Imagine a huge sailing ship from the 17th century, arrayed with all the brilliance of a king's warship, sinking just outside the harbor in front of thousands of spectators.
Through this imagery of the doomed Swedish ship called the Vasa, Elder Dale G. Renlund, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, underscored the importance of constructing spiritual stability in our lives to avoid becoming like this impressive looking boat that only sailed about 4,200 feet before sinking during its maiden voyage.
"Despite Vasa's magnificent appearance, the ship was not seaworthy," Renlund said. "The alterations in its construction resulted in it not having sufficient lateral stability to enable safe sea-faring. For us to successfully navigate our mortal sojourn, we also need sufficient lateral stability - that is spiritual stability."
Renlund outlined four ways to ensure our spiritual stability:
- Obeying God's Commandments
- Heeding Counsel and Becoming Life-Long Learners
- Serving Others
- Making Jesus Christ our Foundation
"Our spiritual stability is increased in proportion to the degree to which we establish Jesus Christ as our foundation," Renlund said. "If we wish to avoid navigating through life in a long, skinny, top-heavy ship, we must make Christ our foundation and seek His counsel."
If you missed Elder Renlund's address, it can be streamed on demand at BYUtv.org and will be available on speeches.byu.edu.
Next Week's Forum
Next week's Forum address, on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 11:05 a.m., in the Marriott Center, will be given by Mickey Edwards, former congressman from Oklahoma. His address is part of BYU's celebration of Constitution Day.
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Writer: Nate Depperman
