Freshman Shortcut

I want you to imagine that it is your first day of your freshman year in college.  Can you think back to that day?  For some of you, it may have been, just, like, a month ago, for some of you it might have been quite a while ago.   

Imagine that you are welcomed into a large auditorium, Kinda of like this room, maybe.  You are directed to write your name on a label, stick it on your shirt and take a seat.  You hear a few words of welcome and encouragement.  You are introduced to student guides who will help with the remainder of your day.  The speaker explains which student guide you have and everybody’s assigned and asked to go to a gathering spot with your guide. OK, kinda with me? OK, and you’re all in your gathering spot.

Finally, your group is shepherded to a smaller room where you again are invited to take a seat.  Your student guide explains how to you how this particular group is especially lucky.  Yay. Each of you is handed your college diploma and given congratulations.  You are done with college…you’ve graduated!  Stunned students begin celebrating their great fortune.  For you, all the fear of taking classes, the drudgery of completing homework, the worry of not being good enough, the sacrifice of having to do all that school work is gone!  You can’t believe your good luck and you feel good! 

While all the students are celebrating, the student guide approaches you and hands you a packet while ushering you to another room.  Here you are instructed to prepare, and that the details are in the packet.  The information in the packet outlines the medical history of a young woman with a brain tumor who needs it to be surgically removed.  In confusion, you then notice that your diploma states that you have a degree in medicine—and your area of expertise is…brain surgery.   

You’re the surgeon.  You are expected to know how to perform the surgery that can save this child’s life. 

Good feeling gone. 

OK, the story is a bit of an exaggeration, but we can still use it to kind of get us thinking. So, what’s the dilemma here for our students?  At first our imaginary student was excited and relieved to have bypassed what he expected to be difficult tasks in college.  But then, when the needed skills he would have learned through study and practice rudely crashed his graduation party, his perspective changed.   In other words, it may seem on the surface that the opportunity to avoid challenging, possibly long-lasting labor is desirable.  But what is the cost of avoiding that work?  
 

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7 ).

 I like to replace the word mocked with fooled.  God is not fooled.  He knows who we are and what we have worked to become.  There really isn’t a shortcut. 
Very simply, if you want ease-of-life now, you have no choice but to give up what you could become in the future.  And what is it that we can become?  What is it that we can, through our obedience and practice and work, aspire to be in eternity?   
 
As we understand the plan of salvation, our earthly education was DESIGNED from the very beginning—before the creation of the earth.   

And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them…and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.  (Abraham 3:25-26) 

The word “prove” in this scripture indicates an intention to test the individuals. In order to test someone, they must go through a learning process. This life is that learning process or that probationary time.

But to grow into the exalted beings our Heavenly Father envisioned, we had to experience an existence separate from Him; a life of moral choice.  All of us here made that choice. Adam and Eve made that choice.  They gave up ‘ease of life’ now so they could help bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  That doesn’t seem like a really obvious outcome of choosing to separate yourself from God.  But it was, because it allowed them and all mankind to be subjected to the ‘school’ of life.

And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation—that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life. (D&C 29:43)

…nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state... (Alma 12:24)

So, back to my question: What can we aspire to do? What are we learning here? The answer is to be raised in immortality and eternal life. To be joint heirs with Christ.

Alright, I want to talk about Adam and Eve again. As with so much of the gospel, I believe there are multiple layers to this lesson. I believe the reason why there are multiple reasons why there was a “… cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24)  after Adam and Eve made the choice to enter the school of mortality.  What really would have happened if they had then immediately eaten of the tree of life?
From Alma 12 and 42 we learn some of those reasons. Specifically, from Alma 42:4-5 we read, “And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.
For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.”
One reason for the cherubim and flaming sword was to fulfil the word of God. Heavenly Father had told Adam and Eve that they would die if they partook of the fruit, so His words must come to pass.

The other reason is very similar to our beginning story about our student.  By eating the fruit of the tree of life immediately after partaking of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve would have been freshmen stepping into the surgical room and expected to be surgeons already.  They would have denied themselves the opportunity to spend time on this probationary earth to learn and sacrifice now so they could become what they were foreordained to become--joint heirs with Christ.   

When I told you the story of the freshman, did you feel a little panic when you realized what was expected of that poor student after his ‘graduation’?  Suddenly, the student did not want to be there.  He was not like the other, truly knowledgeable and skilled surgeons.  He was not prepared.  He judged himself as not being prepared.   

Can you imagine the apprehension of returning to a heavenly home without any learning; having taken every easy road you could to avoid struggle and growth?  Would you be similar in likes and attitudes as the others who HAD faced the challenges of life and had practiced being heavenly beings?  Would you want to be there?  Would you judge yourself as being prepared?   

Looked at in this way, the struggles and sacrifices that we are asked to make in this world unexpectedly become desired opportunities; not experiences to be avoided or circumvented.  This life, including the trials, can be what prepares us, what changes us into heavenly beings in an earthly existence.   

Heavenly Father did not shy away from letting Adam and Eve know the consequences of choosing to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He did let them know about the learning that needed to happen.

To Eve, in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children. 

To Adam, cursed shall be the ground for thy sake...thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to thee...by the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.  (Moses 4:22,23, 24, 25) 

Heavenly Father is setting forth the pattern of the need for life experience.

They needed to NOT avoid learning and growing.  They were to take on life and learn from the challenges presented.  That takes effort. In doing so, they would attain “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13).

I have a simple example within my life: 
I have a love/hate relationship with giving talks.  I love that I get the opportunity to focus on one topic and delve into it and learn a lot.  Surprisingly, it’s not giving the talks that I hate. I do not love that I must then organize my thoughts and my learning into a coherent presentation that others can follow.  That is long, tedious, and difficult for me.  So, should I avoid giving talks at all costs?  Or should I accept the opportunity and hope that every time I work to organize my thoughts, I’m getting a little better at it? 

How often do we view our lives, our obstacles, and maybe even the day-to-day tedium, as opportunities? How often do we just try to avoid anything that stresses us?  Do you look forward to your homework, your projects, and your exams?  Are these opportunities for growth and learning to you or are they just obstacles? 
 
We all know the scripture in 2 Nephi 2:11. For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. 

Again, this is just another evidence that the pattern of life, of learning was designed. It was perfectly designed for our individual, eternally important education.

So what? So what if we understand there is this perfect learning experience and we are here doing it? What are some practical things that we can learn and use today?

So, one is to recognize that learning is supposed to take effort. That may seem obvious, but there are currently subtle messages you receive that hint at exactly the opposite, and which can have a detrimental impact on how you see yourself. The current trend tells us and shows us that life should be easy, and should always be enjoyable and stress free. A corollary to this is that if something stresses you, it’s a bad thing. Another corollary, which is even more dangerous, is believing, if something makes you nervous or causes you stress, then there is something wrong with YOU. Current wisdom does not stop at just telling you to avoid the circumstances, it wants you to internalize and feel shame because the problem is you.

This is the equivalent of our imaginary student thinking there is something wrong with him since he has the diploma in hand but doesn’t know how to perform the surgery. None of you thought that of our student, did you? You recognized that he had been put into a situation that required skill --and he simply hadn’t learned it yet. He needed to take the time and effort to do so.

Let’s look at that philosophy, given our understanding of this perfectly-crafted life experience that Adam and Eve made possible for us. There is a tension between effort and anxiety. By its very nature, learning means you are at the boundary of what you know, of what you are comfortable with. The act of learning pushes and stretches you to go beyond that boundary of understanding to understand more, to discover what comes next. If you’re not a bit uncomfortable with your learning, are you really learning? Granted, your personal, mathematical equation of effort and anxiety is yours. And it’s different from anybody else’s. It may be different from your roommates. You may feel a bit more or less stressed than your roommates do. But, recognizing that it is normal to feel tension (it was part of the perfect design of life) can be helpful. You know where you are, and you know you are learning!

So, I’m going to give one disclaimer here: I am in no way diagnosing true anxiety, which many of us experience in life. I am simply providing a perspective to perhaps help when the day-to-day of school seems overwhelming. Take a breath, say a prayer, and ask Heavenly Father to help you through your version of His plan…even to the details of your homework.

I have a personal testimony of asking for divine assistance with school. I attended BYU. I did the undergraduate accounting and MAcc program there. Those are pretty tough programs and there’s a lot of homework. I did not come from a rich family. I had to depend on scholarships and I had to work all through. I needed to keep my grades up and I spent a lot of time working…not doing homework. So, I was really tempted to study on Sundays. It was the one day I had no work. But, I realized early in my college career that I needed my Sundays to re-center myself; to go to church, renew covenants, just separate myself from school. I was afraid I’d fall behind in schoolwork. So, I prayed about it and asked Heavenly Father if He would help me be more efficient in my studies and if I could be provided a bit more understanding of the material when I did study. I would dedicate my Sundays to worship. I can testify that He did. Don’t get the wrong idea, I still studied a lot, but not on Sunday. I was able to understand the material and recall it for exams and assignments and things like that. And I always knew I had that extra layer of help.

OK, the second way I want to talk about this is a shameless plug for the curriculum here at Ensign College.

One of my favorite talks is by President Dallin H. Oaks, The Challenge to Become. “The Apostle Paul taught that the Lord’s teachings were given that we may attain “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). This process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.”[i]

Additionally, there are those who have studied and advocated a learning style called experiential learning. One is Dr. David Kolb. He is an educational theorist, who proposed the idea that the “spiral of learning” begins with a concrete, real-world experience. Then, “throughout the learning process, the learner actively is engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative, and constructing meaning, and is challenged to take initiative, make decisions, and be accountable for results.”[ii]

For those of you who have been at Ensign for a bit, do you recognize anything familiar from these two statements: I repeat, from President Oaks, we are challenged to become, not just know something. From Dr. Kolb, we start with real-world experiences and actively experiment while assuming accountability for our own learning. Brothers and sisters, this is the fundamental structure of the curriculum at Ensign. It is the philosophy behind our “teaching”, which I really think is a “learning” philosophy or style. Our aspiration is to provide students with a “laboratory” in which they can learn.

This is a different teaching environment and truthfully one that students can feel is uncomfortable, because they’re not used to it. It’s not what they’ve experienced in the past. Our curriculum structure and teaching style—learning style, may cause you some stress. But know that Ensign College will not throw an unearned diploma at you and thrust you into the world with no ability .You will be prepared.

Similar to the purpose of our Heavenly Father’s perfect learning lab here on earth, learning at Ensign, while NOT perfect, is designed to provide you with skills and knowledge that allow you to BECOME more than you are today. It is also designed to help you learn how to continually learn. How to become capable, trusted disciples of Jesus Christ, and more.

I want to conclude by doing a couple of quotes and then a summary.

I snuck one in here. I had to sneak in my favorite atheist turned Christian—C.S. Lewis. OK this from C.S. Lewis.
“For He seems to do nothing of Himself, which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly, what He could do in the ‘twinkling of an eye’. This is how—no light matter--God makes something indeed of us. The process is long, and, in parts, very painful. But that is what we are in for. Nothing less.”[iii]

This, from President Eyring:

“The Lord doesn’t put us through this test just to give us a grade; he does it because the process will change us.”[iv]

And from Elder Patrick Kearon,

“Surely one of Jesus’s most consistent invitations and pleas during His mortal ministry was that we change and repent and come unto Him. Fundamentally implicit in all of His teachings to live on a higher plane of moral conduct is a call to personal progression, to transformative faith in Christ, to a mighty change of heart.”[v]

Put simply:

You’re here at Ensign College to learn and become.
You’re here on this earth to learn and become.
Our current probationary life was designed this way. To learn and become.

Learning; going beyond what you currently know, AND ARE, can be stressful. But we don’t want to cheat ourselves by avoiding the work it takes to become more than we are now.

I have a testimony that we have an unbelievably loving, wise, and patient Heavenly Father, because I know He’s patient with me. He designed this life for our progression. I have a testimony that we have a loving and selfless Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, who honors his pivotal role in allowing us this opportunity. I am eternally grateful for Adam and Eve, for pushing beyond what they knew and what they were, to allow all of us an Earthly learning experience.

It’s my hope that we recognize the opportunity we’ve been given and use this learning period to become more than we are today.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

[i] Dallin H. Oaks, The Challenge to Become, General Conference, October 2000

[ii] Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall

[iii] C.S. Lewis, The World’s Last Night and Other Essays (New York: Harcourt, Harvest Books), pp 8-9.

[iv] Henry B. Eyring, BYU Devotional, 1990

[v] Patrick Kearon, God’s Intent is to Bring You Home, General Conference, April 2024