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This past week I have been attending the faculty orientation meetings at Ricks College where one of the professors related that he had a computer program that would pull up scriptures from an index word such as 'faith' or 'sin'. Because he was a teacher, he had decided to use 'teach' or 'teacher' as the index word and was surprised to find that there are 450 scriptures dealing with this subject in the standard works. Knowing I had been invited to speak here today, prompted me to give great thought to this subject because I became acquainted with Elizabeth as her teacher. Now Elizabeth has become the teacher and is going forth to teach students of the gospel in our nation's capital, Washington D.C. What a wonderful opportunity, Elizabeth. I am very proud of you for accepting this call to serve a mission. I think you will discover, if you haven't already, that teaching can be a rewarding as well as a frightening experience, and it should be approached with constant prayer and tremendous preparation. A prophet has said, when you enter into the hearts of those you teach, you stand in holy places.
As I considered what a seasoned teacher might say to a new teacher, I reread the words of Christ, the greatest of all teachers, when he was asked to come up with the greatest of all teachings. In Matthew 22: 37-40 Jesus answered the pharisee saying, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Love the Lord thy God means to prayerfully seek knowledge and wisdom. It has been said, "The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: Be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge." No one should be satisfied with the luxury of being content with his own knowledge.
The Doctrine and Covenants tells us: in 95:36---"The glory of God is intelligence", and in 131:16---"It is impossible for man to be saved in ignorance", and in 130:18,19---"Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." Milton puts it simply and beautifully. "The end of learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love Him, and to imitate Him." It is our obligation to study to know God, and through prayer, we receive the divine guidance to achieve this very thing-to know Him, to love Him, and to imitate Him.
We are counseled to fill our study with wisdom. Proverbs 4:7 states, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all they getting get understanding" It was this very counsel from James 1:5 that moved Joseph Smith, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him."
Don't be afraid to ask anything of a missionary companion or mission president, of a bishop or the Lord. Then listen for the Holy Spirit to verify the answer. A Persian philosopher being asked by what method he had acquired so much knowledge, answered, "By not being prevented by shame from asking questions when I was ignorant." Those who don't know talk, and those who know listen. those who listen ponder. Keep a journal because it is wise. Writing down one's feelings helps to focus thoughts and ponder on them. Francis Bacon once said, "Reading maketh a full man; discourse a ready man, and writing an exact man."
Jesus said the second commandment included loving thyself. So often we are not kind to ourselves. Don't hesitant to praise yourself for your efforts. There is nothing wrong with saying to yourself, "I do this well, so I can help someone else learn to do it well." One cannot kindle a fire in any other heart until it is burning in one's own. Perhaps the most famous lines Shakespeare ever wrote were, "This above all--to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man." President David O. McKay put it even shorter, "Be honest with thyself."
Each of us has divine potential, but we must be careful as we stamp earthly value on ourselves. The challenges we respond to are self-chosen. God gave us that free agency--thus, man is made great or little by his own will through his own eyes. Love of self and mastery of self are partners. When you love yourself, you can love anyone else. When you master yourself, you are ready to help others master themselves through your example. If you are learning to know God, help others learn to know God. Remember in each of us lie the opportunities of an archangel, just as the potential to become a majestic oak lies enfolded in the acorn.
As you know God and love yourself, you will lose yourself in service. Work hard. Here are some comments by great people concerning work:
"There are three rules for success. The first is: Go on. The second is: Go on. And the third is: Go on." (Crane)
"The faith that really moves mountains does not disdain to employ dynamite and steam shovels." (Muir)
The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight; But they, while their companions slept Were toiling upwards in the night. (Longfellow)
Thoreau tells us even if we build castles in the air, our work is not lost if we work to put foundations under them.
To put away aimlessness and weakness, and begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully. (James Allen)
I have no fear. What is in store for me Shall find me ready for it undismayed, God grant my only cowardice may be, Afraid--to be afraid! (Edward Jack Appleton.)
When we decide to climb a very tall mountain, it is impossible to see all of the trail from the ground. We must climb a portion first, then orient ourselves as to where we have been and where we are going. Then we climb again. We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths; in feelings, not in figures on the dial; we should count time by heart throbs and work.
And as we work we must have patience. One battle all teachers share is to have commitment to the standards and commitment to the students. Every Sunday School or Primary teacher has had the days when they either sacrificed parts of the lesson or the comfort of the students. Sometimes there is need to drive through the subject matter at any cost, but sometimes there is need to nurture fragile investments of the student at the expense of the subject matter. This dual responsibility for teachers to be both coach and judge is the most difficult part of being a teacher. Kindness and effort do not always produce achievement, for man cannot serve two masters. Compromise is not the answer either. The janitor doesn't get paid for cleaning a floor if the floor isn't clean---no matter how hard he tried, nor would we want to have brain surgery from the student who was given a license without being able to do the surgery just because his effort were satisfactory. We cannot gain admittance into the Celestial kingdom without baptism just because we tried hard to get ready to be baptized.
Jesus mastered the art of putting opposite ends into a bigger circle and taught without compromise of the principle or the individual. He did this when he told the accusers to cast the first stone at the adulteress. He did this when he told the Pharisees to render unto Caesar what was Caesar's. And He did this when he told of the wedding with invitation for everyone to come but rejected the man who did not dress properly for the wedding. Jesus did not compromise truth. This is the real challenge of a teacher. She must love the student with all the compassion she possesses, but never waiver in the truths even if it hurts them. Many times students do not accept the gifts we try generously to give, but---just because they are not as excited as we are about the pearls we try to share---this doesn't make them swine. A teacher's job is to get the subject matter to bend and form inside the heart of the learner without any change in the subject content. This takes effort and patience.
Once there was a herd of pigs living freely on the land. Many men had tried to capture them because they were big and strong and desirable. Trappers had tried traps, and drives, and lassos---but nothing had worked. Finally, a newcomer put in his bid to try. Everyone laughed because the newcomer was a very small city type of person. He didn't know the land or even the temperament and nature of the pigs, but he insisted on trying. He began by taking food our to the pigs. At first they were hesitant but after several weeks and they were sure he was well away from the food, they did eat. The young man continued to give food to the pigs, day after day, until it became their habit to eat. Then he began to leave poles laying on the ground one by one. There seemed to be no threat to the pole laying on the ground so the pigs continued to come to feed. Eventually, the young man began to put the poles into the ground and connect the poles, only one each day. The poles were easy to go around, so the pigs continued to feed. The poles and crossbars began to be placed in a circle and each day the size of the opening decrease slightly, but there was still an opening, so the pigs continued to feed. The opening was closed, only a little at a time so the pigs continued to come in to feed. The crossbars formed nearly full circle now but always with an open gate, so the pigs walked around to the gate and in to feed. Then one day while the pigs were feeding, the young man stepped quietly up to the gate and slipped in the last pole. The fence was completed. The young man had been patient. The pigs were his.
People too can be fenced in, a little at a time--but it takes patience.
I would like to bear testimony that I know God lives. I know that Joseph Smith had to restore the church so the work could go forth. I know this church is His tool to spread the gospel throughout the world. I know the message Elizabeth will be teaching is the word of God. Elizabeth is more than a delightful student--she is special. She already has a relationship with God and she knows how to work hard for the things she believes. She must work against discouragement because sometimes she is hard on herself and sometimes not patient, but I know that she will be blessed for this decision to serve. I hope these four points of counsel---know God, love Self, work hard, and be patient will help her on her mission as well as us in our life at home. I know there are students out there waiting to let Elizabeth into their hearts, and that, as their teacher, Elizabeth will stand in holy places as I did when she was in my classroom. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.