If you have read my blog, you know my family has a special love for Brad Wilcox. I saw a talk come across my YouTube feed today. It was by Brother Brad Wilcox and was titled “There is a Hurry.” He gave the talk at Ensign College maybe 2 years ago. I was very moved by several points he made.
[00:29:30] As I conclude today, I’d like to share a personal experience that happnd when I was about your age. I was home from my mission. Debbie and I were newly married and we were trying to figure out what I should major in. The poor woman married a freshman, a freshman. I was going to the temple to seek direction and ponder what I should do for major. And as I was there, I listened to the covenant in which we promised to give all of our time, talents, and treasure to the building up of the kingdom. And I thought, but I don’t have any money to give. I mean, my wife and I paid our tithes and offerings but we were earning so little that like, you know, the bishop would get our envelope and go: “coins, coins.” We just didn’t have that much to offer. Talents, well I didn’t feel like I had any great ability to offer. I couldn’t even decide on a major. Time, well I had time. But I didn’t have any more or less time than the person next to me. So what on earth did I have to offer? And that’s when the spirit prompted me in unspoken words, in impressions. “You have something to offer that even President Kimball doesn’t have.” The impression took me aback. President Kimball was the prophet of my youth. He was the man who signed my mission call. I loved him dearly, just as you love President Monson. Just as you love Presidnt Nelson. And I thought, what on earth do I have to offer that one of the greatest men on the planet can’t offer. And then the spirit whispered, “your youth.” In that moment I realzied that I did have something to offer that even President Kimball no longer had. I committed right then to devote my youth to the building of the kingdom. Please don’t postpone activity and service in the church until you get through school. Until you settle down. Until you don’t have to go to school and work a job at the same time. Please don’t postpone it. You have something that President Russell M Nelson doesn’t have to offer this kingdom. You have something that his wife doesn’t have. You have your youth and you can choose to not waste it, rather to concecrate it.
https://youtu.be/wP3a7nsj7sU?si=-6UIZFe91YIzp1SC
Wow, what a powerful statement. My mind was immediately flooded with thoughts and memories.
- President Nelson is turning 100. The odds of living to 100 are about 1%. That is not a lot. In other words, 1 out of 100 people live to be 100. I am 51. My wife and I lost the majority of our great-grandparents in the 70’s and early 80’s. If that is my trajectory, I only have about 20 to 30 years remaining. That is not a lot. When you consider that in terms of youth. I am past my youth. I have lost my youth. I don’t have any youth remaining. I still have time, but the vitality and vigor of my youth are gone. However, my ability to commit is more firm today than in my youth. So that is a positive.
- Do I have something to consecrate? I feel poor. When I was younger I had this goal of starting a dozen businesses. I figured the odds were on my side. If I started a dozen businesses, at least one would take off and I would earn my desired fortune. After being married for 25 years and suffering the ups and downs of life. I am no closer to arriving on those shores than I was when I started the journey. A while back I threw up my hands and more or less said no more. I had a series of experiences that made me desire to prepare myself to be Worthy to Enter Zion. If God wasn’t going to direct me to success, I was simply going to dedicate my time to him until he gave me further direction. I decided to share the gospel via a blog. I decided I would openly talk about my journey to be worthy. Hopefully, the words I shared would help at least one soul come unto Christ.
- If I had the youth (the time), what would I do over? The quote below.
Brother Brad Wilcox shared another story.
[00:15:10] I once received an email from a young woman who said, “Why not have sex with my boyfriend? Why not? We can always repent later.” I said, “I’m so glad you know you can repent. And, I’m so glad you know you can be forgive. And, I’m glad you know that this can happen as many times as you need. But, cleanliness is only one of Gods may attributes. To become like God, we need to become more than just clean. More than just forgiven. And, the time you’re wasting with your boyfriend is time that could be better spent. It could be better spent developing the selflessness, the charity, developing the self-control that are the godly qualities that the law of chastity can teach us if we’re willing to learn.”
https://youtu.be/wP3a7nsj7sU?si=-6UIZFe91YIzp1SC
I remember when I was young, there was a lot of joking around about the whole I can repent later belief. The problem is that I didn’t have a testimony rooted in the gospel. I didn’t even believe in God. I went through the motions of religion mostly because it was what my parents expected. I had my times when I was more compliant and it was never that bad, it was just the way I was raised. But, when the opportunity arose to sin, I had no restraints. There was nothing preventing me from doing it. God wasn’t preventing me. Church wasn’t preventing me. A testimony wasn’t preventing me. I simply had a desire to do it, so I did. Today, I know it all happened because I was not rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was a seed that fell among thorns.
My favorite song, Time by Pink Floyd, perfectly sums up the experience… “And then one day you find, ten years have got behind you, no one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.”
Looking back on those choices today, my heart wept for that young woman who wanted to justify her immorality because she could repent later. The problem is, what happens once you do it? What happened to me? There were things I was addicted to from the moment I tasted them. There were others that I dabbled in until I had no reason not to jump in head first. Within a short time, I was a different person. My heart changed. I became literally blind to religion. I was on a path that led to death.
It’s like Pandora’s Box. Once it is opened how do you close it? How do you return its contents? How do you prevent the inevitable outcomes? This young woman, what does she do if she ends up pregnant? Does she stare the choice of abortion in the face? What does she do if she finds out that the boyfriend used her for his own gratification? What does she do as the spirit leaves her? What does she do as her attitude changes, jealousy creeps in, or conflict begins between them or between her and her family? What does she do when sneaking around leads to lies, and lies upon lies compound? She doesn’t know the final destination that awaits her as a result of her decision. Maybe it leads her to her own Hulu Special mocking the church she appears to have some belief in? (That was probably inappropriate)
From my own experience, it would have been better to have never walked that path. Just think of what Brother Wilcox said, “the time you’re wasting with your boyfriend is time that could be better spent.” It could have been better spent coming to know God rather than satisfying worldly lusts. And better spent than walking a path you may never return from.
Please, pray and read your scriptures. God loves you. He wants you to return to him.