Snakes and Other Obstacles on the Covenant Path

“Be Still My Soul” – I can relate to that right about now. It’s wonderful to be here. I’m so grateful for the invitation to be asked to speak here at this devotional. I am particularly blessed that my beautiful wife is here. In fact my mother’s here, my step-father, my sister from California, and my son Matthew are here.

Before I begin my talk, I want to bear testimony of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Of His love, of His commitment and devotion to each one of us. I testify of Him and acknowledge that everything we do in this Church is about Him, and I’m so grateful for Him.

In his April 2016 General conference address, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland began his talk with these words:

“Brothers and sisters, do you have any idea—do you have any notion or inkling whatsoever—of how much we love you?... You thrill us to the center of our soul, whether that be the 21,000 here in the Conference Center, or multitudes in meetinghouses and chapels, or finally millions in homes around the globe. Here you are, there you are, hour after hour, in your Sunday best, being your best. You sing and you pray. You listen and you believe. You are the miracle of this Church. And we love you.”

Like Elder Holland, I would like to begin my devotional address this way:

“Students at Ensign College, do you have any idea—do you have any notion or inkling whatsoever—of how much we love you? You thrill us to the center of our soul… Here you are… In our classes, day after day, doing your best, being your best. You sing and you pray. You listen and you believe. You are the miracle of Ensign College. AND WE LOVE YOU!

Students, your instructors, administrators and service missionaries have been where you are now. Believe it or not, we were young once sitting in college classrooms, listening to professors, working on assignments, working on projects, reading and writing papers, cramming for exams, taking midterms and finals, attending workshops, and studying; all while attending church, fulfilling callings, sometimes working multiple jobs, raising families, and a million other things just to survive. I can tell you, my wife and I ate more than one peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And, for a while in our college career we would hike up the Provo River, catch a fish and we could eat that day.We were very grateful for fish and the Provo River.

We know that it is a difficult, and sometimes frustrating journey that you are on. Some of you are far from home. You have sacrificed much to be here. Some of you have no idea why you are here. None of you have any idea what the future has in store for you, and probably all of you wish that you were done, already finished with school and into your career and family… and that this part of your journey was complete. Whatever your situation please believe that each one of you have been led here by a loving Father who wants what’s best for you. More than anything He wants you to be happy, to become capable and trusted disciples of Jesus Christ and to return to Him in honor and glory. So, my advice to you is simply this: keep on course. Don’t give up. Don’t let discouragement or disappointment or despair keep you from reaching your goals. The finish line is closer than you think. This part of the journey, though difficult, is obtainable. You got this! We believe in you! Please believe in yourself. Believe in yourself because you are children of the Almighty God. You can do hard things. It is literally in your DNA. You are destined for greatness. Please believe that! Let me say one more time emphatically, we believe in you, and we love you.

There is an invitation shared by the Savior himself that helps the weary traveler— and Ensign College student— throughout his or her journey. You have heard this invitation before:

“Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

I testify that life’s journey, and your time here at Ensign College, is made better as you willingly and intentionally strive to come unto the Savior and partake of this help He is offering.

President Nelson taught:
“Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ” (April 2023).

The Scriptures help guide us collectively and individually on our journey through life and into the promised land.

Nephi taught, “Feast upon the words of Christ, for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” What a great promise! Have you ever wondered why almost every story we read in the scriptures is about people on a journey, traveling to one place or another? For example, in the Old Testament we read about Adam and Eve journeying out of the Garden of Eden and into a fallen world. Next, we read about the journeys and struggles of Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then we read about Moses and the Children of Israel as they journeyed for forty years until they finally they ‘graduated’ and reached the promised land. Sometimes it feels like forty years! In the New Testament we read about the journey of Mary and Joseph into the town of Bethlehem; The journey of the Wisemen seeking to worship the baby Jesus; we read about Jesus traveling throughout the Holy Land preaching the Gospel of Salvation. Finally, we read about the Twelve Apostles and their journey to take the Gospel to every nation. The Book of Mormon begins with the family of Lehi journeying into the wilderness. We read about their struggles of preparing for a journey. They wandered into the wilderness. From time-to-time they wondered if they were on the right course. They found divine help from the Liahona… at times they got off course… They had setbacks; broken bows… there was complaining… fighting among themselves… even wanting to kill their father. Under the direction of the Spirit they built a ship to journey even farther. They had no idea where their final destination might be, but having faith in and complete trust in God, they kept moving forward. So much more could be said on this subject. Suffice it to say that the scriptures are a guide to their personal journey and to our personal journey.

No matter where you are on your journey, please have confidence in the Captain of your Salvation (Heb 2:10) that He can and will lead you, guide you, and walk beside you on your journey, both in life and in your present academic studies here at Ensign College. I know that He will! Listen to this promise found in D&C 84:88:

“And whoso receiveth you, there will I be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you to bear you up.” Think of it. The creator of all things promises that He will be with us on our journey here at Ensign College.

For those of you who are note-takers I want to make this simple. For those of you who are non-note takers, please listen carefully because these three bullet points are the essence of my message today:

1) As you journey, stay happily and securely on the covenant path.
2) Don’t pick up snakes along life’s journey.
3) Listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Many years ago, my wife and I set out on an epic journey. Well, we went on a bike ride together. Well, we went on a bike ride together. Our little journey began as we left our house, she on a nice new bike, and me on an older borrowed bike which had no brakes. But that didn’t matter, because we weren’t going far.

We left our home, biked a few hundred yards to the end of the road. We got off our bikes to walk them up a steep little hill, and on to a dirt road that would be our path for the journey date. It was a beautiful warm summer morning. We didn’t get more than 20 feet on our journey when I quickly stopped. There in the road in front of us was a beautiful 3’ long gopher snake warming itself in the morning sun.

       “Sweet” I shouted to my wife… “Look at that! That’s awesome! I’m going to take that back home to the boys!”

       “Richard, No!” My wife said emphatically. “Leave the snake alone! Let’s just go on the bike ride!” She of course was right, wives are always right… but how could I pass this up?

       “It will be okay.” I reassured her, “I’ll just take it home, and I will be right back, and we can go on our bike ride.”

       “Richard! NO!” She insisted.

Too late. I got off the bike.. (As an aside, I really don’t like snakes all that much, in fact, I don’t like them at all. But my boys did, and we had an aquarium where they had kept snakes, but some of them had escaped.. so we needed another one).

I quickly grabbed the snake by the tail and held it away from my body so it couldn’t bite me. In my mind I thought that I could easily take it home. It turned out to not be quite so easy.

Let’s take a minute to review briefly review the three bullet points that are the essence of my message today:

1) As you journey, stay happily and securely on the covenant path.
2) Don’t pick up snakes along life’s journey.
3) Listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

       I picked up the snake… held it in one hand and got back on the bike with no brakes. I grabbed onto the handlebar with the other. Sounds kind of dumb right now as I talk about it, but at the time it seemed like a good idea.

While I am doing all this, my wonderful wife tried to reason with me telling me no, let’s just go on our bike ride. With the gift of divine reason, I was determined to get this snake into my boy’s cage and return quickly to my wife.

With one hand on the handlebars and the other holding the snake, I began to pedal back home. Because of the steepness of the little hill we had just climbed, I needed to ride the bike a couple hundred yards in the other direction so I could get off the road, enter into a cherry orchard, and then ride down to the lower road and then back to where I was going. Remember the bike had no brakes. Well as I began to ride into the orchard, my wife this entire time was saying something to me. She wanted to go on this journey-date together.

I knew, as soon as I left the road, I had made a mistake. Not only was the snake unhappy, fighting to get away and trying to bite me, I found it almost impossible to ride the bike with only one hand on the hand holding the snake in the other and navigate through this orchard, dodging branches this whole time, my wife yelling at me, telling me, “no, don’t do it…come back. Just put the snake down.”

When I left the road and entered the orchard, I quickly realized that I was no longer on a smooth easy path. The orchard was bumpy, uneven, difficult to navigate and very unsafe. In addition, I had to dodge the trees and branches with only one hand on the handlebars while holding a snake in the other hand on a bike with no brakes. I wasn’t considering President Nelson’s council to:

Get on the Covenant path and stay there!

Without brakes, I went faster and faster. Branches were coming at me at an alarming speed, and I wished, oh how I wished that I had not picked up that snake, not left the path and that I had a bike with brakes. I wanted to slow down. I wanted to be able to stop. But my decision to ride a bike with no brakes, pick up the snake, leave the path, and ignore the pleading of my wonderful wife all had consequences.

Finally, I reached the bottom of the hill where I would meet the road that would go back to our house. But, because I was off the path, there were a few unexpected surprises.

At the bottom of the hill was a recently planted small grape vine. The grape plants were in little cardboard milk cartons spaced about 3 feet apart. I thought to myself that I don’t want to hit the little grape plant, so I steered the bike with one hand while still grasping the snake in the other and pointed the tire between two grape plants. I need to remind you that throughout this whole ordeal my wife continued to shout something to me, but I was so distracted that I couldn’t hear what she was saying. I would learn later, that had I listened and obeyed, I would have been protected, unharmed, and safe.

Just as I felt confident in reaching the road, I also noticed several large posts spaced near the plants with thin metal wires that stretched in front of me from one large post to the other.

These metal wires would eventually be used to support the grape vines, but for now, the grape plants were too little and the wires almost invisible. Almost at the exact moment that I saw the wires, I crashed into them.

The bike came to an immediate stop, but I didn’t. The snake and I forcefully slammed into the wires and then awkwardly and painfully to the ground. Had I been on a bike with brakes, I could have easily stopped. Had I had not picked up a snake, I could have easily steered the bike away from the danger. Had I listened to my beautiful wife, I could have easily avoided the whole situation, and had I remained on the road and not gotten off the path, I wouldn’t have this great story to tell.

I learned later that while I was frantically riding uncontrollably through the orchard, my wife was shouting, “Be careful… Slow down… They planted grapes and there are wires..” Oh, how I wish that I could have heard her. But I was just trying to not crash.

I laid on the ground for several moments trying to gather myself. The snake, now coiled up near my face seemed to say, “Boy, aren’t you stupid” and then it attempted to slither away. Soon my wife showed up on her bike with working brakes near my side, and looking down at me asked, “Couldn’t you hear me?” “Are you okay?” “Why in the world did I marry you?” All very valid questions.

We never did finish our bike ride together. I painfully stood up and assessed the situation. I was bruised and hurt, but nothing broken. I re-found the snake and picked it up again. I left the bike and hobbled back up the hill to our home and placed the snake in the cage in our boy’s room. My eager wife wanted me to complete our bike ride together, but I didn’t have the energy. We never did go on our little journey together.

Let’s revisit the three bullet points one more time:

1) As you journey, stay happily and securely on the covenant path.
2) Don’t pick up snakes along life’s journey.
3) Listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

 Let’s look as these one at a time:

Stay on the Covenant Path:

President Nelson taught:
“Now, to each member of the Church I say: Keep on the covenant path. Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to men, women and children everywhere” (January 2018 press conference).

In Proverbs we read, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).

In other words, stay on the path and don’t pick up snakes.

When asked by the apostle Thomas, “How can we know the way?” Jesus responded, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

Brothers and sisters, Jesus truly is the path.

President Thomas S. Monson taught,
God’s commandments are not given to frustrate us or to become obstacles to our happiness. Just the opposite is true. He who created us and who loves us perfectly knows just how we need to live our lives in order to obtain the greatest happiness possible. He has provided us with guidelines which, if we follow them, will see us safely through this often treacherous mortal journey.

Nephi taught that baptism is the gate that leads to this path, King Benjamin further taught that we have an obligation to serve and help one another throughout life. He further invited us to “consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God, For behold, they are blessed in all things both spiritual and temporal” (Mosiah 2:41).

Our own President Kusch spoke on this subject just a few weeks ago from this very pulpit when he taught,

“As you endure with faith and show the Lord that you are firmly planted on His side, blessings you can hardly imagine will come”

President Nelson has promised, “If you want joy, stay on the covenant path” (Russell M. Nelson, in Sarah Jane Weaver, “In Orlando, President Nelson Shares 7 Truths That Have the Power to Change Lives,” Church News, June 9, 2019, thechurchnews.com)

I testify of that. There is nothing off the covenant path that will bring happiness to your life, only misery.

Don’t pick up snakes along life’s journey.

As we strive to become capable and trusted disciples of Jesus Christ and follow the path that leads us back to our Heavenly Father through ordinances, covenants, and discipleship we will experience periods of mists of darkness, mocking voices, and distractions all around us. The constant and ever-present opposition in all things (2 Ne. 2:11) tempts and persuades us to give heed to those who point a finger of scorn or perhaps let go of the iron rod and leave the covenant path all together. For those who want to remain on the covenant path, the temptation to pick up snakes, or habits, or activities, or maybe feel to say, all is well, I am at ease in Zion… find that the Devil cheated their souls.

Some may even feel justified in committing a little sin, or maybe picking up a little snake, saying “There is no harm in this.. (2 Nephi 28:8). Others pick up snakes of doubt or criticism, or anger or pride, or selfishness or fear of men, or the snake of addiction or temporary self-gratification. They seek deep to hide their actions from the Lord. They want to stay on the covenant path.. but the snake that they have picked up is constantly trying to bite them, to destroy them, to inject its poison and to lead them away by a flaxen cord until he bindeth them with his strong cords (2 Ne. 26:22). I plead with you today, do not pick up snakes on your earthly journey. Leave them alone. Listen to the spirit. Walk away! Joseph of Egypt was tempted over and over by Potipher’s wife. Maybe his method of retreat wasn’t all that sophisticated, we are told, “She spake to Joseph day by day to lie with her or to be with her… But Joseph fled, and got him out.” (see Gen 39:9-15). Like Joseph, you are stronger than the temptation. Don’t pick them up. If you have already picked up snakes… STOP now. Make a commitment to put it down. Repent and return to the covenant path with full purpose of heart. Jesus promises that He will forgive and forget as we repent and return unto him.

When we falter or get distracted (and we all do), the Savior invites us back with love, not shame. He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) He doesn’t abandon covenant keepers or those willing to keep trying. He strengthens them.

President Nelson promised: “When you reach up for the Lord’s power in your life with the same intensity that a drowning person has when grasping and gasping for air, power from Jesus Christ will be yours.” — President Russell M. Nelson, “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Apr. 2017

Finally, Listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

As college students, you’re making choices that affect your education, your relationships, your spiritual growth, your careers—and your eternal future.
Navigating this critical time without the guidance of the Holy Ghost would be like trying to drive in an unfamiliar large city without google maps.

Our Heavenly Father loves YOU. That’s why He has given YOU the constant companion of the Holy Ghost—to guide you on the covenant path. Because He loves you!

President Nelson taught, “My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation… Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.

But in coming days, (these may just be the coming days), it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation” (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives April 2018).

Listening to the Holy Ghost can be challenging for many of us. But trying to listen while dodging branches, speeding downhill, holding a snake on a bike with no brakes is almost impossible.

Elder David A. Bednar explained:
“The Holy Ghost communicates in a unique and individual way to each of us. As we honor our covenants, we will receive the guidance we need to make correct decisions.”

Elder Richard G. Scott said:
“To receive guidance from the Holy Ghost, we must seek quiet, sacred moments.”

Let the Lord speak in your still moments—early morning prayers, temple attendance, scripture study, or even just walking quietly through Ensign without earbuds.

Our Heavenly Father loves us. He has given us the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This wonderful gift can teach us all things, show us all things, tell us all things, bring all things to our remembrance. He can testify of Jesus Christ. Sanctify our hearts. He can help us become more capable and more trusted disciples of Jesus Christ… but we have to listen.

I invite you to stay, brothers and sisters, happily and securely on the covenant path, being grateful for the commandments that keep you safe.

I invite you to avoid the snakes on the covenant path, and don’t pick them up. Stay far away from them.

And I invite you to listen to the Holy Ghost. “For they that are wise have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide—and have not been deceived” (D&C 45:57).

May God bless each of you on our journey through this life as we stay on the covenant path, as we strive to become more capable and trusted disciples of Jesus Christ, which path is the path to eternal happiness, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.