Farewell Talk

Growing up, I was never the biggest kid. There was always someone who has bigger, stronger or taller than me. I played competitive soccer and this turned out to be a bit of a problem. Because of this, my Dad would always tell me that what I lacked in size, I needed to make up for it with my speed, quickness, effort, or mental toughness. This soon became two words. Play Big! When I gained this mentality of playing big, I felt like I was not only more effective on the field, but I was also more confident in my abilities and myself. I then had a competitive edge over my opponents.

So for a minute I would like to compare life to a sports game. And in this giant game of life our opponents are bigger, stronger, and smarter than all of us, and Satan, the opposing teams coach, has told his players to play dirty, and cheap, and to do whatever is necessary to make us fail. If we do not find a competitive edge over these opponents, ultimately we will fail.

Elder Jeffery R. Holland said this in the priesthood session in the October 2011 conference...

"This is a life-and-death contest we are in, young men, so I am going to get in your face a little, nose to nose, with just enough fire in my voice to singe your eyebrows a little—the way coaches do when the game is close and victory means everything. And with the game on the line, what this coach is telling you is that to play in this match, some of you have to be more morally clean than you now are. In this battle between good and evil, you cannot play for the adversary whenever temptation comes along and then expect to suit up for the Savior at temple and mission time as if nothing has happened. That, my young friends, you cannot do. God will not be mocked. So we have a dilemma tonight, you and I. It is that there are thousands of Aaronic Priesthood–age young men already on the records of this Church who constitute our pool of candidates for future missionary service. But the challenge is to have those deacons, teachers, and priests stay active enough and worthy enough to be ordained elders and serve as missionaries. So we need young men already on the team to stay on it and stop dribbling out of bounds just when we need you to get in the game and play your hearts out!"

This quote does not just apply to the future missionaries of the church; it can also be applied to each and every one of us on a daily basis. So the question that comes to mind is, how can we stay active enough and worthy enough to play our hearts out so we can defeat the opponents we face everyday? I suggest we use the same strategy I used to beat my opponents on the soccer field. Play Big! I would now like to share how I gained this mentality on the field, and more importantly, off the field.

The first thing we need to do is buy into our coaches system. I have had the opportunity to play for many different teams in my life and each has taught me different formations, plays, and even rules. I have found that when I stopped complaining about how the coach did this or how the coach did that, and truly committed myself to what they were teaching, I learned a lot more, and my overall experience was much better. In the Introduction of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith writes, “The Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than any other book.” The key word in this statement is abiding. Without a desire to abide by the principles being taught, without a desire to read the scriptures everyday, without a desire to pray everyday, without a desire to go to church every week, the Lord cannot help us. He wants to help you and let you know the “mysteries of Him,” but he is not going to give you something that you don’t truly want.

The next step is to prepare ourselves and I believe this is the most important step because this is where we take our mentality and our desire and turn it into action! To prepare for this for any contest we must train and condition ourselves until we are fit for the fight. As athletes we train and condition ourselves for our games. This requires a constant effort. We all know that you cant expect to run 15 miles one day and expect to be in shape the rest of the month. To be in shape requires you to run and lift everyday. Only then will you be in top shape. Spiritually conditioning yourself is very closely related. We can’t expect to read the scriptures or pray once a month and find ourselves in tune with the spirit. It takes a constant effort of reading the scriptures everyday, praying everyday, and going to church every week. Only then will you fully be in tune with the spirit and be ready to face temptation at anytime. President Monson said this, “When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation has past.” When a temptation hits us, we are not going to have time to think. You need to know exactly how to conquer it when it arrives; I believe this can only be done with the constant help of the Holy Ghost.

Finally, Its game time! Its time to show everyone that all that hard work has paid off! And I believe this is where I can no longer compare life to a game, because in any big game I have ever played in, I have been nervous. I have been nervous about the end result, and I have been nervous about if I have prepared myself enough to be able to compete for my team, but in life, in the most important battle, this battle between good and evil, I’m not nervous. I know that although I will never be anywhere close to being prepared enough for this fight, and I will mess up plenty of times along the way, I also know that my teammates, Jesus Christ, God the Father, The Holy Ghost, and all of you who love and support me, will always cover me! You will always have my back in times of trial and need. So don’t be scared to fail! Have confidence in yourself and confidence in your ability to do good! In Mathew 5:16 we read, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which are in heaven.” As long as your works glorify your father in heaven, you have nothing to be afraid of! So let your light shine! The last quote I will be sharing today is from Nelson Mandela. It is my favorite quote and I have tried hard to live by it throughout my life. Nelson says,

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Brothers and Sisters it is our responsibility to stand up for what is right in life, and life Brother Mandela says, “As you let your light shine, you unconsciously give other people permission to do the same!” I know from experience that is you stand up for what is right in life; you will never be standing alone! Whether it is one of your friends who takes your side or Jesus Christ himself, some one will always have your back!

I would just like to end with my testimony that I know this gospel is true and I know that this church is the only true church on the earth today. When I was younger, It used to bother me when people would come up to the pulpit and say they knew the church was true, because I didn’t think it was possible to absolutely know. Well now I know that I was wrong, because I learned this this gospel is true by doing this steps I just talked about and If you really want to know if this church and this gospel are true, I would invite you to do the same. I know that Jesus Christ atoned for our sins and made it possible to return to our Father in heaven. The atonement is an amazing thing and I know it works! I have not only seen it work in my own life, but in the lives of many others as well. I know the Book of Mormon is the truest book on the earth today and a man really can come closer to God if he is willing to have a desire to learn from the book. I know Joseph Smith was and still is a true prophet of God. No man would be willing to go through or able to go through without God helping him along the way. I love my friends very much and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without their influence in my life. They have always been there for me in my time of need and I am thankful for that. I love my family very much and I can only pray that my brothers and sister keep becoming the great people they are becoming. I am thankful for the most amazing parents! They have set a great example for me and I hope I can one day be just like them. I love all of you and thank you all for you for the love and support. I really do have the such great family and friends! I say this, in Jesus name. Amen!