Farewell Talk
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I have written, and rewritten this talk way too many times, trying to fit far too much into far too little time. I’ve felt a little like Jacob as he tried to convey a similar lesson in a few short verses; “O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life.
12 O be wise; what can I say more?” (Jacob 6:11-12)
This verse finally gave me some direction. I kept getting caught on the word, “wise”. What does it mean to be wise? As I studied that word, and tried to find something sophisticated to say about it, I was left only with a line from a primary song. “The wise man built his house upon the rock.” It is about that rock, and how we can build our faith on it, that I would like to address my remarks.
For the sake of understanding, allow me to please describe one of my favorite kinds of rock. The kind you can climb.
More than most things, I love rock climbing. It gives me the thrill of a conquest, while also giving me a sense of profound peace. I am happy when I climb.
Now, I’ve been very lucky to be able to work at a wonderful Scout camp, Camp Loll, for 5 summers. This last summer, I was able to work in the rock climbing area. I had many incredible experiences there, and I grew a lot.
I spent a lot of time at the top of the rock walls, where I would belay scouts as they rappelled, often for the first time, over a cliff that ranged anywhere from 40 feet to 250 feet. There are two ropes in BSA rappelling, the rappel rope, or rope the scout can uses to control his descent. And the belay rope, that I as the belayer use to moderate, guide, and slow the descent of the boy. So that you all understand the terminology, the belayer is the one who handles the ropes and safety equipment. Rappel means to descend, backwards, off a cliff. And 250 feet is almost as tall as the statue of liberty.
Whether the cliff was 250 feet, or 40 feet, the scouts I worked with were often terrified of the edge, no matter the safety precautions. You could say, they seldom had faith in the ropes, belayer, or the rock.
So, how do we have faith in the rock of the gospel, and the safety system Christ has provided for us? Faith is interesting, in that it is a principle of action. It’s something that we make up our minds to have, even if we don’t understand it. In Alma 32 we read that “faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things”(v21), and that as we test our faith, it can grow into knowledge, and that knowledge can increase and grow brighter until it becomes a perfect knowledge, and will bring us everlasting life.
Isn’t that amazing? That little action, having faith and testing it, can bring us salvation! But Alma also warns us to be careful of what, and in whom we put our faith. Christ tells us very clearly during His ministry in America, in reference to giving the sacrament to those who have repented and been baptized; “And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock.” (3 Nephi 18:12)
That is how we show our faith in Christ, that is how we build upon the rock of His gospel! By keeping His commandments, repenting when we fall short, showing our commitment to Him by being baptized, and enduring in all these things till the end.
Christ through His atonement, in a sense, set up a great safety system that allows us to climb safely into His presence. However, we are all terrible eternal rock climbers. Christ has given us all the instructions we need to reach Him with ease. But because of our pride, the winds of the world, and our lack of faith in Him, we often lose our grip on the rock, and slip away from the path he has set, sometimes swinging into dangerous places.
One time last summer, I was belaying a scout for the his first rappel on the 40 foot wall. He was nervous, and had a little difficulty following my instructions at first. I didn’t worry about it too much. Most kids have a little bit of a rough time at first. I had high hopes for him as he cleared the edge and began his descent, however, about 15 feet down, he began to lose his cool. He forgot my instructions, brought his feet together, and was suddenly blown to the side. He smashed his back into the wall, and began scrambling for some bush or ledge to support him. He had lost his faith in the rope and his belayer. Try as I might, I could not convince him that it was safer to trust me, and he instead tore up his arms and legs in a hopeless attempt to rely on his own strength. He had fallen away from the safe path.
I can only imagine how Christ must get frustrated with me, ALL THE TIME. As I constantly get blown from side to side, and refuse His support. I must be such a headache. But unlike me, Christ has infinite patience. He always provides a way back, if we will but listen to Him. Because of His atonement, that rope and safety equipment is always in place, and so long as we have faith in them, he can bring us back to the path.
The rappel rope is symbolic of our ability to repent. We are all so new at this rock climbing thing, we will inevitably slip, just like that scout. But all we have to do to return to safety is follow Christ’s directions, by recognizing our sin, exercising our faith by confessing and forsaking our sin in prayer, and then doing all we can to avoid that mistake in the future. The Lord promises us, in Doctrine and Covenants 1:32 that, “he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven.”
Now, frequently throughout the scriptures we find the command to “repent and be baptized” so that we might be saved. Baptism is considered the entrance to the straight and narrow path. I like to think of it, and the renewal of the baptismal covenant through the sacrament, as a way for us to demonstrate our faith and commitment to repent. Going back to the scout we left dangling on the cliff. As I would give him instruction, he would sometimes try to follow parts of it. But no matter how well he placed his feet or hands, he would not show enough faith to sit back into his harness and trust the rope. Though I could’ve lowered him without his doing that, we require that final action to signify that the boy is really ready and safe to lower. Similarly, I think that baptism, and taking the sacrament are both very important symbols to our Father that we are willing to complete the repentance process by being born again, and covenanting to be obedient and to remember the savior.
To finish that story, we did finally help that scout off the cliff. After three hours of instruction, pleading, and some bribery, we finally convinced him to sit into his harness. After that is was terribly easy. With my instructions, and the assistance of the belay rope, he was able to navigate the wall with only a few minor mistakes. The whole debacle was finished, and I was finally able to rest my cramped hands.
Now, we’re told that once we’re baptized, we are then baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost, who then can guide us through the rest of our life, so long as we remain where it can be present, and don’t offend it. The belay rope reminds me of that gift. Both the Holy Ghost and the Belay rope provide guidance, safety, and serve as a connection back to your belayer. The important thing is to stay near the route the belay line was placed, or it significantly loses its value, and can’t protect you as well.
After that long ordeal, I honestly hoped I’d never see that kid again. There’s another reason why Christ is so incredible to each of us. I can’t even comprehend the love He has for me. But despite my desire, the next day, at the same time, that scout came back to my station to rappel again. I won’t tell you what sort of things passed through my head when he showed up. But it was my job, so I attached the ropes, double checked the safety equipment, and very thoroughly reminded him of the rules. He then proceeded over the edge with confidence. He did slip once or twice on the way, but he had finally learned to put his faith in the ropes and in me. He rappelled 4 more times that day, until he descended perfectly. This, more than anything, served as a reminder to me of the beauty of Christ’s atonement. No matter how many times, or how badly we make our mistakes, if we have faith and endure to the end in keeping the commandments of God, we can become better. I believe that we can continue to improve in that way until we are lifted into perfection on that final, beautiful day.
It’s all a big cycle. The eternal round. As we constantly strive to improve and endure to the end, we are in the process of building our house, or our life on the rock of Christ. It’s beautiful.
I bear testimony of Christ, of His gospel, and of His doctrine which is the rock we ought to build on. I believe that by faith in that rock, through repentance, the covenant made at baptism and renewed with the sacrament, following the guidance of the Holy Ghost, and by continuing that cycle of progress throughout our lives we can endure to the end and become perfected in Him. It’s beautiful, and I pray that I might be able to teach that message in a manner pleasing to the Lord, to the people of Iowa. The gospel is true. I know that, and I challenge each of you to exercise faith and test that truth. Read the Book of Mormon and pray for it’s truth to be unfolded to you. I have, and I can testify that it is true and will bring you true happiness. These things I say and pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Additional Resources:
3 Nephi 14:21-27
3 Nephi 11:23
3 Nephi 11:14
Mosiah 18:8-9
True to the Faith: Repentance
My Grace is Sufficient, Brad Wilcox
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