constantly falling down mountains and climbing back up.  if you are like me you get frustrated when you can't do it all on your own and you have to ask for help.  In reality we weren't put on this earth by ourselves so we could accomplish everything by ourselves and then be able to return to live with him.  Resources have been put on this earth for us to use and utilize.  Other people have been put on this earth to help us.  I will be the first to raise my hand and say i hate admitting i can't do it alone.  But we weren't designed to be able to do it all by ourselves.  i will also admit that we have those days when it feels like we are completely alone.  but we aren't.  there might not be anyone who you can physically see and talk to but you do have a heavenly father who is always there no matter what!

That women's pull was not a mistake it didn't happen on accident and i wasn't put in the position i was put in on accident.  it was there to teach me something.  What mountain do you feel like your trying to climb right now? What people are being placed on your path to help you pull your cart? What experience are you having so you can help someone else?  What people are being put there to distract you and try to make it so you take the harder path?  Life is tough.  We all have bad days.  But if we can only push(pull) up the mountain the rewards are unimaginable. and never ever forget you are loved. someone always cares.

I'm sick of it! Just be Nice!

I sit here and listen to the world. The government with the constant battle between democrats and republicans. At school the constant drama, gossip, and people that think they are above everything. When It comes down to everything I'm just an 18 year old girl. I haven't lived that long and I don't know everything. But if everyone could just stop for a second and look around at themselves and then look at the people around them. We are constantly putting others down to make ourselves feel better. Are we ever thinking of others? When was the last time you did something and thought of how it would affect the people around you and not just yourself? I know what I'm asking for is close to impossible. But I just wish we could stop thinking of ourselves all the time! Up until the last couple weeks I would be right there with the world. Me, myself, and I. I'm not saying I'm perfect and that I'm not guilty of this every once and a while. But everyone please! Think before you speak! Think before you act! Please just take a moment and THINK! So many people have amazing potential! But most of these people never accomplish anything because a select few people tell them they aren't good enough, make choices and not think how it will affect others, in the end people are just rude. I'm pleading with my small audience to please pass this along! The world is headed in a horrible direction! Days are becoming short! People are suffering that don't need to be! Please just be nicer! Smile more. Enjoy more. Laugh more. Reach out more. Think more. And never ever forget to let the ones you love know you love them!

Of Regrets and Resolutions

Another amazing conference talk! This is a great one especially for the New Year!

Of Regrets and Resolutions
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets.
Of Regrets
President Monson, we love you. Thank you for the inspired and historic announcement on the building of new temples and missionary service. Because of them, I'm sure great blessings will come to us and to many future generations.
My dear brothers and sisters, my dear friends! We are all mortal. I hope this does not come as a surprise to anyone.
None of us will be on earth very long. We have a number of precious years which, in the eternal perspective, barely amount to the blink of an eye.
And then we depart. Our spirits "are taken home to that God who gave [us] life."1 We lay our bodies down and leave behind the things of this world as we move to the next realm of our existence.
When we are young, it seems that we will live forever. We think there is a limitless supply of sunrises waiting just beyond the horizon, and the future looks to us like an unbroken road stretching endlessly before us.
However, the older we get, the more we tend to look back and marvel at how short that road really is. We wonder how the years could have passed so quickly. And we begin to think about the choices we made and the things we have done. In the process, we remember many sweet moments that give warmth to our souls and joy to our hearts. But we also remember the regrets--the things we wish we could go back and change.
A nurse who cares for the terminally ill says that she has often asked a simple question of her patients as they prepared to depart this life.
"Do you have any regrets?" she would ask.2
Being so close to that final day of mortality often gives clarity to thought and provides insight and perspective. So when these people were asked about their regrets, they opened their hearts. They reflected about what they would change if only they could turn back the clock.
As I considered what they had said, it struck me how the foundational principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ can affect our life's direction for good, if only we will apply them.
There is nothing mysterious about the principles of the gospel. We have studied them in the scriptures, we have discussed them in Sunday School, and we have heard them from the pulpit many times. These divine principles and values are straightforward and clear; they are beautiful, profound, and powerful; and they can definitely help us to avoid future regrets.
I Wish I Had Spent More Time with the People I Love
Perhaps the most universal regret dying patients expressed was that they wished they had spent more time with the people they love.
Men in particular sang this universal lament: they "deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the [daily] treadmill of … work."3 Many had lost out on choice memories that come from spending time with family and friends. They missed developing a deep connection with those who meant the most to them.
Isn't it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.
Is it?
I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.
I can't see it.
Instead I see the compassionate and caring Son of God purposefully living each day. When He interacted with those around Him, they felt important and loved. He knew the infinite value of the people He met. He blessed them, ministered to them. He lifted them up, healed them. He gave them the precious gift of His time.
In our day it is easy to merely pretend to spend time with others. With the click of a mouse, we can "connect" with thousands of "friends" without ever having to face a single one of them. Technology can be a wonderful thing, and it is very useful when we cannot be near our loved ones. My wife and I live far away from precious family members; we know how that is. However, I believe that we are not headed in the right direction, individually and as a society, when we connect with family or friends mostly by reposting humorous pictures, forwarding trivial things, or linking our loved ones to sites on the Internet. I suppose there is a place for this kind of activity, but how much time are we willing to spend on it? If we fail to give our best personal self and undivided time to those who are truly important to us, one day we will regret it.
Let us resolve to cherish those we love by spending meaningful time with them, doing things together, and cultivating treasured memories.
I Wish I Had Lived Up to My Potential
Another regret people expressed was that they failed to become the person they felt they could and should have been. When they looked back on their lives, they realized that they never lived up to their potential, that too many songs remained unsung.
I am not speaking here of climbing the ladder of success in our various professions. That ladder, no matter how lofty it may appear on this earth, barely amounts to a single step in the great eternal journey awaiting us.
Rather, I am speaking of becoming the person God, our Heavenly Father, intended us to be.
We arrive in this world, as the poet said, "trailing clouds of glory"4 from the premortal sphere.
Our Heavenly Father sees our real potential. He knows things about us that we do not know ourselves. He prompts us during our lifetime to fulfill the measure of our creation, to live a good life, and to return to His presence.
Why, then, do we devote so much of our time and energy to things that are so fleeting, so inconsequential, and so superficial? Do we refuse to see the folly in the pursuit of the trivial and transient?
Would it not be wiser for us to "lay up for [ourselves] treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal"?5
How do we do this? By following the example of the Savior, by incorporating His teachings in our daily lives, by truly loving God and our fellowman.
We certainly cannot do this with a dragging-our-feet, staring-at-our-watch, complaining-as-we-go approach to discipleship.
When it comes to living the gospel, we should not be like the boy who dipped his toe in the water and then claimed he went swimming. As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so much more. For that, good intentions are not enough. We must do. Even more important, we must become what Heavenly Father wants us to be.
Declaring our testimony of the gospel is good, but being a living example of the restored gospel is better. Wishing to be more faithful to our covenants is good; actually being faithful to sacred covenants--including living a virtuous life, paying our tithes and offerings, keeping the Word of Wisdom, and serving those in need--is much better. Announcing that we will dedicate more time for family prayer, scripture study, and wholesome family activities is good; but actually doing all these things steadily will bring heavenly blessings to our lives.
Discipleship is the pursuit of holiness and happiness. It is the path to our best and happiest self.
Let us resolve to follow the Savior and work with diligence to become the person we were designed to become. Let us listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. As we do so, Heavenly Father will reveal to us things we never knew about ourselves. He will illuminate the path ahead and open our eyes to see our unknown and perhaps unimagined talents.
The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets. The more we rely on the Savior's grace, the more we will feel that we are on the track our Father in Heaven has intended for us.
I Wish I Had Let Myself Be Happier
Another regret of those who knew they were dying may be somewhat surprising. They wished they had let themselves be happier.
So often we get caught up in the illusion that there is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a better family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a challenging trial.
The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don't really matter or determine our happiness.
We do matter.We determine our happiness.
You and I are ultimately in charge of our own happiness.
My wife, Harriet, and I love riding our bicycles. It is wonderful to get out and enjoy the beauties of nature. We have certain routes we like to bike, but we don't pay too much attention to how far we go or how fast we travel in comparison with other riders.
However, occasionally I think we should be a bit more competitive. I even think we could get a better time or ride at a higher speed if only we pushed ourselves a little more. And then sometimes I even make the big mistake of mentioning this idea to my wonderful wife.
Her typical reaction to my suggestions of this nature is always very kind, very clear, and very direct. She smiles and says, "Dieter, it's not a race; it's a journey. Enjoy the moment."
How right she is!
Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey. I don't go cycling with my wife because I'm excited about finishing. I go because the experience of being with her is sweet and enjoyable.
Doesn't it seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because we are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end?
Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition.
Do we say our prayers with only the "amen" or the end in mind? Of course not. We pray to be close to our Heavenly Father, to receive His Spirit and feel His love.
We shouldn't wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available--all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. "This is the day which the Lord hath made … ," the Psalmist wrote. "Rejoice and be glad in it."6
Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it.
Perhaps we should be looking less with our eyes and more with our hearts. I love the quote: "One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes."7
We are commanded "to give thanks in all things."8 So isn't it better to see with our eyes and hearts even the small things we can be thankful for, rather than magnifying the negative in our current condition?
The Lord has promised, "He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold."9
Brothers and sisters, with the bountiful blessings of our Heavenly Father, His generous plan of salvation, the supernal truths of the restored gospel, and the many beauties of this mortal journey, "have we not reason to rejoice?"10
Let us resolve to be happy, regardless of our circumstances.
Of Resolutions
One day we will take that unavoidable step and cross from this mortal sphere into the next estate. One day we will look back at our lives and wonder if we could have been better, made better decisions, or used our time more wisely.
To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would be wise to make some resolutions today. Therefore, let us:
•Resolve to spend more time with those we love.
•Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be.
•Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances.
It is my testimony that many of the deepest regrets of tomorrow can be prevented by following the Savior today. If we have sinned or made mistakes--if we have made choices that we now regret--there is the precious gift of Christ's Atonement, through which we can be forgiven. We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret11 and remove the burden of our sins.12 His Atonement allows us to leave the past behind and move forward with clean hands, a pure heart,13 and a determination to do better and especially to become better.
Yes, this life is passing swiftly; our days seem to fade quickly; and death appears frightening at times. Nevertheless, our spirit will continue to live and will one day be united with our resurrected body to receive immortal glory. I bear solemn witness that because of the merciful Christ, we will all live again and forever. Because of our Savior and Redeemer, one day we will truly understand and rejoice in the meaning of the words "the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ."14
The path toward fulfilling our divine destiny as sons and daughters of God is an eternal one. My dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, we must begin to walk that eternal path today; we cannot take for granted one single day. I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

See others as they may become.

Amazing talk by President Monson in the October 2012 priesthood session. It was given to the priesthood but I found it amazing for women also!

See Others as They May Become
President Thomas S. Monson

We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become.
My dear brethren, twice each year this magnificent Conference Center is filled to capacity with the priesthood of God as we gather to hear messages of inspiration. There is a marvelous spirit which permeates the general priesthood meeting of the Church. This spirit emanates from the Conference Center and enters every building where the sons of God assemble. We have surely felt that spirit tonight.
Some years ago, before this beautiful Conference Center was built, a visitor to Temple Square in Salt Lake City attended a general conference session in the Tabernacle. He listened to the messages of the Brethren. He paid attention to the prayers. He heard the beautiful music by the Tabernacle Choir. He marveled at the grandeur of the magnificent Tabernacle organ. When the meeting had ended he was heard to say, "I would give everything I possess if I knew that what those speakers said today was true." In essence he was saying, "I wish that I had a testimony of the gospel."
There is absolutely nothing in this world that will provide more comfort and happiness than a testimony of the truth. Although to varying degrees, I believe every man or young man here tonight has a testimony. If you feel that you do not yet have the depth of testimony you would wish, I admonish you to work to achieve such a testimony. If it is strong and deep, labor to keep it that way. How blessed we are to have a knowledge of the truth.
My message tonight, brethren, is that there are countless individuals who have little or no testimony right now, those who could and would receive such a testimony if we would be willing to make the effort to share ours and to help them change. In some instances we can provide the incentive for change. I mention first those who are members but who are not at present fully committed to the gospel.
Many years ago, at an area conference held in Helsinki, Finland, I heard a powerful, memorable, and motivating message given in a mothers and daughters' session. I have not forgotten that message, though nearly 40 years have passed since I heard it. Among many truths the speaker discussed, she said that a woman needs to be told she is beautiful. She needs to be told she is valued. She needs to be told she is worthwhile.
Brethren, I know that men are very much like women in this regard. We need to be told that we amount to something, that we are capable and worthwhile. We need to be given a chance to serve. For those members who have slipped from activity or who hold back and remain noncommittal, we can prayerfully seek for some way to reach them. Asking them to serve in some capacity may just be the incentive they need to return to full activity. But those leaders who could help in this regard are sometimes reluctant to do so. We need to bear in mind that people can change. They can put behind them bad habits. They can repent from transgressions. They can bear the priesthood worthily. And they can serve the Lord diligently. May I provide a few illustrations.
When I first became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, I had the opportunity to accompany President N. Eldon Tanner, a counselor to President David O. McKay, to a stake conference in Alberta, Canada. During the meeting, the stake president read the names of four brethren who had qualified to be ordained elders. These were men whom President Tanner knew, for at one time he had lived in that area. But President Tanner knew and remembered them as they once were and did not know that they had turned their lives around and had fully qualified to become elders.
The stake president read the name of the first man and asked him to stand. President Tanner whispered to me, "Look at him. I never thought he would make it." The stake president read the name of the second man, and he stood. President Tanner nudged me again and reported his astonishment. And so it was with all four of the brethren.
After the meeting, President Tanner and I had the opportunity to congratulate these four brethren. They had demonstrated that men can change.
During the 1940s and 1950s, an American prison warden, Clinton Duffy, was well known for his efforts to rehabilitate the men in his prison. Said one critic, "You should know that leopards don't change their spots!"
Replied Warden Duffy, "You should know I don't work with leopards. I work with men, and men change every day."1
Many years ago it was my opportunity to serve as president of the Canadian Mission. There we had a branch with very limited priesthood. We always had a missionary presiding over the branch. I received a strong impression that we needed to have a member of the branch preside there.
We had one adult member in the branch who was a deacon in the Aaronic Priesthood but who didn't attend or participate enough to be advanced in the priesthood. I felt inspired to call him as the branch president. I shall always remember the day that I had an interview with him. I told him that the Lord had inspired me to call him to be the president of the branch. After much protest on his part, and much encouragement on the part of his wife, he indicated that he would serve. I ordained him a priest.
It was the beginning of a new day for that man. His life was quickly put in order, and he assured me that he would live the commandments as he was expected to live them. In a few months he was ordained an elder. He and his wife and family eventually went to the temple and were sealed. Their children served missions and married in the house of the Lord.
Sometimes letting our brethren know they are needed and valued can help them take that step into commitment and full activity. This can be true of priesthood holders regardless of age. It is our responsibility to give them opportunities to live as they should. We can help them to overcome their shortcomings. We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become when they receive testimonies of the gospel of Christ.
I once attended a meeting in Leadville, Colorado. Leadville is situated at an altitude of over 10,000 feet (3,000 m). I remember that particular meeting because of the high altitude, but I also remember it for what took place that evening. There were just a small number of priesthood holders present. As with the branch in the Canadian Mission, that branch was presided over by a missionary and always had been.
That night we had a lovely meeting, but as we were singing the closing song, the inspiration came to me that there ought to be a local branch president presiding. I turned to the mission president and asked, "Isn't there someone here who could preside--a local man?"
He replied, "I don't know of one."
During the singing of that song, I looked carefully at the men who were seated on the first three rows. My attention seemed to be focused on one of the brethren. I said to the mission president, "Could he serve as the branch president?"
He replied, "I don't know. Perhaps he could."
I said, "President, I'll take him into the other room and interview him. You speak after the closing song until we return."
When the two of us walked back in the room, the mission president concluded his testimony. I presented the name of the brother to be the new branch president. From that day forward, Leadville, Colorado, had a local member leading the unit there.
The same principle, brethren, applies to those who are not yet members. We should develop the capacity to see men not as they are but as they can become when they are members of the Church, when they have a testimony of the gospel, and when their lives are in harmony with its teachings.
Back in the year 1961, a worldwide conference was held for mission presidents, and every mission president in the Church was brought to Salt Lake City for those meetings. I came to Salt Lake City from my mission in Toronto, Canada.
In one particular meeting, N. Eldon Tanner, who was then an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve, had just returned from his initial experience of presiding over the missions in Great Britain and western Europe. He told of a missionary who had been the most successful missionary whom he had met in all of the interviews he had conducted. He said that as he interviewed that missionary, he said to him, "I suppose that all of the people whom you baptized came into the Church by way of referrals."
The young man answered, "No, we found them all by tracting."
Brother Tanner asked him what was different about his approach--why he had such phenomenal success when others didn't. The young man said that he attempted to baptize every person whom he met. He said that if he knocked on the door and saw a man smoking a cigar and dressed in old clothes and seemingly uninterested in anything--particularly religion--the missionary would picture in his own mind what that man would look like under a different set of circumstances. In his mind he would look at him as clean-shaven and wearing a white shirt and white trousers. And the missionary could see himself leading that man into the waters of baptism. He said, "When I look at someone that way, I have the capacity to bear my testimony to him in a way that can touch his heart."
We have the responsibility to look at our friends, our associates, our neighbors this way. Again, we have the responsibility to see individuals not as they are but rather as they can become. I would plead with you to think of them in this way.
Brethren, the Lord told us something about the importance of this priesthood that we hold. He told us that we receive it with an oath and a covenant. He gave unto us the instruction that we must be faithful and true in all that we receive, and that we have the responsibility to keep this covenant even unto the end. And then all that the Father has shall be given unto us.2
Courage is the word we need to hear and hold near our hearts--courage to turn our backs on temptation, courage to lift up our voices in testimony to all whom we meet, remembering that everyone must have an opportunity to hear the message. It is not an easy thing for most to do this. But we can come to believe in the words of Paul to Timothy:
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
"Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord."3
In May of 1974, I was with Brother John H. Groberg in the Tongan islands. We had an appointment to visit the king of Tonga, and we met with him in a formal session. We exchanged the normal pleasantries. However, before we left, John Groberg said something that was out of the ordinary. He said, "Your Majesty, you should really become a Mormon and your subjects as well, for then your problems and their problems would largely be solved."
The king smiled broadly and answered, "John Groberg, perhaps you're right."
I thought of the Apostle Paul before Agrippa. I thought of Agrippa's response to Paul's testimony: "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."4 Brother Groberg had the courage to bear his testimony to a king.
Tonight there are many thousands of our number who are serving the Lord full-time as His missionaries. In response to a call, they have left behind home, family, friends, and school and have gone forward to serve. Those who don't understand ask the question, "Why do they respond so readily and willingly give so much?"
Our missionaries could well answer in the words of Paul, that peerless missionary of an earlier day: "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!"5
The holy scriptures contain no proclamation more relevant, no responsibility more binding, no instruction more direct than the injunction given by the resurrected Lord as He appeared in Galilee to the eleven disciples. Said He:
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."6
This divine command, coupled with its glorious promise, is our watchword today, as it was in the meridian of time. Missionary work is an identifying feature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Always has it been; ever shall it be. As the Prophet Joseph Smith declared, "After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel."7
Within two short years, all of the full-time missionaries currently serving in this royal army of God will have concluded their full-time labors and will have returned to their homes and loved ones. Their replacements are found tonight in the ranks of the Aaronic Priesthood of the Church. Young men, are you ready to respond? Are you willing to work? Are you prepared to serve?
President John Taylor summed up the requirements: "The kind of men we want as bearers of this gospel message are men who have faith in God; men who have faith in their religion; men who honor their priesthood; … men full of the Holy Ghost and the power of God[;] … men of honor, integrity, virtue and purity."8
Brethren, to each of us comes the mandate to share the gospel of Christ. When our lives comply with God's own standard, those within our sphere of influence will never speak the lament, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."9
The perfect Shepherd of souls, the missionary who redeemed mankind, gave us His divine assurance:
"If it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!
"And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!"10
Of Him who spoke these words, I declare my personal witness. He is the Son of God, our Redeemer, and our Savior.
I pray that we will have the courage to extend the hand of fellowship, the tenacity to try and try again, and the humility needed to seek guidance from our Father as we fulfill our mandate to share the gospel. The responsibility is upon us, brethren. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.