As I was descending the final steps towards leaving the beautiful country of Brazil and returning home after a two-year missionary service, I had one distinct question in my mind: "What did I learn?" Almost immediately as the question came one of the most spiritual experiences overcame my senses and my vision flushed as I heard the words "God loves His children". Almost simultaneously I heard the same voice telling me to learn to love His children too and I would be blessed. Since that February of 2011 my mission ended and began all over again with new people and new places.
I am immensely grateful to be a part of Brigham Young University-Idaho. With all the boldness and conviction of my heart I would not trade receiving my education here for any other university in the world (and that is not stated with complete ignorance to the prestigious universities/colleges of our time). I have been a student here for merely a year and have almost instantly perceived the quality of education we are receiving as well as the immensity of opportunity to grow as a leader and a more faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. But for me, above all the blessings I have thus far received, nothing has compared to the experience of creating, developing, and cultivating relationships amongst one another as peers, students, and as brothers and sisters. As I continue to meet different people and exchange ideas, thoughts, passions, interests, beliefs, stances, experiences, the very words of the Lord that I heard the day I was leaving my mission echoes in my heart, “God love’s His children”. And as this conviction has unfolded in my own heart and mind, I have sincerely begun to love His children more and more in Christ-like ways. The Lord blesses me for it and strengthens my soul in my personal efforts to do and be better.
I have experienced solitude, depression, hopelessness, frustration, anger, and the bitterness/loneliness of being cast alone just as many of the people around me. But EVERY SINGLE DAY I am learning how important relationships are for us, not just as human beings, but as heirs and heiresses to God. If relationships are eternally significant then we can most definitely conclude that communication is the bridge in which those relationships are sparked and formed. Those who know me well enough around campus have probably heard me recommend they take a communications class (specifically on interpersonal theory) that they may become better communicators. It is because I sincerely believe that it is the means for which we develop relationships with one another that we may better be able to fulfill the commandment God gave to us to love one another. With that being said, I must make a significant note that because communications were severed and interfered with, the Tower of Babel was not only no longer able to be completed but nations, kindreds, and tongues were born into the world. If one were to really think about it, the majority (if not all) the wars, perplexities, and conflicts of friends, families, states, and nations began and endured because of a problem with communication. This tells us how vital it is that we develop the correct tools and instruments to become better at sending and receiving messages one unto another.
As I study more of the news reports, political debates, commercial and media angles, and what types of things consume our time most on a daily basis, I grow concerned primarily for my future family and secondly for the people whom I have grown to love more through spending time with them (friends and family). But I also marvel in gratitude at the opportunity we will all have to use our creativity, ingenuity, intelligence, and discernment to guide our families and communities in marvelous ways. We are living in a time where we can no longer stand on middle ground and remain complacent about the world and it’s whirlwind of ideas and doctrine. We can no longer simply “go with the flow” and follow the standards of education, for example, that our communities and society sets. We have to come together and not only fight for the righteous values and standards the Lord has set, we have to create alternatives and solutions to open up doors for those who seek after righteous blessings. For example, as I was thinking about what kinds of things I would allow my children to watch as they grow in their lives, I thought how destructive, mindless, and uneducated the entertainment of our days are becoming. But instead of complaining about this or censoring everything they come across, I thought how unique and creative it would be if groups of righteous people would begin to make better quality movies and shows to compete in the market of “bad ideas”, at least giving some the choice to watch good, wholesome entertainment. It’s one simple idea, but an example of how we have to become more proactive and seekers of righteous living as opposed to simply waiting or expecting blessings to be delivered to us based out of entitlement.
I am grateful to be living in our time and to have been taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. Of course like all of you I cannot admit to living a perfectly righteous life and even to the expectations I have had for myself. But I have grown more satisfied and happy with my personal efforts and faith to continue to push forward and look to the Light of our Redeemer. Life is meant to teach us to be happy, not after we die, but now. But we cannot expect to learn such principles on our own when each and every one of us are like tiny puzzle pieces to God’s grand design; we must learn to interconnect and bond with one another as brothers and sisters no matter our lifestyles, beliefs, ideas, appearances, or views. We must learn to embrace all truth and seek for the truth in others, for we are all God’s children, heirs of Truth itself. We must learn to develop the light and gifts given to us by seeking and acting upon opportunities to change and better the world around us instead of expecting it to change merely because we demand it to. And most of all, we must learn to cultivate love in our hearts by choosing actively to spend time with the people around us. Man’s creations are magnificent in the respect that they were all inspired truths developed by the talents and gifts of men. But man/woman is God’s greatest creation, so we should spend a little more time with His masterpiece and less time with man’s. I write this with much love and hope for my brothers and sisters in this wonderful world and do so in the name of our Creator, Jesus Christ, amen.
