A Sure Foundation

As a reminder, I set a goal some time ago to enhance my spirituality. For me this meant sharing some of my personal religious convictions. This post is about integrity.

As a Christian, Christ is my exemplar. A prophet from the Book of Mormon, Helaman, wanted for his sons to do the same. He had given them the names of great men, Lehi and Nephi, who were themselves great followers of Christ. He taught them the following:

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; 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 you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

 (Helaman 5:12)

This idea of Christ as the sure foundation is important. In this life, we have become accustomed to those, often those in positions of great responsibility, who lack integrity. Whether it is the politician, the evangelist, the athlete or celebrity, we seize on people we admire, who we want to rely on. Time and again we are disappointed. This is because these individuals, sometimes good and worthy in many ways, are not capable of being the sure foundation that Jesus Christ is. He is an example of perfect integrity and reliability.

In a discussion with our congregation's youth last night, we talked about integrity. I recounted the story of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which famously collapsed in 1940. I drew the comparison between this bridge's failure in 40 mph winds with its lack of structural integrity, to the idea of each of us trying to be sure and steadfast and reliable. We would like for something as important as a bridge to be strong and totally trustworthy, like the Savior. We can't equal him, but we can do our best to personify his integrity. In the same way that we build the best, most resilient bridges, we can build integrity in ourselves.

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a notable example of man's design failing to meet the demands of the day. Are we ready to meet the demands of each day? What do we face that may cause us to fall? What is the "mighty wind, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind," that the adversary tries to send to us? When they come, what will we be built on?

I am trying to build my foundation on the Savior, his life, his teachings, and most importantly his atoning sacrifice for sin. It was made possible through his perfect integrity. I am grateful to have learned of it at a young age, and grateful to those whose examples of integrity helped establish my own resolve to seek it for myself.