The Savior's Road Map
By Leslie Weber
Leslie started her lesson. By asking the sisters how many of them had
been to Yellowstone? She then related a time that their family went on a family
vacation to Yellowstone. On their way
she was looking at a pamphlet which had a map on it. As she looked at it she noticed another road.
This road looked like it would be much
faster which would allow them to get to the camp ground and be all set up
before dark. She suggested to the Bishop that they should take this road. He
agreed so they did. It usually takes
about 6 hours to get to Yellowstone from Saratoga Springs, but it took over 10
hours. Leslie just wanted to cry if only they had stayed on the original road
they would have been there before dark. Sometimes it’s hard to keep our eyes on
the road back to our Savior. We might wonder on and off the road, but if we
will try to do our best to stay on the path back to Him we will be blessed.
Leslie asked the sisters where we
get the most current information to help us stay on our road back to our Savior? The ladies suggested conference talks. She
suggested that we should not just listen to conference twice a year, but we
should listen to it often. Use it in our family home evenings and in our daily
lives. It is our modern day scriptures and each time we listen or read it
guides us back to our Savior.
We discussed Bishop Gary E.
Stevenson’s conference talk “Your Four Minutes”.
“The recent Olympic Winter Games enthralled the world as
athletes representing 89 countries competed in 98 different events. Remarkably,
10 of these athletes were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3
of whom earned medals recently highlighted in the Church News:
Christopher Fogt, Noelle Pikus-Pace, and Torah Bright.1 We offer our congratulations
to all of the athletes who competed. Well done!
I speak of these games this
morning directing my thoughts to young men, young women, and young single
adults—you who are in your critical years which set the course for your life. I
feel a great sense of urgency in addressing you.
For you to feel that urgency,
I first share the story of Noelle Pikus-Pace, one of those Latter-day Saint
athletes. In Noelle’s event, the skeleton, athletes build momentum as they
sprint and then plunge headfirst on a small sled. With their faces inches above
the ground, they race down a winding, icy track at speeds that top 90 miles (145
km) an hour.
Remarkably, years of
preparation would be considered either a success or a disappointment based on
what happened in the space of four intense 60-second runs.
Noelle’s previous 2006
Olympic dreams were dashed when a terrible accident left her with a broken leg.
In the 2010 Olympics her dreams fell short again when just over one-tenth of a
second kept her from the medal stand.2
Can you imagine the anxiety
she felt as she waited to begin her first run in the 2014 Olympics? Years of
preparation would culminate in only a sliver of time. Four minutes total. She
spent years preparing for those four minutes and would spend a lifetime
afterward reflecting on them.
Noelle’s final runs were
virtually flawless! We will never forget her leap into the stands to embrace
her family after crossing the finish
line, exclaiming, “We did it!” Years of preparation had paid off. We saw her
Young Women medallion around her neck as the silver medal was placed there
beside it.3
It may seem unfair that
Noelle’s entire Olympic dreams hinged on what she did during just four brief
minutes. But she knew it, and that is why she prepared so diligently. She
sensed the magnitude, the urgency of her four minutes, and what they would mean
for the rest of her life.
We also remember Christopher
Fogt, a member of the team that won the bronze medal in the four-man bobsled
race. While he could have given up after a devastating crash in the 2010
Olympics, he chose to persevere. After a fantastic, redemptive run, he won the
prize he so diligently sought.4
Now, consider how your
pathway to eternal life is similar to these athletes’ “four-minute performance.”
You are an eternal being. Before you were born, you existed as a spirit. In the
presence of a loving Heavenly Father, you trained and prepared to come to earth
for a brief moment and, well, perform. This life is your four minutes. While
you are here, your actions will determine whether you win the prize of eternal
life. The prophet Amulek described, “This life is the time … to prepare to
meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day … to perform [your]
labors.”5
In a sense, your four minutes
have already begun. The clock is ticking. The words of the Apostle Paul seem so
fitting: to run the race, that you may obtain the prize.6
In the same way that certain
steps are essential in the very brief performance of an Olympic athlete—jumps
or maneuvers for ice skaters and snowboarders, negotiating the turns of a
bobsled run, or carving through the gates of a downhill slalom course—so it is
in our lives, where certain things are absolutely essential—checkpoints which
move us through our spiritual performance on earth. These spiritual markers are
the essential God-given ordinances of the gospel: baptism, receiving the
gift of the Holy
Ghost, priesthood ordinations, temple ordinances, and partaking of the sacrament each week.
And in the same way that the
discipline of training prepares an athlete to perform elements in his or her
sport at the highest level, keeping the commandments will qualify you to receive
these saving ordinances.
Do you sense the urgency?
My young friends, wherever
you are in your “four-minute performance,” I urge you to ponder, “What do I
need to do next to ensure my medal?” Perhaps during this conference, the Spirit
has whispered to you what that may be: to prepare more thoughtfully for an
ordinance in your future or to receive an ordinance that you should have
received a long time ago. Whatever it may be, do it now. Don’t wait. Your four
minutes will pass quickly, and you’ll have eternity to think about what you did
in this life.8
Self-discipline is needed.
Daily prayer, scripture study, and church attendance must be the foundation of
your training. A consistent pattern of obeying the commandments, keeping the
covenants you have made, and following the Lord’s standard found in For the
Strength of Youth is required.
Perhaps you’re aware of
things in your life that are threatening to slow or stop your spiritual
progress. If so, follow this scriptural counsel: “Let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us.”9
It is not yet too late to
repent. But it soon may be, because no one really knows when your four minutes
will be over.
Now, you may be thinking to
yourself, “I already blew it. My four minutes are already a disaster. I may as
well give up.” If so, stop thinking that, and never think it again. The miracle
of the Atonement can make up for imperfections in our performance. As Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland has taught:
“To those of you … who
may still be hanging back, … I testify of the renewing power of God’s love
and the miracle of His grace. …
Remember, you are not alone.
The Savior has promised that He will not leave you comfortless.11 You also have family,
friends, and leaders who are cheering you on.
Although my remarks have been
directed to the youth of the Church, for parents and grandparents, I offer the
following:
Recently, Elder David A.
Bednar described a simple way to conduct a family assessment to mark progress
on the covenant path by essential ordinances. All that is needed is a piece of
paper with two columns: “name” and “plan for next or needful ordinance.” I did
this recently, listing each family member. Among them, I noted an infant
grandson, soon to be blessed; a six-year-old grandson, whose preparation for
baptism was essential; and a son turning 18, whose preparation for the priesthood
and temple endowment was imminent. Everyone on the list needed the sacrament
ordinance. This simple exercise assisted Lesa and me in fulfilling our role to
help each member of our family along the covenant path, with an action plan for
each of them. Perhaps this is an idea for you which will lead to family
discussions, family home evening lessons, preparation, and even invitations for
essential ordinances in your family.12
As a skier and a snowboarder
myself, I was deeply impressed with the “four-minute” silver medal-winning
performance of Australian LDS athlete and snowboarder Torah Bright in the
half-pipe competition. She dazzled the world as she finished a virtually
flawless run culminating in a backside rodeo 720. However, even more impressive
and surprising to the world was the way she reached out and demonstrated
Christlike love to her competitors. She noticed that American snowboarder Kelly
Clark, who had a bad first run in her final round, appeared to be nervous about
her second run. “She gave me a hug,” Clark recalls. “She just held me until I
actually calmed down enough and I slowed my breathing. It was good to have a
hug from a friend.” Kelly Clark would later join Torah on the winners’ podium
as a bronze medalist.
When asked about this unusual
act of kindness toward her opponent, which could have put her own silver medal
at risk, Torah simply said, “I am a competitor—I want to do my best—but I want
my fellow competitors to do their best, too.”13
With that in mind, is there
someone who needs your encouragement? a family member? a friend? a classmate or
fellow quorum member? How can you help them with their four minutes?
Dear friends, you are in the
midst of an exhilarating journey. In some ways, you are racing down the
half-pipe or sled track, and it can be challenging to perform each element or
navigate each turn along the way. But remember, you’ve prepared for this for
millennia. This is your moment to perform. This is your four minutes! The time
is now!
I express my utmost
confidence in your abilities. You have the Savior of the world on your side. If
you seek His help and follow His directions, how can you fail?
I conclude with my testimony
of the blessing we have in a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and of
Jesus Christ and His role as our Savior and Redeemer, in His holy name, Jesus
Christ, amen.”
Leslie ended with the question, what will do with your four
minutes?
