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Commencements

Seeking a Balanced Life

Aloha!

I feel privileged to be in Laie for the February 2016 commencement exercises of Brigham Young University–Hawaii. My dear wife, Diane, would have loved to be with me, but she is recovering from knee surgery and sadly is not yet permitted to fly by her doctor. After our marriage, she resided on Oahu for 27 years. I lived here for half a century (except for the years of my mission in England and my university education in Provo). All of our children were born on this island. This is our home! This was not just another trip for us; she excitedly anticipated being here to breathe the fresh air, feel the gentle trade winds, smell the fragrant aromas, have some local food, and (most especially) to feel the spirit of the people of Hawaii. So, I am left alone to do those things as proxy for her. We love this university and this community and have been here countless times.

In my earlier ministry, while still living in Honolulu, assignments brought me to Laie often, sometimes multiple times a week. Every time we come to this special place, we immediately feel the spirit of this institution because it is harmonious with the Spirit of the Lord. As a member of the Board of Trustees of BYU–Hawaii and of the Executive Committee of that Board, I am regularly engaged in discussions and decisions about this university. Continually, I am inspired by how deeply the Lord and His prophets care about the youth of the Church and are willing to provide sacred resources to assist in their temporal and spiritual education. You are blessed to have this university and it is blessed to have you!

You are a unique student body because of your diversity. I have been to most of the countries and states you call home. Yes, there are cultural and socioeconomic differences in the places you come from, and that variety is part of the strength of this distinctive university; however, do not forget in the way that matters most we are all the same. We are all children of the same eternal Father. That understanding is what makes BYU–Hawaii truly special as it provides the spiritual foundation that gives the academic efforts perspective and importance.

To you graduates, I say, congratulations and well done! However, I emphasize there is a reason this event is called Commencement and not Conclusion. Yes, it may conclude your formal education, at least on this campus, but it is the beginning of a new season of life. You may find that exciting, you may find it a little overwhelming; but, in any case, it is going to happen. You are moving on to new ventures and, hopefully, they exemplify progression in your life's goals.

Today, understanding this graduation event is not about me and that you will likely remember little, if any, of my message, I want to be relatively brief, I want to be practical, and I want to be clear. Considering your future, I will speak about priorities and seeking balance in your life. You will leave this institution and some of you will go on to further formal education. Some will begin your profession. Some of you will do both, simultaneously. Many of you leave married; several with children. You have held Church responsibilities, some quite demanding, and you will continue to do so. Life, if anything, will become even more complex, more demanding, and (if lived well) it will be even more rewarding.

Before my thirtieth year, I was called to be the bishop of an 850-member ward in Honolulu. Two weeks prior, my brother and I founded a company that had just hired and was responsible for several new employees. At the time, Diane and I had three active children ages one to seven. The daunting responsibilities to properly care for my young family, the Saints entrusted to my stewardship, and create a viable business seemed impossible. Would I know how to allocate my time when any one of these three important and complex aspects of life could become all-consuming? Was it possible to achieve a balance?

In those days, I often recalled a childhood memory. When I was a boy, The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the most popular programs on television. As a variety show, it featured performers with widely divergent talents. One was a man who appeared regularly. A number of poles, perhaps a dozen or more, were set up on stage, with stacks of dinner plates beside them. This agile individual would spin a plate on top of one of the poles, and then move to the next pole and spin a second plate, and then a third and a fourth.

As he proceeded down the line of poles, the rotation of the plates on the first and second poles would begin to slow and the dishes were in danger of falling off and crashing to the floor. Seeing this, the man would quickly run back to those poles and with a gentle spin increase the motion that allowed the plates to keep spinning. The excitement of the act was to witness the ability of the performer to expand the number of rotating plates while not letting any fall. Invariably, a point would be reached where he was not able to keep up. There was a limit to his ability to increase the number and properly care for the plates already in motion. The sight of dishes sliding from their precarious perches and the cacophony as they hit the hard floor vividly proved the point that even the most skilled performer has his limits.

Of much greater consequence, each of us must decide how many poles we are able to manage in our life, and what they represent. Some individuals are spinning a single plate, with all their effort, ignoring all other poles. Others are attempting to spin so many at the same time that the crashing of plates is often heard. Leading a balanced life is difficult for many. There is not an exact pattern for everyone and even our own blueprint may change during different phases of our life. However, seeking balance, giving adequate time and effort to each of those things that really matter, is vital to our success in mortal probation.

There are certain fundamental responsibilities we cannot neglect without serious consequence. What are the essential poles of our lives? I suggest four: Our Love for Our Heavenly Father and Jesus the Christ, Our Care for Our Family, Our Service to the Lord, and Our Lifes Temporal Work.

Our Love for Our Heavenly Father and Jesus the Christ

The scriptures speak powerfully of this sacred duty. A Pharisee, who was a lawyer, asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" [1]. Describing it as part of the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father [2], Nephi taught, "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ...and a love of God." [3] Our love of the Father and the Son is foundational to all else. The Savior, representing the Father, is the source of peace [4]. Love for Him is the supreme motivation to keep in the right way [5]. Every other aspect of our life is enhanced when we truly love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, as we will love ourselves and others more completely. Answers to our most challenging problems are found only when we love and have faith in Them.

Our Care for Our Family

The Family A Proclamation to the World states: "Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children...Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness...to observe the commandments of God." Prophetic counsel has taught us that "No other success can compensate for failure in the home." [6] and "The most important of the Lord's work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes." [7]

Our desires and actions toward our family should be as exemplified by Lehi when he partook of the sweet fruit of the tree of life and immediately was desirous that my family should partake of it also [8]. For many, properly caring for our family is the first area of compromise when other demands arise, as the results of neglect are not always immediately apparent. Nurturing the husband/wife relationship and building a spiritual home requires men and women of vision and commitment.

Our Service to the Lord

A natural extension of our love for the Savior is our desire to serve Him. "If thou lovest me thou shalt serve me." [9] The way we serve Him is by serving one another. When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God (Mosiah 2:17). Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, "Service is an imperative for true followers of Jesus Christ." [10] Our time spent in Church and community service may vary during different periods of our life depending on specific callings we may receive and our family circumstances. However, our desire and our availability to serve should never waver.

Our Lifes Temporal Work

Although temporal work is temporary, it is still important as a support to the other, more long-lasting aspects of life and provides valuable service to others. Again, The Family Proclamationgives clear direction. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. We strongly support obtaining a quality education (like you have done and may continue to do) which will allow choices in one's life work and dedication to an honorable trade or profession that will serve our spiritual life.

These four poles must not be neglected. Each needs constant care to fulfill its proper role in making us whole [11]. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught: "I think...all of us in this Church...have a fourfold responsibility. One, they have a responsibility to their families, to see that their families have a measure of their time...None of us can evade that...That is basic and fundamental. If we are employed, we have a responsibility to our employer. We are not at liberty to short-change him...We have a responsibility to the Lord, of course, to do that which is expected of us as a servant in His house. And...we have a responsibility to ourselves to take some time to do a little meditating, to do a little exercise...How do you balance them? I don't think that is difficult. I served in many capacities in this Church. I am the father of five children, who were young and growing up when I was serving in those various capacities...We enjoyed life...We did what the Church expected us to do. There is safety in that program; it's inspired." [12]

As sincere followers of Christ, we must constantly evaluate what is most important. Are we so intensively focused on one pole that the plates atop the others are in danger of falling because of our neglect? Or, are we spinning too many poles and need to simplify our life to keep all that truly matters in proper motion? How do we know if our life is out of balance? Well, most of us just know. We simply need to admit it and exercise the discipline to change, substituting higher values and better habits for those we have been living. We need to follow the counsel of President Spencer W. Kimball to do it now before any further damage is caused by our lack of attention to other indispensable parts of life.

For others, recognition of imbalance may not be so clear. While serving as a stake president, I observed as a member of our stake grew in prominence in the business community. He had a growing family and held positions of responsibility in the Church. All appeared to be in order. Then it became evident that he was paying too high a price for his temporal success. The first indication was his request to be released from all Church callings because of their time conflict with his work-related obligations. Even more alarming, through a series of behavioral problems with his children, priesthood leaders became acutely aware that basic family duties were being neglected. Communication with his wife and children had deteriorated as they seldom saw him. When they did, he was usually preoccupied by professional demands or simply too tired for family activities or even meaningful conversation. Only through tragic and agonizing events was this man brought to a realization of the consequences of his actions on his own spiritual health and that of his family.

The answer I found as a young bishop, and which has served me in the ensuing years, was simply that we must thoroughly understand the guiding doctrine and then do our best, each day. We organize, prioritize, and live worthy of spiritual guidance required when making the difficult decisions. Often, we seek counsel from those closest to us. From time to time, we may be out of balance for a brief period as the immediate needs of one portion of our life takes temporary precedence. When this occurs, we knowingly work through the issue and seek to stabilize ourselves as soon as possible, before the short-term need becomes a long-term trait.

If we are out of balance, we can change. We can delay and be compelled by the tragedy of a failing family, or the sorrow of losing our own spirituality; or, we can be attentive and continually nudged by the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Seeking balance among the essential responsibilities of life is preparatory to salvation. We must see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength [13]. However, to encourage our constant effort, we are counseled it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order [14].

It is my witness that it can be done, and the prize is eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God (D&C 14:7). Most of you already understand the principles I teach today. That is shown by how you are living. For others, perhaps some adjustment might be considered. For all of us, continual focus is required because we live in a world that can confuse us, and societal priorities of material wealth, pleasure, or prestige can overwhelm the simple, but profound, personal characteristics that each of us must seek. My dear young friends, we need you,the Lord needs you and you are needed forever faith-filled, converted, and covenant-keeping. Bless you now, bless you in your critical next season of life, and bless you forever!

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

  1. Matthew 22:36-37
  2. 2 Nephi 31:21
  3. 2 Nephi 31:20
  4. John 14:27
  5. Moroni 6:4
  6. President David O. McKay
  7. President Harold B. Lee
  8. 1 Nephi 8:12
  9. D&C 42:29
  10. Oaks, D. Pure in Heart (1988) p. 37
  11. Mark 2:17
  12. Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997) p. 33
  13. Mosiah 4:27
  14. Mosiah 4:27