Looking, Trusting, and Walking with God
Brothers and Sisters, good morning, and aloha.
It’s a pleasure to be with you all today and I’m very honored to have been invited to speak. I love our devotionals! To me they feel like the campus’ equivalent of a family home evening. We get a lesson and we have the opportunity to intermingle and connect. I love them.
Just as our university ohana is a family, the scriptures clearly teach that we are all part of God’s family. We are his children. On this topic let me ask you a few questions.
What will it be like to return home to God? Have you thought about this lately? How will it feel? How will God respond when you return?
I believe that God our Father will be just as excited to see you as you will be to see him. Can you imagine that? But what else would you expect from a perfect parent? Of course it will be that way. Think of how mortal parents feel when their children come home from missions.
Similarly, I believe the Savior will be thrilled to be with you again! Isn’t that an exciting thought? But what else would you expect from a perfect brother, especially of the one who has atoned for all the injustices and sins of your life? How can your homecoming be anything other than a glorious moment of shared victory?
Lastly, how will it feel to get there and then turn around and watch others have the same experience? Will you be part of the thrilled welcoming party, or will you be a less enthused spectator wondering how God could possibly be so excited to see so-and-so?
This begs the question: How do you feel about your eternal siblings now? Certainly, none of us feels the same degree of love for them as God and Christ do. Where are we today? To what degree do you joy to be with your spiritual brothers and sisters?
I suggest to you that unhealthy social comparison is one of the primary obstacles to feeling love for others. My purpose today is to provide some metaphors, scriptures and thought patterns designed to enable you and me to more easily overcome this obstacle through our faith in Christ, and thus be more able to be filled with charity.
Allow me to start with a story.
Imagine with me the following story. Two brothers, Pete and Sam, go camping with their family at Zions National Park in southern Utah. They set up camp at the bottom of a very tall cliff with plans to go hiking throughout the next day. The next morning, these two brothers sleep in while their parents go on an early morning warm-up hike up to Angel’s Landing, a hike too dangerous for the young boys. After a while the boys wake up and start entertaining themselves around camp as they wait for their mom and dad to return. Both find some sharp rocks that they think are cool, and they start using them to make drawings on the base of the cliff wall. They're just having fun.
Then the younger brother, Sam, gets the idea to see how high of a mark he can make on the cliff. He jumps up and scratches the wall at about six feet high. Pete thinks this looks fun and he does the same, scratching the wall a few inches higher than Sam. Wishing not to be outdone, Sam tries again, with a running start this time, and marks the wall an inch higher than Pete. "Ha!", he boasts to Pete. Well, Pete now gives it his all, and wouldn't you know it, gets even higher, out-marking Sam's second height by another marginal degree. From their vantage point, looking up, his mark is by far the closest to the top of the cliff. Pete is number 1, and he flaunts it to his brother, while Sam feels frustrated that he can never quite seem to measure up.
Now, further imagine, at the very time that Pete and Sam wake up, the boys' parents have just reached the summit of their hike, hundreds of feet above the valley floor. Just before the boys begin their drawings on the cliff wall their dad pulls out the family binoculars to look down at the camp to see what his sons are up to. He's able to see the boys, and he watches them jumping and making their "high" marks. First he laughs, but then he pities them. He feels sorry for Sam, and he feels sorry for Pete, too, because as he pulls away the binoculars he sees the full size of the cliff and wonders how it could be that either of his sons think that they have reached any height worth bragging about, or any difference in skill levels worth feeling ashamed of. Their marks are both at the very bottom of the cliff, and from his vantage point the two marks seem to be at the exact same height.
Problem Statement and Contrast of Mindsets
I tell this story because it illustrates in an elementary way the following very serious issue: when we compare ourselves to others we simply do not see ourselves the way God sees us. From the top of the cliff, he looks down on us and sees us all, equally, as little children.
We can avoid this tendency to compare ourselves with others by looking upward to God and considering our relation to him rather than our status among peers. In a parable, Jesus provided an example of how to do this:
[video]
Whose marks were higher on this cliff wall? The Pharisee's, right? He had the social status and seemed to have his life well organized. But God was more pleased with the humble publican.
Although likely just a cast member in a hypothetical parable, this publican is indeed a good example. I think of him as being familiar with Abraham chapter 3:19. There the Lord gives Abraham some helpful instruction before Abraham's move into Egypt. He reveals: "These two facts do exist, that there shall be two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all."
Unlike both Pete and Sam in our original story, and unlike the Pharisee, the publican isn't concerned about being either number one or number two in the peer comparison game. His eyes are focused on number three, and in relation to Him, the publican is able to keep the correct, complete perspective: he is the sinner, he must repent, and he can do all things through Christ. He’s going to make it!
While the Pharisee likely assesses people's worth by their ability and status, the publican is motivated by Elder Neal A. Maxwell's teaching: "God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability!"
The Pharisee sees life as a competition. The publican sees life as a journey and as an opportunity to serve. The Pharisee sees mankind as competitors. The publican sees others as spiritual siblings, of equal potential and capacity, people to learn with and learn from. The Pharisee lives in the finite, bottom-of-the-cliff world of scarcity, and places high value on things that are in scarce supply, like wealth, attention and leadership positions. The publican looks up and sees the top-of-the-cliff world of abundance, and places high value on celestial things that are in infinite supply, like love, family and leadership qualities.
If pressed, the Pharisee might eventually confess that he believes that God is merely a fiction, that mankind is a bother, and that his mission in life is to succeed in his career.
The publican, on the other hand, might summarize his worldview alongside President Monson: "God is a father. Man is brother. Life is a mission, and not a career."
This is the secret of the "penitent and truly humble seeker(s) of happiness," whenever they have lived. When they perceive some of the inevitable discrepancies between themselves and others, they look beyond the scratch marks and "remember the Third." They look to God and live.
And so looking to God is the first of three steps I will speak about today that can be followed to overcome social comparison and be filled with more natural love for one another. The following two will be trusting exclusively in God's assessment of your worth, and walking humbly with God in service to your fellow man. So the three steps are looking, trusting and walking.
Look
Brother Tad R. Callister has taught that "with increased vision comes increased motivation." That motivation can often take the form of confidence and moral courage. In Acts 7:55 we read that Stephen "looked steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." Even while Stephen's detractors "gnashed their teeth upon him" he had the courage to declare his vision: "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." For this his enemies dragged him out of town and began stoning him, and even while they were in the act of stoning him, Stephen loved them, crying out "with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
Like Stephen, when we look up, steadfastly, unto Christ we can act with love, even in hard circumstances.
But the veil imposes an interesting challenge in this regard. The fact is we do not see God with our natural senses in our day-to-day activities. It is natural for all of us to focus on what is immediately around us. It can be hard to maintain a perspective which is greater than the one developed by your senses. Here’s an example of how we've all experienced this.
Suppose you're standing at the base of a very tall building, like New York City's Empire State Building here shown. Are you tall or are you small? You certainly feel a little smaller than usual, what with this huge building beside you, but you still don't correctly perceive just how small you are. The people around you are still just as big as ever, and although you can tell the building is tall, you can't really appreciate just how tall it is. As you look up, looking towards the 102nd floor, the 30th floor looks like its about half way up. You visually ascribe too much credit to what is more proximate to you.
Even as you move down the street, the height of the skyscraper relative to the other buildings is hard to fully appreciate.
It isn't until you get up off the street or far away from the building that you can appreciate more perfectly just how tall the building is, and just how relatively small the people standing at its base truly are.
Our spiritual discernment can suffer from the same effect, and in looking to God as a means of escaping the effects of social comparison, we risk making two compounding mistakes: one, we underestimate the grandeur of God and two, we overvalue the assessments of us from those around us.
So what can be done to get us up off the street so we can get the full view of God and of ourselves? In the terms of our first analogy, what "hiking" activities help elevate our vision and help us feel the joy of escaping comparison?
Personally for you, what activities help you focus upon the Savior? Think of the books you read, the movies you watch, the music you listen to. Think of the places you worship, the amount of time you dedicate to pondering, the amount of service you provide. What activities help you to look steadfastly upon Christ? Conversely, which activities have the effect of distracting your focus?
I invite you this week to identify a distraction in your life that takes your gaze away from the Savior. Identify just one. It doesn't have to be a big thing, although it may be. Identify that distraction and replace it with an activity that focuses your attention on Jesus in some way.
As you and I look steadfastly to Christ, our minds will be filled with truth.
Trust
Having our gaze set steadfastly upon the Savior, we are now ready for step two of our quest to be filled with brotherly love. Step two is about trusting exclusively in the Savior's assessment of our state and standing before him. What do I mean by that?
To a greater or lesser extent, we all need affirmation. Progression and improvement are our goals, and we need indicators to help us know whether and how well we are progressing. The natural way to achieve this is to compare ourselves to others and to seek counsel from trusted friends. Seeking counsel from those who love the Lord in their lives is very wise, but ultimately we must receive our own revelation. And comparing ourselves with others is very dangerous, as we’ve already seen in the example of the Pharisee. So what is a better way?
The best way was modeled by the prophet Joseph Smith. When he was 17 years old he was trying to understand his place in the world just like all the rest of us are prone to do. He wasn't sure whether he was progressing according to plan.
Rather than look to his peers for either a benchmark or for justification he turned to God. He later recounted it in these terms: "I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections;" so "I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follies, and also for a manifestation to me, that I might know of my state and standing before him."
Joseph Smith sought to understand his "state and standing before (God)," rather than his status among men. It was God's assessment, God's affirmation that mattered to him. Assessments of Joseph Smith's character came and have continued to come from all sorts of people. He didn't listen to those voices, and neither should you and I, neither about him, nor about us. God's opinion should be our sole concern. As we choose to make it our only concern, we will be blessed with a humbled sense of belonging, and our hearts will fill with love.
This second step is all about trust. Intimately, down deep, what voices do you trust? What indicators do you rely on to help you perceive whether you're progressing according to your potential? Let's consider some good and bad examples from the scriptures.
You'll remember the account of the rich young ruler, the man who finds Jesus and asks him two great questions, "Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life," and "what I lack I yet?"--two fantastic questions when posed sincerely. Jesus gives him an answer which he has a hard time trusting. But before I address that, quickly notice Jesus' response to being called "Good Master." He says, "why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God." Jesus was modeling these steps: he had his eyes focused on his Father, standing at the top of the cliff! He was doing both step 1--looking steadfastly--and now we see him keeping step 2--he didn't care much for his peer's flattery!
Now back to the rich young ruler. You'll remember the Savior asks him to sell all that he has and give the proceeds to the poor, and come and follow him. In response to this the young man goes away sorrowing, and Jesus says, "how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!... With men that trust in riches it is impossible; but not impossible with men who trust in God and leave all for my sake, for with such all these things are possible."
What's the lesson? I don't think the young man was worried about being able to survive. His decision to not part with his means was likely not a life or death decision, seeing as the disciples apparently had enough money for their needs. His trust in riches likely wasn't about his ability to have the tangibles needed to sustain life, although that may have been there to some extent. I suppose that he was concerned more about the intangibles that parting with his wealth would require him to forego: his status among his peers, his social position, his access to certain social circles, and perhaps even his job and his associated title and related privileges.
From the rich young man's tragic example we learn that, in our effort assess our state and standing before God, we must not trust any form of status. We should have a cautious distrust of any indicators of success that can measured, for as President Uchtdorf recently reminded us, "many of the things you can count, do not count. Many of the things you cannot count, really do count."
So trust in God's personal assessment of you. That's what really counts!
Peter is our next example. After the rich young man walks away and the Savior provides his comment about the rich your man's misdirected trust, the record says "Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee." At that point, the Savior seemingly cuts him short, interrupts him, and corrects him for beginning to make the exact same mistake the rich young man just did: trusting in a peer-based comparison! Peter's statement seems to me to be inherently comparative, as if he is implying, "we have been obedient, as opposed to that guy..." and Christ won't allow for his disciples to assess their state and standing before God based upon anything other than absolute--as opposed to relative, or comparative--truth.
The Joseph Smith Translation of Mark 10:31 makes it clear that the Savior perceived Peter to be putting himself above the rich young man. While the standard text reads “But many that are first shall be last; and the last first,” the inspired revision states, "But there are many who make themselves first, that shall be last, and the last first. This he said, rebuking Peter."
So we must eliminate all reliance upon laterally discerned indicators of progression, even those involving our apparent relative righteousness. Having begun by looking steadfastly towards heaven, we must be sure that we keep our focus there and trust exclusively the assessment of our state and standing before God which comes from God.
David wrote: "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God."
Paul said: "With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment:... he that judgeth me is the Lord."
We should join these righteous men: "trust in the Lord with all (our) heart, and lean not unto (our) own understanding… Be not wise in thine own eyes."
Walk
Now for step three, walking humbly with God in service to our fellow man.
I can remember a time period in my teenage life, when 14 and 15 years old that I had the thought, "I'm now the age that Joseph Smith was when he received the First Vision. I wonder if, as I pray in faith, I might be visited by angels, too." I prayed each morning and night in my bedroom closet -- taking the Sermon on the Mount admonition literally -- and sometimes I would peak my eyes open to see if I was still alone. I really thought it would be amazing to be visited by an angel; I still do, but during that time I thought about it and hoped for it often. It never happened, and I have to admit that, although I was content with the Lord's will, I was a little disappointed.
During that generally same timeframe, I went on splits with the missionaries for my first time. I will never forget this experience. We taught an investigator what was then called the 4th Discussion, on the Plan of Salvation. I remember joining in to help explain and to testify about what I believed to be true. I remember rejoicing and being edified together along with this earnest investigator hearing these truths for her first time. With her, I remember feeling absolutely filled with joy. Her face said it all! After the appointment, as we walked to the street corner where my mother was to pick me up at an appointed time, I remember thinking, "I hope she's running late! I don't want this to end!"
Since then I've served as a home teacher, a missionary, a friend, and in many other callings in the church through which I've begun to formulate an idea. There could be at least the following two reasons why God didn't send an angel to visit me as a youth. The first one you may already be guessing: he had already given me an angel father and an angel mother, both of whom love the Lord and who regularly taught me from the same scriptures that a visiting angel would quote from; the Lord had provided me a patriarchal blessing through an inspired stake patriarch; and provided countless others, including righteous siblings, seminary teachers, Sunday School teachers, quorum presidents and advisors, and friends. I was constantly surrounded by inspired messengers.
The second reason could be that God had something better in store for me -- something better in store for each one of us -- than to only receive. I ask you, which do you consider greater, to receive a temporary visit from an angel, or to be able to regularly minister as and speak with the tongue of an angel yourself? Which is more lastingly transformative? In terms of my experience, I can honestly say that being with the missionaries that day, teaching the plan of salvation to that earnest investigator was at least as impactful as an angelic visit would have been, if not more so. I got to be an angel, not just see one!
And through the restoration of God's authority on earth this opportunity is available for all!
"Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments; ... that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world."
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ours is a many-to-many ministry. It scales perfectly. As home teachers and visiting teachers, everyone has at least someone to minister to, under delegated direction from their bishop. By the authority associated with the priesthood keys he holds, in this capacity, as well as in the capacities of our callings, we have access to more than our natural abilities and our previously acquired personal knowledge. We have wisdom beyond our own. We can teach as one having authority, and not as the scribes. That is the miracle and the message of this restored church. This is the sense in which it is verily a true and living church.
In following steps 1 and 2 -- looking to God and trusting in his love -- we are drawn nearer to God. As we feast upon the words of Christ we can speak with a new tongue, even the tongue of angels, as Nephi says. We become as angels, and this is how we walk with God: our third step.
Walking with God suggests staying with him, going where he would go, doing what he would do, saying what he would say, aligning with his priorities, joining his church, sustaining his apostles, and bringing others along with us for the walk. These things function to help us maintain the feeling of brotherly love we long for.
In war and sports we say: "the best defense is a good offense." This applies to spirituality as well. If you would like to have fewer feelings of either worthlessness or vanity, if you would like to feel more love for yourself and for others, then choose to go on offense. If you are burdened by a constant temptation or a vexing addiction, then find ways to serve your fellow men, and you will not have to concern yourself as much with trying to guard against sin or shortsightedness. Service keeps our hearts and minds close to God, and we are thus naturally less susceptible to uninspired influences.
If sharing your faith with others feels awkward or scary, here's a suggestion. While loving almost always involves listening, teaching doesn't always require talking. When in doubt, ask and listen. Don't let not knowing exactly what to say keep you from sharing your faith. Focus on loving, and the words and the wisdom as to how and when to share them will come.
On Motive
Now a quick word on motive: As you and I seek to lift others, we must constantly remember to focus on building God's kingdom, and not our own.
This university's friend Paul Wilson once wisely commented on how fleeting and purposeless it is to build up one's own kingdom. He likened such kingdoms--or you could say careers--to the ornate sandcastles that he would carefully build on the beach when out for evening walks with his family. No matter how large or how fancy he made the castle, the results were always the same. The next day upon returning he would find absolutely no remaining trace of his work. The waves of time had washed it all away, completely.
When we do what is right for the wrong reasons not only do our efforts contribute to something unenduring, but we also miss out on the added strength to overcome social comparison that we've been talking about today. The Pharisee from our video did many good things, too, you'll remember. So while we serve, we remember to circle back to step one, to look steadfastly to God, and remember always our own unworthiness and nothingness before God.
In his greatest rebuke of the Pharisees, the Savior provided this counsel to his disciples, that we can remember when our service brings us titles and attention:
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi, which is Master.
But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
What I've provided this morning in these three steps is really just an elaboration on the following counsel from President Monson. In a couple of talks he's counseled us:
Fill your mind with truth
Fill your heart with love
Fill your life with service
Our minds fill with truth as we look steadfastly unto God. Our hearts fill with love as we trust exclusively in his assessment of us. And our lives fill with service as strive to walk humbly with God.
I testify of a loving, magnificent, perfect, living Savior - Jesus Christ! He lives. His grace is sufficient to change your nature, and to bestow upon you his glorious gift of charity as you seek to be one of his true followers.
I testify that the power and gift and authority of God are in full restored force upon the earth within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Come unto it, wherever you're coming from, and you will come unto Christ. As members of his Church we are not perfect, we don't claim to be, but we do have the priesthood authority of God. I am positive of that, and I know that it is real!
I witness that you are a magnificent, beautiful, and invaluable child of God! Your worth is incalculable. I testify that God loves you, and that he will bless you in your effort to learn and remember that always, and that in so doing you will be filled with love for others. You will then, eventually, be a fully engaged participant in the thrilled welcoming party when at that great and last day--during that glorious reunion--you turn around and see your brothers and sisters return home to God, even so-and-so!
This I testify all this to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.