Because of the Atonement, all failures are challengeable and temporary,
except the one that occurs when we give up.
So whatever you do, don't you dare give up.
Our efforts to enhance inspiring learning—the kind of education for
eternity described in our mission statement—can have an enormous impact on all of our students.
But it need not and should not end there.
My dear brothers and sisters: fear not.
Whatever the circumstances you find yourself in, know with assurance that you can succeed.
You are more capable, more talented, and more faith-filled than you realize.
Revelation will increase as we focus more on Christ as we follow his direction to
look unto Him in every thought. As we do so, He will—in His own time and own way—bless
us with revelation that will lead to not only inspiring learning but also eternal exaltation.
Our response to the question Who are you? will likely vary from time to time and place
to place. And sometimes those answers, in the abstract, will contradict one another.
Thus, knowing who we really are can get a bit complicated. We are beloved sons
and daughters of Heavenly Parents. God loves us. That is a fundamental truth on
which our accurate understanding of who we really are is based.
We are—and have been for our entire history—engaged in a
work that is enduring, even ever­lasting.
We are laying a foundation for the eternities, not erecting a tent for temporary shelter.
Our understanding of our relationship with God and of His plan for us enhances not
only our confidence and self-worth but, more important, our ability and desire
to love all with whom we come in contact as we recognize their infinite worth and potential.
We get to decide—we get to choose—the most important thing in our existence:
our eternal destiny. God will leave that up to us. That does not mean that we can simply
check a box on an eternal menu and say, “I choose this kingdom.” Our eternal destiny
is not determined solely by a single act but through a lifetime of actions and decisions.
The exclamation point should remind us, as someone once said: “Everything will be okay
in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” So, class of 2023, congratulations—­exclamation
point. We joyfully celebrate and admire your accomplishments with the assurance that because
of Christ, the best is yet to come. May that truth resonate with and elevate your spirit
on this day of exclamation is my prayer, in the holy name of Jesus Christ, amen.