{"id":1845,"date":"2009-11-10T16:18:56","date_gmt":"2009-11-10T23:18:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/speeches.byu.edu\/?p=1845"},"modified":"2024-04-12T14:17:48","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T20:17:48","slug":"god-put-us-fail","status":"publish","type":"speech","link":"https:\/\/speeches.byu.edu\/talks\/jon-m-huntsman-sr\/god-put-us-fail\/","title":{"rendered":"God Did Not Put Us Here to Fail"},"content":{"rendered":"
Good morning, beloved students, faculty, friends, family, and my esteemed brother in the gospel for over 35 years, President Cecil O. Samuelson. I have always treasured our close and respectful relationship, and I say to you, President Samuelson, that Brigham Young could not have selected a better leader than you, who has reached great heights in medicine, in life, and, above all, in integrity. Thank you for such a generous introduction, and thank you to the beautiful choir from whom we have just heard. I am so privileged to be invited to this world-class university. My wife, Karen, and I thank you.<\/p>\n
I am truly honored to be here today. May I begin with this simple sentence: God did not put us here to fail. I would say to you, have faith in yourself\u2014believe in what you are doing, and, most important, be a person of integrity. It is totally up to you, and no one else, how your life evolves. Many would like to think that our parents, our professors, or even our bishops are responsible for our future. What we become, who we are, and the footprint we will leave in life is based entirely on our own determination, hard work, education, and sacrifice. Our Heavenly Father expects the best from each of us. We must believe in ourselves. Don\u2019t give in when the going gets rough. You are laying the foundation of a great work, and that great work is your life. Never cut corners, demean other people, or waste time \u201changing out.\u201d Decide who you are and what your goals entail\u2014then go for the roses. Life has little regard for those who waste time.<\/p>\n
My father and grandfather were rural schoolteachers in southern Idaho and Utah, and it was my hope to someday follow their example. But I refused to forsake my dreams, and each day my mind was filled with new ideas and hopes and aspirations. I would never listen to anyone who spoke negatively nor acknowledge that there were shortcomings that could not be overcome. I always thought that the key to life is finding happiness in any given place or time while remembering the great scriptural axiom \u201cMen are, that they might have joy\u201d (2 Nephi 2:25<\/a>).<\/p>\n People around us cheer when we are happy and positive. Self-pity is the most negative quality of the human spirit. Thus when one is happy and positive and truly believes in himself or herself, great achievements lie ahead.<\/p>\n Throughout my life, in my heart and soul, I wanted to explore the world\u2014to reach into the unknown\u2014to travel beyond my childhood boundaries. It is so important that we each live our own dream\u2014not someone else\u2019s dream. If what you are doing in your life is not your own dream, then whose is it?<\/p>\n Perhaps I can best explain this through a personal experience.<\/p>\n When I was the age of many of you and was attending college at the very challenging Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, things weren\u2019t going great, at least not academically. It was a struggle for me simply because I didn\u2019t apply myself to the rigorous studies. After my sophomore year I went home and visited with my father. He encouraged me to change my major and to attend a college that was not so difficult. I thought about taking an easier route and remembered the wise statement a radio commentator had recently made. He stated, \u201cDifficulty is one excuse history has never accepted.\u201d1<\/sup><\/p>\n I returned to college my junior year a reinvigorated, new person. I applied myself. I studied diligently. My grades skyrocketed, and upon graduation two years later I was awarded the university\u2019s highest honors. Thus I realized between my sophomore and junior years that it was my<\/i> dream I must live and not my father\u2019s, and that I must achieve it through adversity and hard work.<\/p>\n Making dreams become reality requires great sacrifice and determination. Most people are content to just coast along. Many don\u2019t like to apply their talents and abilities or to put in long hours of work. But to achieve any dream and to make something truly remarkable happen in our lives, we must face adversity head-on, and we must overcome all of the obstacles in our pathway.<\/p>\n Today, obstacles are significant. They are everywhere. It is easy to become a prisoner to abusive behavior when we think there is no possible way out. Just think of the complex issues of attempted suicide, pornography, drug abuse, eating disorders, sexual identity, and addictions that come in various forms and disguises. These are very real challenges to many people. Every family feels at some point the heartache and pain of watching a loved one or friend falling prey to one of these life-altering demons. Once ensnared, most individuals believe they have little chance of escaping. But I say unto you: Your life\u2019s dream can be achieved. These demons are momentary setbacks. Do not succumb to desperation. Don\u2019t get down on yourself. You can create a pathway to success. There is a road to recovery, and many of us have traveled that road.<\/p>\n With regained balance and confidence in life we can make it. Our dreams can be fulfilled. We should never, never give up hope. We must follow the example of the Little Train That Could, trying to pull its load over the mountain: \u201cI think I can, I think I can, I think I can!\u201d<\/p>\n Today the economy represents a challenge that we have never witnessed before. Some of our families have lost their homes. Some of us, or perhaps our relatives or friends, have lost their jobs. Almost everyone has lost something or has been diminished in some capacity. May I suggest to you that, contrary to public opinion, there is much to be learned from the lessons of our times.<\/p>\n Benjamin Disraeli, a former prime minister of England, stated, \u201cThere is no education like adversity.\u201d2<\/sup> And it was Sir Winston Churchill, another great British prime minister, who led that nation through the unrelenting struggles of World War II, who stated, \u201cWe receive our inspiration from the mountaintops but receive our maturity from the valleys of life.\u201d3<\/sup><\/p>\n Many of us here today are either going through one of the valleys of life or will someday experience one of these challenges or moments of adversity. Remember that adversity determines our character. During times of trial and tribulation, I often think of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the many adversities that afflicted his life. The Lord brought peace unto his heart during one of these times when He stated, \u201cMy son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment\u201d (D&C 121:7<\/a>).<\/p>\n It is always interesting to observe how people react during times of crisis. Indeed, our very own character is formed by the lessons of trial and challenge. Character, in turn, emerges within each of us in our hearts and minds to establish our own personal set of standards\u2014or, as the outside world would refer to it, our personal integrity. Integrity is critical to our lives\u2014and to our dreams of achievement. We must remember that without<\/i> integrity nothing else matters and that with<\/i> integrity nothing else matters. Thus personal integrity, shaped and fashioned and molded to a great extent by adversity and personal trials, determines the person or individual we represent to others.<\/p>\n