I am grateful for the opportunity and sacred privilege I have to share this time and some thoughts for your consideration on this day.
I appreciate the beautiful song performed today by my wonderful students. What a privilege it is to work with them, and to feel of their spirits. The text by Robert Lowry has special meaning for me:
"My life flows on in endless song
Above earth's lamentation
I hear the sweet, tho' far-off hymn
That hails a new creation
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear the music ringing
It finds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?
What tho' my joys and comfort die?
The Lord my Saviour liveth
What tho' the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night He giveth
No storm can shake my inmost calm
While to that Rock I'm clinging
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?
I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin
I see the blue above it
And day by day this pathway smooths
Since first I learned to love it
The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart
A fountain ever springing
All things are mine since I am His
How can I keep from singing?"
Having had the privilege of being a singer for as long as I can remember, I have had the opportunity to bear testimony through song many times, in locations all over the world, in circumstances both humble and magnificent. It has given me a great deal of joy. The text of this song has left an imprint in my heart and mind that is reminiscent of my life with music.
One of the other great joys in my life has been working with wonderful students such as those you have heard today. We have worked hard together, and have laughed and cried together.
Striving to be an artist of any kind is a creative process akin to giving birth. Your heart and souls are invested in these processes, and there is a great deal of risk involved as to whether or not others will appreciate what you have to offer. I personally have sometimes failed, and at other times experienced wonderful successes. It can sometimes be painful. In its fruition, it can be sublime. It is through the toil that we experience the opposition that in the end can bring us our "joy" . But I don't know of any performance or work of art that can be described as "perfect" . Artistic expression is an ongoing creation. It is only perfect in its present inception.
Today we will be talking about two very interesting gospel concepts: Joy and Perfection.
In 2 Nephi 2:25, we read:
"Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy" .
Christ admonishes the Nephites in 3 Nephi 12:48 when He says:
"Therefore, I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in Heaven is perfect."
Can joy and perfection exist simultaneously in this life? To get a clearer take on what this might mean to some of you students here today, I asked students in one of my classes to tell me what they thought of when they considered the words "joy" and "perfection" . I invite you to contemplate what these words might mean to you.
Here are their responses for the word: Joy
- Christmas
- Happiness
- Family
- No worries
- Achievement
- Smiles
- Laughing
- Contentment
- In the present
- Righteousness
- Singing ( I didn't pay them for this one..)
And their responses for the word: Perfection
- Christ
- Difficult
- Impossible
- Stress
- Atonement
- Achievement
- Hard work
- No sins
- Desirable
- Prideful
- Challenges
- Illusion
- Disappointment
So perfection is a pretty tall order. Joy feels much more attainable. I'd like to explore some thoughts that will hopefully provide a reconciliation between these two ideas, and would like to suggest that they can indeed be experienced simultaneously in this mortal world. Not only occasionally, but on an ongoing basis.
I love the scriptures that talk about joy. They are bright and cheerful and optimistic:
"Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full."
-John 15:11
"But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my
joy
is full, yea, my heart is brim with
joy
, and I will rejoice in my God."
-Alma 26:11
I try to imagine the hearts and minds of these gospel writers as they use the word "joy" . If I contrast it with the word "happiness" , they feel different to me. While happiness feels nice, joy fills my heart with warmth and feelings of abundance nigh unto overflowing. The ultimate "good feeling" emotion. I invite you to consider the feelings in your own heart as you contemplate this word.
Next, we consider the word: perfection. Have you heard the story about the bishop, who when giving a talk about this subject, asked the congregation to stand, and in turn asked all to remain standing who perceived themselves as perfect. One man remained standing, and when the bishop questioned him, he said: "I'm standing in proxy for my wife's first husband."
What is it about this word that can create such a feeling of conflict with regard to our personal worthiness? I believe that our spirit understands that both joy and perfection are possible in this life.
One of the great differences between the two are that 1) Joy is a feeling, and 2) Perfection is an attribute. Joy is easily identified, and perfection is more a matter of perception.
Joy was Alma's desire:
"And I trust, according to the Spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you; nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over you should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which I have had for the brethren at Zarahemla, for behold, my joy cometh over them after wading through much affliction and sorrow."
-Alma 7:5
Joy is often recognized in the face of contrast, and is a facet of their being "opposition in all things" (2 Nephi 2:11). Just as light becomes more apparent in the face of darkness, joy becomes more apparent when we face extreme trials. It also makes us more grateful as we seek it in the midst of everyday living.
In the July 2005 Ensign, Sister Barbara Workman wrote about the "Quest for Joy"
"The quest for joy in mortality began with Adam and Eve. They chose sorrow and death so they could also choose joy and exaltation. Eve said to Adam, "Were it not for our transgression we ... never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient" . Our Savior's Atonement was a choice for joy. Not long after Gethsemane He gathered the little children on the American continent around Him, blessed them, prayed for them, and invited angels to encircle them. Observing the faith of the people, He said, "My joy is full" 3 Ne. 17:20. He had come from the ultimate agony in Jerusalem to a fulness of joy in the Americas. We will never know His agony, but He chose to accomplish the Atonement so we could eventually experience a fulness of joy.
Joy is an emotion of the spirit. It comes through righteous living. It is not a casual or shallow feeling, ever. If we equate fun and pleasure with happiness, we may think pain must always be equated with unhappiness. But that is not true. Joy is not a stranger to pain. We may not feel deeply enough to know joy unless our hearts have been hollowed out by sorrow. A heart may not be big enough to know real joy until it has been stretched and pulled by trials and hard things. In 2 Nephi 2:23 we find this phrase: "having no joy, for they knew no misery." Our capacity to feel joy actually increases as we righteously endure our pain."
In our pain, we may not appreciate this fact so much, but our pain indeed contributes to our joy.
I found this to be true for myself when I experienced a divorce a few years ago. I was devastated, and at the time wasn't sure I would ever recover. Day by day, bit by bit, I learned that I had the power to choose whether or not I was going to be happy. A series of those choices has led me here to you, for which I am very grateful.
I echo the words of Alma as he said:
"Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy."
-Alma 36:21
In Psalms 30 verse 5, we read:
"For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
Truly joy is something we can experience when our hearts are open to it.
Then there is the idea of perfection. What is it about perfection that makes it seem unattainable?
Elder Russell M. Nelson has said:
"When comparing one's personal performance with the supreme standard of the Lord's expectation, the reality of imperfection can at times be depressing. My heart goes out to conscientious Saints who, because of their shortcomings, allow feelings of depression to rob them of happiness in life.
We all need to remember: men are that they might have joy: not guilt trips!"
--
Elder Russell M Nelson, October 1995 General Conference
Perfection is something within each of us to be recognized as we realize our dependence on and need for not only His example, but our relationship to him as divine beings.
The scriptures admonish us to "Be ye therefore perfect.." . They imply perfection as a state of being. If " ˜being' perfect meant that we did everything perfectly, there would be no need for our mortal experience, and no real opportunity for progression. Being perfect is a different thing from "doing" perfectly.
There is an implication of perfection here, though. What does this mean for us? I would suggest a possible expansion of perspective that could cause us to experience perfection in our mortal world each and every day. This is in following the supreme example of the Savior, and obeying the first two great commandments. Loving God, and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Christ knew who He was. He had a certain knowledge of His divine sonship. He also knew what that meant. He was secure in His relationship with the Father, and admonished us to be one "even as the Father and I are one" . (3 Nephi 11:47). We are also counseled to join with them in this relationship:
"And the Father and I are one. I am in the Father and the Father in me; and inasmuch as ye have received me, ye are in me and I in you." (D&C 50:43)
In the musical, "Les Miserables" , the title character, Jean Valjean, is imprisoned for stealing a crust of bread. He later escapes to the home of a priest who offers him shelter. He decides to flee in the middle of the night, and steals valuable silver.. When he is apprehended, he is taken by the officer to the home of the priest, who exercises mercy in his behalf, and not only gives him the silver but states that he also forgot the silver candlesticks. Jean Valjean is a free man, and commits his life to repay the priest through service to others. He takes on a different identity and becomes a successful businessman, providing work for many who are less fortunate. The policeman Javert, who has been searching for Valjean for many years, thinks he has found him in the guise of another man. The innocent man is taken to court, and Valjean recognizes that if he stays silent, an innocent man will go to prison. He asks himself who he is, in the song "Who Am I?"
Who am I?
Can I condemn this man to slavery
Pretend I do not feel his agony
This innocent who bears my face
Who goes to judgment in my place
Who am I?
Can I conceal myself for evermore?
Pretend I'm not the man I was before?
And must my name until I die
Be no more than an alibi?
Must I lie?
How can I ever face my fellow men?
How can I ever face myself again?
My soul belongs to God, I know
I made that bargain long ago
He gave me hope when hope was gone
He gave me strength to journey on
Who am I? Who am I?
I am Jean Valjean!
And so Javert, you see it's true
That man bears no more guilt than you!
Who am I?
24601!
When he recognized who he truly was, he could not allow the charade to continue. He had to step forward in the knowledge of who he truly was. So must we. We are literal spiritual offspring of the Father. He knows who we are and sees our spirits as whole and perfect. When we don't believe this about ourselves, we begin to act in ways that distract us from our truth. When we recognize more about ourselves in relationship to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we are more inclined to love ourselves and follow their example, in loving as they loved, and in viewing others as They do.
Christ was a master healer. His ability to heal was rooted in his Godly ability to see others as whole and perfect. If He absolutely expected others to be healed, he would have a clear feeling or impression as to what that would look like. Imagine what our lives could be like if our only real obligation was to love God, ourselves, and our fellowman? What would happen if we saw ourselves and others as perfect and whole on the inside? Would we envision their hopes, dreams and desires? What would happen if we were no longer prone to judge others, or put ourselves above others? It would be a very different world for us, even here on our campus.
This involves aligning and attuning ourselves to the love of Christ. Let us consider what it means to be "in tune" with this love. Being a musician, I deal with this concept of being "in tune" in a musical sense every day. Good musical intonation is a matter of alignment of vibration. The pitch "A" above middle C, is known as A=440 vibrations. When two instruments are in tune with each other, they sound as one, meaning their vibrations are perfectly joined. If one pitch is slower or faster than the other at the same time, there is dissonance that cries out for resolution.
I have asked two of my students: Carolyn Nye and Cassie Fine to assist in demonstrating this phenomenon.
Here we have heard that being "in tune" is obviously the more desirable choice. So it is with our spirits. When we think of the good things about ourselves and others, we feel happier. Our personal vibration is elevated. If we think of the words "joy" and "happiness" , our hearts feel lighter, and we move about easily. When we choose to perceive things continually from a negative stance, such as the words hatred, anger or insult, our bodies feel heavier, we tend toward depression, and our personal energy is sluggish.
Joy is the highest vibratory word in the English language. Love is very high as well. However, while joy is in the eyes of the beholder, love is easily and freely given as an exchange of energy. What would happen if just for one day here on this campus we made the decision to love ourselves and others freely and unconditionally? To see in ourselves and in each other the face of Christ? That would be what I would call heaven on earth. A sublimely perfect and joyous experience.
It all begins, though, with how we perceive ourselves. Spiritual writer and author Marianne Williamson has said the following:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson. "A Return to Love"
In preparation for this talk, I was thinking about this universal feeling of love, and what happens within us when we have the opportunity to experience it and how life changing it can become. I thought of September 11, 2001. That is one of those days that will definitely go down in infamy. We were united as a nation on that day. I think most of us can probably remember where we were at that time. Hearts all over the world turned with compassion toward the people affected by this tragedy. I was teaching on the BYU Provo campus on that day. It was the beginning of the school year, and it was a Tuesday. I remember that because I had been asked by President Merrill Bateman to sing as a part of his devotional address. I had tried hard to follow inspiration as to what I would sing that day. For reasons I didn't understand, I felt impressed to sing a setting of the hymn, "O Love That Glorifies the Son" . (This hymn was written by Loren Wheelwright, a relative of President and Sister Wheelwright).
1. O love that glorifies the Son,
O love that says, "Thy will be done!"
Pure love whose spirit makes us one:
Come, fill my soul today.
2. O love that binds our family,
O love that brings my heart to thee,
Pure love that lasts eternally-
Come, fill my soul today.
3. O love that overcomes defeat,
O love that turns the bitter sweet,
Pure love that makes our lives complete:
Come, fill my soul today.
4. O Lord, give me the will to mend;
O Lord, change me from foe to friend;
Dear Lord, sustain me to the end:
Come, fill my soul today.
As it turned out they cancelled the devotional that day, but rescheduled it for the next week. I couldn't have known how appropriate that text would be. Over the period of the next few years, I had strangers stop me on campus to comment on that hymn. As much as I would like to think it may have been my stirring performance, I am more inclined to believe it was a message that rang true to their heart, as music has the power to do. I would like to close by singing that for you now, but before I do I want to testify of the truths we have discussed today. It is our Father's desire for us to have a fullness of joy and to experience perfect love. It begins by recognizing our own divinity, and aligning ourselves with his love, for ourselves and others. May it be our prayer for this love to "fill our souls" . In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.