Graduation Speech: Stephanie Lebaron

Good afternoon Brothers and Sisters. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Stephanie LeBaron, and I have been a member of Lake Ontario ward for about nine months now. Originally, I am from Calgary, Alberta, and growing up there, I was surrounded by family members and friends both in the gospel and out. As soon as I hit the ‘mid-single years’ though, the peer group that had supported me through my teens and twenties seemed to slowly dissipate. Whether friends got married and started families, moved away, or took up with other people, I found that I was sorely lacking in a core group of individuals that were having similar experiences and living a parallel lifestyle as a mid-single member of the gospel. And while Calgary is a large city with a strong legacy of church membership, it does not have a dedicated ward for the mid-singles to attend.
Imagine my delight then, when I discovered after moving to Ontario, a ward such as this, practically in my backyard. I think there is something so valuable in meeting with a wide cross section of intelligent, humorous, adventurous, and creative individuals that also share a love and dedication to the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Between us all, our combined experiences and love of serving Christ make us strong, and I am so grateful that I found my way here.
Elder M. Russell Ballard speaks about his father in a talk given at the October 2012 General Conference. He says: “father loved his gentle honeybees and marveled at the way thousands of them working together transformed the nectar gathered from his peach blossoms into sweet, golden honey. Honeybees are driven to pollinate, gather nectar and condense the nectar into honey. It is their magnificent obsession imprinted into their genetic makeup by our Creator. It is estimated that to produce just one pound of honey, the average hive of 20,000 to 60,000 bees must collectively visit millions of flowers and travel the equivalent of two times around the world. Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one twelfth of a teaspoon.”
Perhaps in our eyes, this tiny contribution of one twelfth of a teaspoon is insignificant, however it is integral to the health and success of the hive as a whole. When each honeybee does their part, the work is shared and then individual loads become lighter through the shared responsibilities. This brings me to the topic of my talk today. When speaking with Bishop Diaczun a few weeks ago, he asked me if I would spend a few moments sharing my thoughts on our theme from this conference. Doctrine and Covenants 58:27 reads: “Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness.” Anxiously engaged in a good cause. Well, let’s just parse that for a moment. While the word anxious is most commonly associated with negative, fearful, or apprehensive feelings, I would invite you to consider that by anxiously engaging, we are earnestly desirous of and eagerly pursuing good works for good causes.
The beehive appears persistently in the gospel, and is described by the Deseret News as follows: “the hive and honeybees form our communal coat of arms. It is a significant representation of the industry, harmony, order, and frugality of the people, and of the sweet results of their toil, union and intelligent cooperation.” This is not to say that we need to act like mindless drones, without our own clarity and curiosity as we engage in activities, serve others, and learn about the gospel. Perhaps instead, it represents our unity in a common goal and shared perspective, which helps us to work together to achieve great things.
Ephesians 2:10 reads: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
At face value, this scripture is simple, God Himself made us what we are, and gave us new lives through Jesus Christ. It was planned from the beginning, that we should spend these lives in helping others. We were all sent here at this time and age for a purpose, and our contributions, no matter how inconsequential we feel they may be, are integral to our progression, and will create ripples that will expand beyond our understanding. We were not created just to consume – eat, breathe, sleep, repeat. We were designed to make a difference with our lives. How much more enjoyable then is it, to make that offering with people at my side that are also interested in eagerly and busily responding to the needs of others that we come across.
Last week we spoke briefly about the Zoramites in Sunday School. The Zoramites had been members of the church, but they had fallen into apostasy. One thing that struck me about their story was that they appeared to preach and pray and worship, however when they returned to their homes, they never spoke of their God until they had assembled themselves together again to the holy stand. We all work diligently on Sunday, to be mindful of those around us, preparing lessons, or music, offering prayers, answering questions, visiting or home teaching. Our Sunday’s are full, and I see that we work so hard on this day to ensure each member of the ward is given consideration in some way. But are our minds as anxiously engaged in good things during the rest of the week?
In the same way that honey is a veritable treasure chest of hidden nutritional and medicinal benefits, the gospel also contains all of the necessities for salvation, should we wish to steep our lives in it. Elder Ballard suggests that we ask our Heavenly Father during our morning prayers each day to guide us in recognizing opportunities to serve His precious children. Then go throughout your day with your heart full of faith and love, seeking for someone to serve. Remaining focused, much like the honeybees focus on the flowers from which to gather nectar and pollen, our spiritual sensitivities will be enlargened and opportunities will present themselves to serve that we never dreamed were possible.
I do feel it is important though, that we apply this principle in our lives in a thoughtful and measured way, not to the detriment of our own self-care. I believe that in order to be an effective and long-time contributor, we need to encourage our own self worth, progression, and spiritual health. Heavenly Father loves us so much, and is well aware of our struggles and needs. He watches as we toil daily, and recognizes our efforts – even if its one twelfth of a teaspoon - for what they are – the diligent and dedicated contribution of a faithful servant. Sometimes we can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of opportunities to serve, however creating a balance of serving in a way that can not only help others, but that will also edify our own spiritual self, is the key to sustainable service and joy in our lives.
About a year ago, I was contemplating a thoughtful gift for someone, who, like most of us as we grow into adults, didn’t really need anything. In my research, I came across a website that allows its users to make microloans to struggling entrepreneurs from across the globe. For many people, hard work isn’t always enough, and opportunities are scarce, so what seemed like a small loan in my eyes – less than the cost of going to the movies the other night, allowed someone across the world to purchase seeds for her farm. I can’t help but see something like this as a good cause, because I believe the product of supporting and serving this person in such a small way will affect her life positively and for the long-term. It has been said that wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.
Good causes come in every shape and size. Some can be accomplished by one or to people; others require larger numbers of people. Some can be planned for, others arise spontaneously. Some can be done in a few minutes, while others can take days or weeks. But whatever the opportunity is, it will be our willingness to dig in and help out that will keep us engaged in these good acts.
Although sometimes it may not feel like it, we were born into a special time in this world, a time where the opportunity to anxiously engage in promoting and participating in good works is greater than ever.
In times of terror and uncertainty, opportunities for good works abound. 1 Corinthians 13:13 reads: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” These three ideals are so inter-related, you cannot have one without the others. My grandpa had a farm when I was a child, and we used to go out and help him with milking the cows. The three legged stool we sat on wouldn’t have been nearly as comfortable, grounded or stable had it only had one or two legs. The three principles of faith, hope, and charity similarly give us a stable foundation in these rocky
times.
There are like minded individuals across the globe, in every faith and nation, that are seeking to bring good works to pass. We do not need to be commanded to go forth and do good works, nor do we do it to receive a congratulatory pat on the back, because hopefully we find genuine enjoyment in contributing to the happiness of the world. We find camaraderie in serving others, whether it be through the simple act of listening, by giving of our time and talents, or by showing that we care about others and the world around us through love and acceptance of all peoples. Our efforts, multiplied by hundreds, thousands, and millions will continue to ripple out, and can serve to bring the light of Christ to those that are desperately seeking it. As times get darker, we must get brighter, bringing compassion and charity to those we can. Kindness matters, and goodness grows.
I am thankful for opportunities to serve, and while I may not always embrace them, I know they abound. I, like you, do the best that I can, and while I certainly feel like my contribution is a mere one twelfth of a teaspoon most of the time, I am grateful for the knowledge that my Father in Heaven will continue to put those opportunities in my path until I take advantage of them. One of my favorite songs to sing when I was the chorister in Primary is “Give Said the Little Stream.” I’d like to finish off today with the last verse of the song. It reads: “Give then, as Jesus gives, give oh give, give oh give. Give then, as Jesus gives, there is something all can give.”
As the song says, there is something we all can give, whatever it may be. I pray that we can be as dedicated as those little honeybees are, with mindfulness and focus on engaging in good and worthwhile deeds.