My Heart Along With Your Hearts I...

• My heart, along with your hearts, I am sure, has been softened tonight by hearing these wonderful boys, their sweet, mellow voices. And I want to tell them that they may consider themselves to be successful. I think back on something I read a few years ago. It was published in Washington, D. C. ¶

They had had a spelling bee, and a young man had won the spelling bee. ¶

Immediately thereafter a reporter went up to him and said, "Now, young man, to what do you attribute your success?" And he came right back and he said, "To my wonderful, overbearing mother." ¶

Delusions of Youth

I wonder tonight how many mothers have been associated with these boys in having them come to their practices. ¶

A boy and a mother can reach every goal they try for. Perhaps that is the key to success. But what happens when a boy is left alone? I believe we might get the sad story from the words of Benjamin Disraeli, who at 22 wrote these words: ¶

"The disappointment of manhood succeeds to the delusion of youth. Let us hope that the heritage of old age is not despair." Thus he seemed to recognize that when one's life is built upon delusion, or false belief, it will only bring grief. Eighteen years later, at age 40, he recorded: "Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old age a regret." These sad words were written over a hundred years ago, but delusions are still with us. Webster defines delusion as "something accepted as true or real that is actually false or unreal." ¶

Abraham Lincoln gave an example of delusion when he asked on one occasion: "How many legs would a sheep have if we called the tail a leg?" When the answer, "Five," was given, he corrected it by explaining that just calling the tail a leg didn't make it one. ¶

The dean of students of a western university prepared a list of what he calls the ten delusions of youth. At the top of his list is the delusion that "there is no eternal truth." The dean claims that many youth today have been misled into believing that there is no eternal truth, because they are deceived. They assume everything changes, including the nature of man and the Ten Commandments. This delusion may come from seeing a world moving so fast that it seems impossible to find stability. ¶

Many Kinds of Eternal Truth

There are many kinds of eternal truth, and all are important. When God releases truth to the earth, it is available to all, and discovery is almost simultaneous in many advanced scientific nations. Evidences of such physical truths are all about us, probably one of the most obvious being the electric light, discovered by Thomas A. ¶

Edison by going through certain physical processes. Edison was acclaimed a genius at incorporating true scientific principles in practical devices. An excerpt from the New York Times in September 1882 describes the early use of "Edison's Electric Lamp" as follows: ¶

"It was not until about 7 o'clock, when it began to grow dark, that the electric light really made itself known and showed how bright and steady it is. Then the 27 electric lamps in the editorial rooms and the 25 lamps in the counting-rooms made those departments as bright as day, but without any unpleasant glare. It was a light that a man could sit down under and write for hours without the consciousness of having any artificial light about him. . . . the light was soft, mellow, and grateful to the eye . . . without a particle of flicker and with scarcely any heat to make the head ache." ¶

Light of Spiritual Truth

What a marvelous invention! What a great light this was, compared to the gas lights of earlier days. And yet this artificial light, or any other of the millions of physical scientific advancements, cannot compare to the living light of eternal, spiritual truth. ¶

Said one man: "It matters nothing that the Greeks counted the stars in the thousands, we the galaxies in the millions. The human heart, its needs and longings, have always been the same." To know the truth. Changes will come through discovery and research of temporal things, but let us not confuse such temporal changes with the consistency of eternal truth. ¶

Truth is eternal, since God is the source of truth. In his answer to Thomas' inquiry — "Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" — Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. . . ." ¶

(John 14:5-6.) You see, Jesus is the authority on truth and life, and he wants each of us to make inquiry. He wants youth to know how things really are, how they came to be as they are, how they will be in the future. This is no different from the youth of yesteryear. God has planted in the heart of every man the longing to inquire and to know. ¶

". . . seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." ¶

(Matt. 7:7.) ¶

An All-Consuming Desire

The late John A. Widtsoe said: "A Sunday wish will not suffice. It must be an all-consuming, consistent desire." God has been very generous in calling on youth when revealing his truths. Consider Samuel, who, as a youngster, when God called him, answered, "Speak, [Lord] ; for thy servant heareth." (1 Sam. 3:10.) This was his introduction to a knowledge that God lives and was the beginning of his noble, prophetic life. ¶

Consider Nephi, who, in his young years, said to his father, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded. ..." (1 Ne. 3:7.) Nephi gained a knowledge far greater than most men achieve. His whole life was that of a prophet. ¶

Consider Jesus, at the age of 12, discussing truth with the learned men in the temple, astounding them. When approached by his parents, he said, ". . . wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49.) ¶

Saul of Tarsus

Consider Saul of Tarsus, a young man who was misled and erroneously convinced that the Christians should be destroyed. He took up the chase but was interrupted by Jesus' appearing to him in a vision on the road to Damascus, that he might know the truth. Then, knowing the truth, he lost no time in preparing himself for the ministry. Standing in the midst of Mars Hill, he said, "Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. ¶

"For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you." ¶

(Acts 17:22-23.) Paul, formerly Saul, continued his ministry for about 28 years, and in his letter to Timothy he wrote: "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. ¶

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." (2 Tim. 4:6-7.) ¶

Joseph Smith's Search for Truth

Consider Joseph Smith, who at 14 found the source of all knowledge when he read from James, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God. . . ." ¶

(Jas. 1:5.) It was in search of truth that Joseph, 150 years ago, knelt in a grove of trees to pray. Joseph came from a religious family and had studied the Bible, but the several denominations of churches interpreted the scripture so differently that he found it impossible to determine which was right. ¶

What Joseph expected and hoped to learn in answer to his sincere prayer for knowledge was that either the Baptist, the Methodist, the Presbyterian, or some other religion he was acquainted with was true. The revelation that he received was totally unexpected and overpowering. But he could not deny it, for it came directly from God and his Son Jesus Christ. As a result of that humble inquiry, God reestablished his kingdom on earth with the attendant authority to administer its affairs, beginning with the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood by John the Baptist as he spoke these words to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery: "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness." (D&C 13.) ¶

Aaronic Priesthood Bearers

And now let us consider youth today. There is a body of young men, 186,000 plus, who have been ordained and who now bear the Aaronic Priesthood. Many of these young men are within this vast audience tonight. God has confidence in you and has called you to his ministry. He has faith in you. He trusts you not only to do your duty, but also to set the right example to the young ladies with whom you associate. He has given you his power on earth, the same power by which this earth and other worlds were created; the same power by which the waters of the Red Sea were parted; the same power by which Elijah sealed the heavens so that no rain fell upon the earth; the same power by which Jesus gave sight to the blind, legs to the lame, and new life to the dead. This is the truth that you should seek after — to know God and his plan of eternal life. ¶

Truth Can Change People

Remember — people cannot change truth, but truth can change people. ¶

You will experience this as you continue in your ministry. ¶

Prepare yourselves to declare the gospel to the nations of the earth. You will witness the change that takes place in the lives of those who listen to your testimonies. Missionaries live with these experiences and love them. ¶

Many young people, and particularly those who bear the priesthood, are missionaries at home, among their associates, mainly by the way they live. ¶

Jesus said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:31-32.) Latter-day Saints are not misled. We have the Bible. We have the Book of Mormon. We have the book of modern revelations known as the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Each of us has the privilege and responsibility of communicating directly with our Father in heaven through prayer. We have a living prophet who receives revelation from God in this day to guide us in this fast-moving world. Always follow the leadership of the First Presidency and the Brethren, and you need not fear the delusions of today. ¶

Another Delusion

Some young people are carried away by another delusion and cry: "My life is my own!" Your life is not really your own. It was given to you by your earthly parents, as well as by your heavenly parents. And when you act contrary to the wishes of your earthly and heavenly parents, there is sorrow. ¶

Hearts of parents everywhere were touched by the anguished cry of a governor of one of our states whose son was arrested for stealing. This man said, in speaking at a PTA meeting, that there is no greater blessing that parents can have than to have all their children living good lives. "If you have that great blessing," he said, "you should thank God every day of your lives." All good parents feel this way about their children. David Klein, in an article entitled "Is There a Substitute for God?" printed in the Reader's Digest, says: "And yet the questions remain. Anyone who can contemplate the eye of a housefly, the mechanics of human finger movement, the camouflage of a moth, or the building of every kind of matter from variations in arrangement of proton and electron, and then maintain that all this design happened without a designer, happened by sheer, blind accident — such a person believes in a miracle far more astounding than any in the Bible. To regard man, with his arts and aspirations, his awareness of himself and of his universe, his emotions and his morals, his very ability to conceive an idea so grand as that of God, to regard this creature as merely a form of life somewhat higher on the evolutionary ladder than the others, is to create questions more profound than those answered." (Reader's Digest, March 1970, p. 55.) Be not deluded, brethren; know that truth is eternal. Believe in God. And be eternally grateful that God believes in you. To this truth I testify in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶