President Boyd K. Packer, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, often says, “Young men speak of the future because they have no past; old men speak of the past because they have no future.”1
It is easy to see where you and I fit in this observation. Some people might call me old, and my purpose today is to visit with you about your future.
Let’s consider first what it means to be in different generations. A generation is a body of individuals born within a 20 to 30 year period of time. Generational characteristics may include having similar ideas, facing common challenges, or displaying certain attitudes. Just so you know, you are often referred to as “Generation Y” or the “Millennial Generation,” while Sister McMullin and I are part of the so-called “Best Generation,” those growing up immediately following World War II.
A generational comparison was recently done to show how attitudes are changing about community and family, about making and spending money. The report said that fame and fortune are currently replacing faith and family as the core of the American Dream. Two-thirds of Americans in the study said traditional notions of the ideal life—community, religion, faith, and middle class values—have shifted. Getting married, attending Church, and paying off mortgages best fit in the past, whereas the ability to buy things, achieve recognition or status, and equality best fit in the present.2
During our recent General Conference, prophets, seers, and revelators spoke about generational changes with emphasis on the younger generations.
From President Thomas S. Monson: “We live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside, where sin is flagrantly on display, and where temptations to stray from the strait and narrow path surround us. … Have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded … as the determination to live decently.”3
President Monson also urged, “May we begin now, this very day, to express love to all of God’s children, whether they be our family members, our friends, mere acquaintances, or total strangers. As we arise each morning, let us determine to respond with love and kindness to whatever might come our way.”4
From Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “You may wonder if it is worth it to take a courageous moral stand. … Yes, it is worth it, because the alternative is to have our “houses” left unto us “desolate”—desolate individuals, desolate families, desolate neighborhoods, and desolate nations. 5 … Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them. … In courageously pursuing such a course, you will forge unshakable faith, you will find safety against ill winds that blow … and you will feel the rock-like strength of our Redeemer.”6
From Elder Neil L. Andersen: “My young friends, the world will not glide calmly toward the Second Coming of the Savior. … These are your days — to … build more firmly your foundation upon the rock of your Redeemer. Treasure more completely His incomparable life and teachings. Follow more diligently His example and His commandments. Embrace more deeply His love, His mercy and grace, and the powerful gifts of His Atonement. As you do … you will rejoice that God has placed you here to be a part of the final preparations for Christ’s glorious return.”7
The Apostle Paul outlined to a younger disciple of his day the difficult challenges now confronting you. We’ll mention only a few of them, but you will want to read the entire list, for they are signposts of this age: “In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, ... and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. ...But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”8
Now the “old man” in me is going to speak with you about humility. It is an endangered virtue. It is, however, essential to future happiness and real success. So give an old man his due; this is grandpa speaking, so listen up.
When I was 19 years of age, I received this inspired direction: “Life is a serious matter. The more humble you are the greater your knowledge, the greater the virtues.”9 Over more than a half century since receiving that direction, I have learned that humility in nations and in people waxes and wanes. For me personally, it is strongest when I recognize how much I yet have to overcome; it is weakest when I think I have finally arrived. The same is true with nations. All progress in spiritual things is conditioned upon attaining and maintaining humility.10
In all generations, humility is fundamental to peace and personal well-being. The Lord said: “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”11
Humility that blesses and saves occurs as we subordinate our will to the will of God. Humility is the embodiment of contrition, love, gratitude, and faith. It cannot be feigned nor manufactured. It is what we are as we recognize our sins and foibles and steadfastly walk the strait and narrow path in overcoming them.
One of the grandest guides in scripture for charting a successful life is this: “ Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.”12 This promise is especially pertinent as you form patterns of thinking, perceiving, and speaking in preparation for your futures. These patterns emerge daily in your lives. Over time, they become habits that will serve you well or bring you unhappiness.
Worldly ways can creep into our patterns of thought, expression, and behavior and squelch humility. It is why Paul counseled, “Flee … youthful lusts.”13 The following are worldly ways I counsel you to avoid.
Beware of boasting . It is commonplace and it is destructive. Bragging has become an art form. Documenting one’s accomplishments, laying claim to unique abilities, and seeking personal acclaim and recognition are everywhere displayed. Résumés, portfolios, and job applications call for a recitation of abilities, experiences, and interests, but our personal expressions and patterns of life needn’t be this way. Habits such as name dropping, striving to be noticed, projecting ourselves above others, putting others down, or interrupting and wrangling conversations all manifest arrogance, egotism, and pride. They stifle humility.
We should heed instead the counsel of King Benjamin: “[God] hath created you, and granted unto you your lives. … [H]e doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?”14
Beware of acting smart. To be glib, to always have an opinion or appear to have an answer, is not spiritually healthy. Glib is the shortened version of a now obsolete word “glibbing,” meaning slippery. Remember, when you think of yourself or characterize a person as “smart,” you may be conveying the impression that others are not quite so fortunate. Such an atmosphere is not conducive to humility.
Abilities we have are gifts from God. Each of you has one or more of them. It is prideful and hurtful when bestowed gifts are touted, flaunted, or coveted. On the other hand, it is joyful to discover, nurture, and cultivate them for the quiet, unheralded benefit of others.15 And when appreciation is expressed or applause given, be grateful, remembering always who gave you the gift.
From Nephi we read, “O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.”16
Beware of being driven. Overcommitment is a sin of the age. We seem to think we must do everything to amount to anything. To be anxiously engaged does not mean frantically racing about. Too much engagement stunts inspiration and humility.
In contrast, the law of consecration is balanced, prioritized, and peaceful. It requires total devotion and work, but the principle of consecration rests on a foundation of humility and love. It enables a person to prioritize life’s requirements in divinely appointed ways. It helps us slow down, contemplate, do less of some things, and accomplish essential things
Beware of fear and contention. Neither the spirit of fear nor the spirit of contention is of God.17 They do, however, feed on each other. In our home hangs this expression: “When you’re confident of what you are saying, you don’t have to yell.” Confidence springs from pure motives and guileless intent.
The Destroyer twists pangs of conscience into feelings of fear and worthlessness. He transforms discussions into contests of opinion. Such feelings and discourse thwart humility.
“Foolish and unlearned questions avoid,” wrote Paul “knowing that they do gender strifes.”18 When you feel afraid, gloomy, or argumentative, recognize that these feelings do not come from Heavenly Father. Check yourself. Pray. Seek help from family, Church leaders, and others you trust. There is “a more excellent way.”19
Beware of lusts. Lusts are the sinful and impure desires to which fallen man is heir.20 They are all about us. Said John, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. … For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”21
Enough about things that encumber or squelch humility. What is the well-spring of humility; the source to which each of us can turn and discover it for ourselves?
In the early 12th century, the cleric Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, “a man of intense … faith,” penned the following words:
Jesus, the very thought of theeWith sweetness fills my breast;But sweeter far thy face to seeAnd in thy presence rest.
Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame, Nor can the mem’ry findA sweeter sound than thy blest name,O Savior of mankind!
O hope of ev’ry contrite heart, O joy of all the meek,To those who fall, how kind thou art!How good to those who seek!22
These lines speak of hope and joy and peace. They were written in a time when much of the world lay blanketed in ignorance, impoverishment, and despair. These words capture the humility that accompanies the testimony of Jesus.
The personal witness by the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is your Savior is the well-spring of humility. Nurtured through repentance, forgiveness, and righteous living, this testimony of Jesus becomes the guiding force in the way one speaks, behaves, and interacts with others. Furthermore, it is available to us all, for “God is no respecter of persons.”23
Acquiring a testimony of Jesus Christ, however, does not come without effort. One must learn about Him, listen to Him, and come unto Him.
Learn About Him
The Savior invites us, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”24
Listen To Him
Our Lord encourages us, “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.”25 The holy scriptures and living oracles bring us His words, the Holy Spirit brings us His voice.
Come Unto Him
Concurrent with learning and listening, one must come unto Him. The person who does what Jesus says comes to Him. The Savior beckons, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”26John the Beloved counseled, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”27
President David O. McKay observed, “The highest of all ideals are the teachings and particularly the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and that man is most truly great who is most Christlike. What you sincerely in your heart think of Christ will determine what you are, will largely determine what your acts will be. No person can study this divine personality, can accept his teachings without becoming conscious of an uplifting and refining influence within himself.”28
This course leads the contrite and penitent to humility, knowing the Lord gives us a correct perspective of who we are and what we can become. For example, His life did not begin in Bethlehem, and ours did not begin at birth. In the premortal world, He stood as the stalwart advocate of God’s eternal plan, and we stood with Him. In the great War in Heaven, it was by the power of the Firstborn that Lucifer was cast out, and we helped champion that cause. Through Christ, “the worlds are and were created,” and we can therefore achieve our divine potential.
In mortality, He “continued from grace to grace, until he received a fullness,”29 and so can we. Angels attended Him, the Holy Ghost descended upon Him, the woes of all mankind were carried by Him, death was overcome because of Him, and our sins can be forgiven through Him.
To gain an appreciation for the majesty of our Savior, listen to these insights from President J. Reuben Clark, a counselor in the First Presidency many years ago: “It was not a novice, not an amateur, not a Being making a first trial, that came down in the beginning, after the Great Council, with other Gods, and searched out and found the place where there was ‘space,’ and taking of the materials which they found in this ‘space’ they made this world. … We from this point where we stand or float, can see … light-years all around us. A light-year is the distance which light, traveling at the rate of 186,000 miles a second will travel in one year. …
“Where we are moving, how we are moving, how rapidly we go, we do not know. As you look into the heavens you do not see the heavens as they are today. You see them as they were the number of light-years ago when the light therefrom began to come from them to us. If it is a hundred million light-years away, it was a hundred million years ago.”
President Clark continued, “Astronomers now yield … that there may have been many, and probably were, many worlds like ours. … Our Lord is not a novice, he is not an amateur; he has been over this time and time and time again.
“And if you think of this galaxy of ours having within it from the beginning perhaps until now, one million worlds, and multiply that by the number of…galaxies…you will then get some view of who [Jesus Christ] is. …
“Miracles prove he had control of the elements. … He calmed the storm. …
“Jesus had control of the animal kingdom. … At his word they cast their net and it was filled with fish. …
“The vegetable kingdom came under his dominion, also, for he cursed the barren fig tree as he went by. …
“That is the Man we worship. That is the Man who gave us the law that will enable us to fulfill our destiny declared from the very beginning.”30
The Living Christ was sent by God “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”31 Hence, He came to the Prophet Joseph Smith, restored the priesthood, reestablished His Church, and again proclaimed the plan of redemption. Joseph saw Him, conversed with Him, and has left us this transcendent, poetic account of Him:
I beheld round the throne holy angels and hosts,And sanctified beings from worlds that have been,In holiness worshipping God and the Lamb,For ever and ever. Amen and amen.
And now after all of the proofs made of him,By witnesses truly, by whom he was known,This is mine, last of all, that he lives; yea, he lives!And sits at the right hand of God on his throne.
And I heard a great voice bearing record from heav’n,He’s the Saviour and only begotten of God;By him, of him, and through him, the worlds were all made,Even all that [careen] in the heavens so broad.
Whose inhabitants, too, from the first to the last,Are sav’d by the very same Saviour of ours;And, of course, are begotten God’s daughters and sonsBy the very same truths and the very same powers.32
Jesus, the very thought of Thee fills the heart with contrition, love, gratitude, and faith, the hallmarks of humility. I thank God for my testimony of Jesus Christ and pray that yours will be forever strong and unshakeable. He is the well-spring of humility. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
1. Boyd K. Packer, "Counsel to Young Men," General Conference, April 2009.
2.
Deseret News National Edition, 3.31: 3.
3. Thomas S. Monson, "Be Strong and of a Good Courage," General Conference Priesthood Session, April 2014.
4. Thomas S. Monson, "Love—the Essence of the Gospel," General Conference, April 2014.
5. See Matthew 23:37-38.
6. Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Cost—and Blessings—of Discipleship," General Conference, April 2014.
7. Neil L. Andersen, "Spiritual Whirlwinds," General Conference, April 2014.
8. 2 Timothy 3:1-3, 12, 14-15.
9. Keith McMullin, Patriarchal Blessing, 9 October 1960.
10. See Bruce R. McConkie,
Mormon Doctrine, 370.
11. Ether 12:27.
12. D&C 112:10.
13. 2 Timothy 2:22.
14. Mosiah 2:23-24.
15. See D&C 46:8-12.
16. 2 Nephi 9:28-29.
17. See 2 Timothy 1:7 and 3 Nephi 11:29-30.
18. 2 Timothy 2:23.
19. Ether 12:11
20. Bruce R. McConkie,
Mormon Doctrine, 461.
21. 1 John 2:15-17; see also D&C 88:118-125.
22. “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee,”
Hymns, no. 141
23. Acts 10:34.
24. Matthew 11:29.
25. D&C 19:23; see also John 5:39.
26. Matthew 11:28; see also Moroni 10:32-33.
27. 1 John 2:6.
28. David O. McKay,
Conference Report, April 1934, 22-23.
29. D&C 93:13-14.
30. “Who Is Our Savior?”
Improvement Era, Nov. 1962, 798–99; Since President Clark provided these insights, astronomy has greatly expanded its knowledge and available information about solar systems.
31. Moses 1:39.
32. “A Vision,”
Millennial Star, Aug. 1843, 51; see Bruce R. McConkie,
Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. (1966), 65–66; see also D&C 76:21–24.