Sustainability

A few weeks ago I was asked to speak in church and for any that have an interest here is the main body of the speech that I gave.

As we all know, the current state of the world is in an uneasy and unsecure position. The economic crisis, as many are calling it, has disrupted lives and business in countless ways. The political unrest and turmoil in many parts of the world, even in our own country, makes negotiation and compromise difficult and even unwelcome. War and the fear of war are raging throughout the world. Even in our own communities we see poverty, desperation, and need in countless instances. During these times of unrest we all seem to be looking for any glimmer of hope that might present itself in some shape or form. It may seem like we are facing days that seem unpredictable and even terrifying; that the “golden era” in which we were living is over.

My mind has been pondering the idea of sustainability and how it associates with my personal growth and development. The word “sustain” as defined by Merriam Webster is: “to give support or relief to; to supply with sustenance, nourish; keep up, prolong; to support the weight of, to carry or withstand, to buoy up; to support as true, legal, or just; to allow or admit as valid; to support by adequate proof.” Often times we use the phrase “endure to the end” as a way to describe this idea and sustainability is a condition for enduring to the end. We can not hope to endure without being sustained and sustainable.

In his speech The Test, Pres. Boyd K. Packer relates how in the early days of the church the Saints underwent many malicious and cruel events at the hand of their neighbors and countrymen. In the face of these events they sought to be sustained by the government which many had helped create and defend. They received “no pity and were turned away.” They had no one else to appeal to and so they turned westward and left behind all that they knew to start a new home in the desert.

When Jesus was teaching in Galilee he fed five thousand with a few fishes and some loaves of bread. The next time he taught was in Capernaum and this time he did not feed the disciples who came to hear him with bread made from flour but rather he gave them that bread which if man eat they shall hunger no more. In response to his sermon many of the disciples who were expecting temporal food said, “'This is a hard saying; who can hear it?' Christ replied 'Doth this offend you?' From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, 'Will ye also go away?' Then Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life'” (John 6:60 – 68).

And so it is, the Saints in Illinois were sustained by no one except the God in whom they believed and whom they loved. The prophet Isaiah talks about how the Lord’s “hand is stretched out still” (Isaiah 9:21). Not only does the Lord, himself, sustain his children, but he has sent prophets to lead and guide his Saints today. Pres. Packer states at the beginning of this General Conference address:

It is my purpose to show that in troubled times the Lord has always prepared a safe way ahead. We live in those ‘perilous times’ which the Apostle Paul prophesied would come in the last days. If we are to be safe individually, as families, and secure as a church, it will be through ‘obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

Pres. Packer speaks of a celebration that the Saints had in 1849 held to remember their settling in the Salt Lake Valley. He states:

It may seem puzzling, incredible almost beyond belief, that for the theme of this first celebration they chose patriotism and loyalty to that same government which had rejected and failed to assist them. What could they have been thinking of? If you can understand why, you will understand the power of the teachings of Christ.

President Brigham Young led a grand procession to Temple Square.
He was followed by the Twelve Apostles and the Seventy. Then followed 24 young men and in their right hand, of all things, each carried a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. The Declaration of Independence was read by one of those young men. Next came 24 young women and each carried a Bible and a Book of Mormon. Almost but not quite as amazing as their choice of patriotism for a theme was what came next: 24 aged sires (as they were called) led by patriarch Isaac Morley. They were known as the Silver Greys—all 60 years of age or older. One carried the Stars and Stripes. These men were a symbol of the priesthood.

Pres. Packer calls these three groups of people (the 24 young men, 24 young women, and the 24 aged sires) “symbolic and prophetic.” A little meaning as to why he calls them this may be found in the follow passages of scripture.

“That law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me (D&C 98:5).

“We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law (Articles of Faith 12).

“Behold, I am God; give heed unto my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my words” (D&C 6:2).

“Which priesthood continueth in the church of God in all generations, and is without beginning of days or end of years” (D&C 84:17).

One would think that, compelled by force of human nature, the Saints would seek revenge, but something much stronger than human nature prevailed. The Apostle Paul explained: ‘The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. . . . We have the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:14). That Spirit defined those early members of the Church as followers of Christ. If you can understand a people so long-suffering, so tolerant, so forgiving, so Christian after what they had suffered, you will have unlocked the key to what a Latter-day Saint is. Rather than being consumed with revenge, they were anchored to revelation.

These Saints of which Pres. Packer speaks were sustained by the Lord because they were sustainable. They were true Disciples of Christ. First they possessed a degree of Charity, and second they followed the prophet. These two principles sustained them and they will sustain us today in these times of crisis.

Elder Robert D. Hales stated in his most recent General Conference address Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship:

Some people mistakenly think responses such as silence, meekness, forgiveness, and bearing humble testimony are passive or weak. But, to ‘love [our]enemies, bless them that curse [us], do good to them that hate [us], and pray for them which despitefully use [us], and persecute [us]’ (Matthew 5:44) takes faith, strength, and, most of all, Christian courage.

When we do not retaliate—when we turn the other cheek and resist feelings of anger—we too stand with the Savior. We show forth His love, which is the only power that can subdue the adversary and answer our accusers without accusing them in return. That is not weakness. That is Christian courage.

And in my words I call it Humility.

To further be sustainable it is necessary to have prophets who guide us in God’s will and receive revelation from Him. Pres. Packer states:

We are guided by the same revelations and led by a prophet (as were the earlier Saints). When the Prophet Joseph Smith died, another took his place. The order of succession continues today. President Monson is ideally suited for the challenges of our day. He is sustained by two counselors and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—all prophets, seers, and revelators.

I do not know all things, and my understanding of that which I do know is very small and finite. I will add that I do not completely understand God’s love, but I can say that I can and do see the evidence of God’s love all around. I will witness of Him and his love and that it is true because I see the evidence of it in my life and in the lives of people I know and in the world. As the prophet Alma states: “all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30: 44).

Where some choose to doubt, I choose to believe, and that makes all of the difference. Faith is a precursor to all knowledge. Just because many in the fields of science, industry and media call faith by a different name, scientific method or hypothesis, doesn’t make it any less valid or reliable. The principles of these scientific tools are similar to what faith is: a belief in something not seen (Heb. 11: 1; Alma 32: 21). We can see the evidence of faith in all things if we have the ears to hear and the eyes to see. Choosing to believe and recognizing God makes us sustainable.

Pres. Packer concludes his remarks by stating:

That same Lucifer who was cast out of our Father’s presence is still at work. He, with the angels who followed him, will trouble the work of the Lord and destroy it if he can. But we will stay on course. We will anchor ourselves as families and as a church to these principles and ordinances. Whatever tests lie ahead, and they will be many, we must remain faithful and true. ‘The standard of truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing.’