Who You Are

Posted by admin on September 21st, 2008 filed in Uncategorized

A talk delivered by Brent Anderson on 9/21/08 in Sacrament Meeting in the 94th Ward of the BYU 12th Stake. By popular demand, the text is published here.

Hello Brothers and Sisters. I’m Brent Anderson and I would like to begin by saying that I am very excited to get to know you all better. You have all felt the powerful spirit of our ward with the activities we have shared, our ward meetings, and in just “hanging out” during the week. I love our ward! I’ve never been in a ward family quite like this, and I hope that you are anticipating our future as much as I am. We are so fortunate to be here, in this building, feeling the spirit, and listening to the wonderful music and messages that have been prepared. It is almost as if we should thank each other for living our lives in such a way for us to have all made it here to today. May I at least thank you for having made it here from wherever you may call home and for helping to bring the spirit into this meeting. I pray that I may contribute to the spirit that is here already and promote an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit may bear witness of the truth which is the Gospel.

I would like to show you something that billions of men and women, many of them a lot like us, have never seen or heard of — ever. It is in this unmarked envelope, and it is something that I hope you are all very familiar with. Without it, our lives have no meaning. Without it, this building, this university, and even we would not exist. (I hope you are beginning to guess what it is that I’m referring to). It is the guiding compass for our mortal existence, it is what secures us in our struggles, and it is afforded unto every individual who obeys the commandments of our Heavenly Father. When I was growing up, I would often have Sunday school lessons, sometimes back-to-back, regarding it. At the time, I did not really appreciate what it mean to me or those around me. Today, however, I value it as a key component to my life, testimony, and my goals for the future. I will now read it to you.

This is a page from the Children’s Song Book. It is actually the second song in the book, right after “I Am a Child of God”. The song is titled “I lived in Heaven” and contains much of what the scriptures call “plain and precious things”. As I read these words, ponder what they mean.

 

I Lived in Heaven 

I lived in heaven a long time ago, it is true;
Lived there and loved there with people I know. So did you.
Then Heav’nly Father presented a beautiful plan,
All about earth and eternal salvation for man.

 

Father said he needed someone who had enough love
To give his life so we all could return there above.
There was another who sought for the honor divine.
Jesus said, “Father, send me, and the glory be thine.”

 

Jesus was chosen, and as the Messiah he came,
Conquering evil and death through his glorious name,
Giving us hope of a wonderful life yet to be—
Home in that heaven where Father is waiting for me.

 

Isn’t it wonderful that a child in Primary can understand a song such as this? I have a niece named Ginny who will be attending primary soon. Many of you have nieces, nephews, and younger brothers and sisters that age too. Even they, who haven’t even been to pre-school, can understand what this means to have lived in Heaven a long time ago, and that it IS true, that the plan is beautiful, and that the people we loved there are the same people we love here. They can know that Jesus loved us enough to give his life so we can go home. Innocent children such as these can know and understand this fundamental part of the gospel when we as men and women, brothers and sisters, often forget how crucial the Plan of Salvation is to our lives. Without it we wouldn’t have families, love, or meaning in our lives. If we lose this critical element of the Gospel, we lose ourselves.

A few weeks ago at Regional Conference, sister Ann Dibb of the General Young Women Board made a remark that was very striking to me. She said,

“Satan doesn’t have a family, so he wants yours.”

The horror of that statement cut me very deeply. Even today, it makes me sick to think that Satan’s motive since the beginning has been to destroy the family. We are all aware of the corrosive efforts being made today to this end from every angle. In the words of our beloved prophet President Gordon B. Hinckley, 

“Why do we have this proclamation on the family now? Because the family is under attack. All across the world families are falling apart. The place to begin to improve society is in the home. Children do, for the most part, what they are taught. We are trying to make the world better by making the family stronger”

Isn’t that what Satan is after? Having been born on this Earth, we are heirs to the blessings and wonders of the body, something that Satan will never be able to experience, and he hates us for it. He and his followers are working non-stop on each of us, attempting to make us forget that WE are the Children of a King, literal heirs to the throne of God, celebrating when just one of us forgets that vital piece of ourselves. We can never forget who we are. We even see the importance of this in the story of Jacob and Esau in the Old Testament. In Genesis 25 we read that “Esau despised his birthright”, “what profit shall this birthright do to me?”, and “he sold his birthright” for “pottage and lentils”. He sold his most prized possession for a meal. How important is it to us that we live for that wonderful life yet to be, home in heaven with our Father and our Savior? How vital that we never forget what it means to be the child of a King?

Sometimes we may feel that the Plan of Salvation is discussed too much, but can this be so. In my growing up years, I certainly felt this way. It seemed as though every week there was some lesson on it where we’d recant all the details of the plan and where we fit into it. Frankly, this bored and annoyed me, and I trust that some of you have felt similarly. But what a mistake it is to discount such a marvelous plan! Neal A. Maxwell spoke of this repetition perfectly.

“No wonder the Lord wants the plan taught plainly and repetitively. And why not? It is God’s plan—not ours! And, given the unimpressive outcomes of man’s plans to solve the world’s problems, aren’t we glad! Furthermore, of all the things about which we might converse, as Jacob wrote, “Why not speak of the atonement of Christ?” Why not, brothers and sisters? This event arches over all of human history, as a Redeeming God and Savior Son pressed onward with the great plan of happiness.”

Brothers and Sisters, let me share with you a few thoughts more on why we should not forget what the plan of salvation means to us, nor forget who we are. We are all faced with opportunities for missionary service, especially the brethren of this ward. On missions, much of what we teach is about the plan of salvation. The simple truths of eternal families, our pre-mortal life, and our time on earth answer many questions that we all ask in our lives. It makes this life simpler, easier to comprehend and understand, and many investigators have found the plan of happiness to be key to their conversion into the church. All of us will someday be parents, and isn’t that the most wonderful kind of missionary service? We owe it to our future children to be well prepared in sharing the gospel so that they too can understand these simple truths and feel the peace that comes from understanding what life is about. What about our friends, colleagues, and the myriad of others that we will meet as we travel through life? Many of them will not have the light of the gospel guiding them home, but we can share it with them. These are just a few instances of the Plan of Salvation and how it can enrich the lives of all who hear it’s message. Before I close, I would like to note one thing about this envelope. I did not seal it, and it is neither addressed nor stamped “top secret”. It is for all of us, everyone, and I pray that we may share this message with everyone we meet in the course of life in what we say, what we do, and who we are.

Friends, I have a testimony …