President McKay, My Beloved Brothers And...

President McKay, my beloved brothers and sisters, both seen and unseen, my heart has been greatly touched during this conference. I have felt the Spirit of the Lord, and I too seek an interest in the divine Spirit as I now give some of the thoughts that have been upon my mind these past days. I invite the listening audience to seek that same Spirit in order that we might be touched together in the things that I attempt to say. ¶

Message Of Unfinished House

About two miles from our former home in California, the framework of a house stood unfinished for several years. It was beautiful. It was in a very lovely location. The plan of the house was interesting, and the material out of which the framework had been built seemed quite satisfactory. ¶

As I continued to drive past the house month after month on my way to work, I noticed that the lumber was gradually changing color — first a faded yellow, then a darker yellow; light brown, then a darker brown; until at the close of the first year the framework appeared to be almost black. ¶

Not only was the color changing, but with each passing day the skeleton of the unfinished house became more articulate, until one day it actually seemed to speak to me. So challenging was its message, I know I shall never forget it. Like the voice from across the centuries, the blackened structure seemed to ask: ". . . which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? ¶

"Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, ¶

"Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish." (Luke 14:28-30.) ¶

Building Completed Lives

The message was being hurled directly at me and, I think, at all others who had sworn, regardless of cost, to build a completed life. Have we stood by this promise, whether the houses of our lives were large or small? Are our lives each day completed structures? Or have the tempting challenge of the crowd and the worries of depressing moments caused us to become slack in our work? Do our lives now stand before the world as half-finished skeletons of the beautiful houses we had sworn to build? ¶

The voice continued to speak: ". . . what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? ¶

"Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. ¶

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. ¶

". . . He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Luke 14:31-33, 35.) ¶

Hunger After Righteousness

This voice of warning suggests, I feel, one of the most vital teachings of the Savior. If we really want to build well, the first thing we must do is to have faith in God and in his Son Jesus Christ, admit our weaknesses through repentance, and then seek baptism by those having proper authority in order that we might "come unto him." ¶

But we must not stop there. Having admitted our present incompletedness, the next step is to put everything we have into the development of a great life. "And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost." (3 Ne. 12:6. See also Matt. 5:6.) "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33. See also 3 Ne. 13:33.) Once again, the principle Jesus advocates is truly as old as the hills. Other things being equal, he intimates that we get exactly what we seek if we seek it diligently enough. ¶

Importance Of Desire

Someone has said, "The longer I live, the more deeply I am convinced that that which makes the difference between one man and another, between the weak and the powerful, the great and the insignificant, is desire, invincible determination, the purpose once formed and then death or victory." ¶

When Sir John Hunt stood at the foot of Mount Everest, he did not expect his team of mountain climbers to reach its summit by some sort of magic or in one leap. He had mapped the climb by stages, one day at a time. Each day the men ascended as far as they had planned for that day. The morning that two members of his party, Hillary and Tenzing, finally stepped upon the summit was the climax of many days' effort. The last step was the crowning one of many arduous steps to the top. ¶

What you set out to do this morning may not seem as difficult or spectacular as climbing Mount Everest, but you must apply the same principle. You must go step by step, with full desire and energy focused on the end you seek. Such is the law of success in every sphere of life. Why should it not be so in the building of a balanced, righteous life? "And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost." This challenging principle becomes ever more vivid when we study the conditions of Palestine and learn of the severe physical hunger and thirst that are experienced in that semidesert land. ¶

It is not uncommon for bath water, for example, to be drained off and used for irrigation purposes. So very scarce was water that biblical writers frequently and effectively mention water in their figures of speech. I call your attention to only a few. ¶

The Water Of Life

Perhaps the most poetic Old Testament writer, the Psalmist, yearns: "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. ¶

"My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God." (Ps. 42:1-2.) ¶

Isaiah, searching for words to describe the happy future of Zion, tells his people: ". . . for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. ¶

"And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. . . ." (Isa. 35:6-7.) ¶

When Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman at the well, he tells her that if she will accept the water of life which he has to give, she will never thirst again. ". . . whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14.) ¶

John the Revelator even goes so far as to compare heaven to a place containing a crystal spring of water where one may drink as much as he pleases without charge. "I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." (Rev. 21:6.) "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; . . . ¶

"For the Lamb . . . shall lead them unto living fountains of water. . . ." (Rev. 7:16-17.) ¶

Water, you see, is so hard to find in Palestine and the surrounding desert country that people almost go crazy from thirst. Food is so scarce that men and women are often compelled to live on a daily diet of no more than a few dates and a cup of milk, or even so little as a piece of hard bread. Under such conditions people naturally make the attainment of food and water their chief concern. Jesus contends that only when we are equally serious about attaining a righteous life, when we really hunger and thirst after righteousness, shall we be filled. ¶

Achievement Requires Sacrifice

An outstanding teacher was once listening to his wife play a beautiful sonata on the piano. "I would give anything in the world to be able to play like that," he said. ¶

"All right," she responded. "Let's see if you really mean that. You say that you would give anything in the world to be able to play as I have. I have given several hours a day almost every day for the last 15 years. I have given up picnics and parties and many other kinds of entertainment in order to stay at my task. I have sacrificed the study of many interesting subjects; I have given and worked and worked and given. At times it seemed that I could not work another hour or sacrifice another thing. To play the piano as well as I do, would you really be willing to give that much?" ¶

"You've got me there," he admitted. "I thought I would give almost anything to be a great piano player. I realize now that while I would give up a few things, I do not want this particular ability enough to sacrifice much time or many pleasures for its attainment." ¶

"But you are a great teacher," she reminded him. "You have succeeded in your profession because you have done with your teaching what I have done with my music. You made it the first consideration of your life, sacrificing where others have not been willing to sacrifice, studying, working, and planning where others have not been willing to make the effort. You have sought first the kingdom of teaching, and this you have been able to achieve." ¶

Building Of Eternal Lives

So the Savior would have us realize that in the building of eternal lives, there is nothing mysterious or unusual about the illustration just cited. If we want to build mediocre spiritual houses, let us give a minimum of time and effort. If we want to build beautiful houses of life or to change the design of our present lives, if we wish to reach great heights in our upward climb toward eternal life, let us do away with all of the things and every thought that hinder our progress. A mere public announcement of faith will little hasten our progress. Simply joining a church and regularly attending all of its various meetings is no guarantee. Only when we put faith, repentance, and baptism first, and seek righteousness in our thinking, and without serious regret give up every conflicting desire shall we be able to reach the coveted goal, because the Savior has said, ". . . strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matt. 7:14. See also 3 Ne. 14:14.) ¶

Cult Of Mediocrity

The reason, I suspect, that we have so many mediocre musicians in the world is that there are only a few people who are willing to follow the narrow road that leads to great musicianship. We have so few great artists, lawyers, doctors, and teachers because only a few are willing to get rid of the excess baggage that prevents them from traveling the straight and narrow road. Herbert Hoover once warned: "We are in danger of developing a cult of the common man," which he went on to interpret to mean a cult of mediocrity. The great human advances have not been brought about by mediocre men and women; they have been achieved by distinctly uncommon people with vital sparks of desire. ¶

Rewards Of Righteousness

In Palestine a person who always looked at others with envy was referred to as one having a "bad eye." One who stole was said to have a "long arm." Jesus, knowing that everyone would understand what he meant, told the people that it would be better for one to pluck out his eye (envying others' wealth and honor) or cut off his hand (being unjust and dishonest) than to keep these bad habits and ruin the possibility of developing a fully rounded, well-balanced life. (See Matt. 5:29.) ¶

Does honesty always bring material reward? "Be good and you will be wealthy." I suspect that many of us believed that as children. However, some wealthy people are not honest, and some honest people have never had many worldly possessions. We miss the point of the Savior's teaching unless we realize that the reward of righteousness is something bigger, better, and more beautiful than material gain. Envy, dishonesty, and unfairness — all of these are excess baggage, and as such are not worth what it costs to carry them with us. Our Heavenly Father knows our need and will bless us accordingly. ¶

This principle, I think, is illustrated by an experience of a young friend of mine. Married, with two children, and living on a very small salary, he found it necessary to budget strictly. He and his wife spent only a few cents occasionally for entertainment. He traveled all over town to find reasonable prices. Often when I asked him to go some place, he would reply, "Sorry, Paul, I can't do it this week. I've used up my budget for gasoline." ¶

One summer I found him a job doing some menial tasks that would be classified as unskilled labor. Since he was a college graduate and a high school teacher, I asked if he really enjoyed doing such work, if he found satisfaction in the bondage of such a restricted budget. He replied, "Of course I don't enjoy it, but I do it because I'm anxious (hungry, if you please) to have a house of my own." ¶

Opportunity To Continue Building

In conclusion, let me say that the house I mentioned earlier was finally completed. It is really a beautiful structure. If I were to take you past it without telling you its history, I am quite certain that you would never guess it had been black and unsightly, standing for months as nothing but the framework of a great purpose. Today it is a most attractive home. And it still talks to me, reminding me each time I see it that even adults who have failed thus far may still build beautiful eternal lives. ¶

Perhaps we spend too much time, my brothers and sisters, worrying about the mistakes of our youth, forgetting that we as adults have the opportunity to continue building as the years go by. I suspect the Lord was thinking of all ages and classes of people when he said, "And blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost." ". . . seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things [whatever proves necessary for righteous people] shall be added unto you." ¶

Today throughout the world there are thousands of young men — we call them missionaries — who have been sent forth with a divine message for you. They are ready to help you "seek" in order that you might find the "strait and narrow path" of which the Savior speaks. May I invite you to open your doors and hearts so that you too might come to know and be filled with that same sweet, holy spirit. I testify to the world that God does live. Jesus is the Christ. There is today a prophet of the Lord in the world, and I am happy to announce that God's kingdom has again been restored in these latter days. I bear this personal witness humbly and simply in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶