To Stand the Test of Time

In his recent video showing the work on the Salt Lake Temple, President Nelson finished with this statement: “The complex task of strengthening now underway will reinforce this sacred temple with the foundation that can and will stand the test of time.” Then in his final talk at the close of the conference he said this: “Make your own spiritual foundation firm and able to stand the test of time by doing those things that allow the Holy Ghost to be with you always.” So what does it mean to have a foundation that will stand the test of time? Surely for the temple it means that as the months and years and decades pass it will remain strong and immovable, not weakening or becoming unstable. For us I believe the principle is the same: if our spiritual foundation is to stand the test of time, we must keep our faith and testimonies strong and immovable so “that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon [us], it shall have no power over [us] to drag [us] down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which [we] are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12). We cannot build this kind of foundation with sporadic bursts of spirituality, but we must continually strengthen and sustain our faith through living the gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes daily, consistent effort over months and years and decades to stay true to the Lord and protect our foundation from the winds of the adversary. President Nelson declared that he wanted the temple to have “a foundation that will withstand the forces of nature into the Millennium.” We must likewise work to build a spiritual foundation that will last us into the Millennium.   

               As I think about how we work to make our spiritual foundation “stand the test of time” I am reminded of this description of the Nephites shortly after the sign was given of the birth of the Savior: “And it came to pass that thus passed away the ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen” (3 Nephi 2:1). It can be easy to think that a powerful spiritual experience will last us forever, but if we are not careful it will soon lose its impact. This people had witnessed a night that was filled with light as a sign of the Savior’s birth, and yet only five years later they had started to disbelieve what they had seen and hear. As President Eyring observed, “Great faith has a short shelf life.” Surely we see that in this experience of these Nephites, and it is a warning to each of us. I remember a sad experience I had on my mission in which we taught a very intelligent man who gained a powerful witness of the Restoration. The lessons were amazing as he became converted, and I remember one Sunday when he spoke in Church and lifted up his triple combination declaring, “Every word in this book is true!” It seemed like nothing could shake his newfound faith. But a short time later something happened, and he seemed to have lost that witness as opposition hit. I remember my last night on the mission giving him a call and trying to talk to him about it, and I asked about his witness that the Book of Mormon was true. The sentiment of his response was “Yes, but….” I don’t know what happened exactly, but it showed that it doesn’t matter how strong our faith is today—we can still lose it tomorrow if we don’t continually work to keep our foundation in Jesus Christ and His restored gospel strong. We must work to “stand the test of time” by earnestly strengthening our faith in the Lord every day.