One of the great things about
the Boy Scouts of America is the universality of the sentiments
expressed in the Scout law and oath. Who can argue with,
trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind,
obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent;
or the importance of promising to do your duty to God and
country, helping other people at all times, and living physically
strong, mentally awake, and morally straight? The sentiments
expressed in these BSA guidelines could provide the basis
for almost any general conference talk.
In these latter-days, however,
while the Scout law and oath resonate with the principals
necessary for living life as the Lord intended, it is the
Scout motto — be prepared –- to which we must pay
attention. In many ways, by following the edicts of the
Scout law and oath, we are preparing ourselves spiritually
–- thus adhering to the motto. But the act of being prepared
goes beyond spiritual and ethical aspects.
Words of the Prophets
In his address to the priesthood
in October 2005, President Hinckley spoke extensively about
the natural disasters occurring around the world and the
wonderful response provided by Latter-day Saints in providing
goods, financial donations, prayers and fasting, and in
thousands and thousands of hours of actual hands on service
— all of the volunteers missionaries by their very example.
President Hinckley specifically
stated these disasters are not punishment from the Lord.
It further follows the personal tragedies such as sickness,
injury, terminal illness, financial setbacks, or the loss
of loved ones, are not castigations from the Lord directed
specifically at individuals.
Having stressed this belief,
however, President Hinckley further counseled us by affirming
the reality of the many calamities and catastrophes that
have occurred throughout the history of our world. Pointing
to the warnings of the prophets recorded in scripture of
natural disasters past and yet to come, President Hinckley
referred to Matthew 24, where the Lord says:
And how prescient is this description
when we compare it to the visual images of the recent tsunami
and hurricanes?
Should We be Scared?
President Hinckley reminds
us “somebody has said it was not raining when Noah built
the ark. But he built it, and the rains came.” If what
the world has experienced in the past was all foretold,
what can we do about the calamities to come?
Is the best thing to make a
sign bearing the words “The End Is Near” and march around
town filled with doom and gloom? Should we cower in our
basements, or huddle under dining room tables practicing
drop, duck, and cover drills with our families?
Or should we follow the guidance of the prophet by applying
the Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared”?
We do not know the form of
the future calamities we will face either individually or
as a world body, yet the prophets have warned us there will
be calamities. Although the prospect of future calamities
can certainly be cause for worry, the Lord has provided
us the key to calmly facing these calamities with the direction,
“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).
Process vs. Event
Preparation is the key to so
many aspects of our lives. In our church callings, preparation
inevitably leads to success. Gospel doctrine teachers,
seminary teachers, and youth teachers learn very quickly
that the demands of preparation reap immediate rewards through
the effectiveness of their lessons. Home teachers and visiting
teachers will have far higher impact upon the individuals
within their stewardship if they prayerfully prepare a simple
lesson rather than trying to read the latest Ensign
issue while driving to their appointment.
Every youth knows the feeling
in the pit of his stomach when he enters the classroom to
take a test for which he hasn’t studied. Had he prepared,
the feeling of confidence alone would be worth several right
answers.
To be successful, preparation
must be engaged as a ongoing process not a single
event. How many of you have earthquake kits in which
you keep extra clothing for your kids? If you had to use
the clothing today, would each set of clothing become a
hand-me-down and leave your oldest child standing
naked? How about the clothing placed in the kit for the
husband who has stopped his workout regime and come off
his diet — will he be able to get those jeans you placed
in the kit for him buttoned?
Are we rotating our food stores
as needed? Or when we go to use them will time have destroyed
and spoiled what we are relying on for our very survival?
Do you have a family plan in
case of an emergency? Do you have a predetermined gathering
place? If cell phones and other communication fail, do
you know what to do?
Have you ever talked about
any of this with your families? Have you ever practiced
your emergency plan, or participated in the Church’s emergency
preparedness activities?
Real Life
Within my police unit, we often
participate in in-service training — learning new
techniques and practicing tried and true procedures. The
serving of search warrants is something we do regularly.
Most of them are simply executed and uneventful, yet each
event has to be approached as if we are going to
find ourselves in the line of fire.
Recently, we were gearing up
to serve a search and arrest warrant at an upscale condominium
owned by a 69-year-old celebrity doctor. While known as
Dr. Happy for liberally providing prescription drugs to
well known individuals from the music and movie industries,
he had no prior record. He had no guns registered in his
name. He was the personal physician to several high profile
icons. On paper, this looked like the simplest of operations.
For some reason — most likely
the small still voice that talks to our hearts — I realized
my team was not taking the process of preparing for
the warrant service seriously. I called a team meeting,
and we talked over all of the things that could go wrong.
By the time we left to serve
the warrant everyone was prepared to follow the safety procedures.
We were all wearing bulletproof vests; we had both the battering
ram and our trusty Arkansas toothpick (a long metal spike);
we knew who would do what if the suspect did not open the
door, or if everything hit the fan and somebody got hurt.
Everyone on the entry team had an assignment and knew what
would be expected of them.
Needless to say this turned
out to be one of the most dangerous warrants we had ever
served. We had to blow the door of its hinges with the
ram. When the door flew backward, it smashed a collection
of glass vases to smithereens, showering glass shards everywhere.
The first detectives through
the door, barking commands, saw the suspect and his roommate
running naked for the back rooms of the condo. They gave
chase and were able to tackle the roommate and take him
into custody. The main suspect fought ferociously — possibly
due to drug ingestion — but was finally taken down and restrained
in the doorway to his bedroom.
Once the dust and glass had
settled, we saw on the floor of the bedroom – about three
feet away from where the suspect was captured – an illegal,
fully automatic, Uzi submachine gun loaded with armor piercing
bullets. If we hadn’t been prepared, some of us
would have died that day.
Because we were prepared,
everyone went home safe and the bad guys hit the slammer.
However, because preparation is an ongoing process
and not a single event, the next morning we began
the preparations for the next search warrant by debriefing
the events of the day before and discussing what we did
right and what we could do better.
How many of us are complacent
in our physical preparations? How many of us need a wake-up
call to get back onboard the process of preparation
using single events — the putting together of an earthquake
kit, or the making of a family emergency plan — to build
on? To be successful, we need to schedule the updating
of our supplies and the practicing of our emergency plans
— both being wonderful events for family home evenings.
Spiritual Preparation
Preparation is also not just
a physical process or storing, planning, or practicing.
It can also be a series of spiritual events. We prepare
ourselves by reading the scriptures, attending church, doing
service, and magnifying of church callings.
I have an LDS acquaintance
who is a bestselling mainstream science fiction author.
I am actually in awe of this man’s intellect. His grasp
of concepts, his ability to touch on the core of difficult
issues, and the clarity with which he presents his thoughts
in writing places him at a genius level. In his books,
he creates worlds of wild imagination against which he plays
out dramatic scenarios involving his characters in many
of the real challenges we face on earth today. His favorite
computer game is one in which he can create maps and design
mystical, magical, and unknown lands, which are then built,
populated, and played out.
So, what is the point of all
this fictional world-building? Whether he realizes it or
not (and somehow I’m sure he does), I believe he is preparing
— practicing, in case he is able to attain a celestial level
where these skills will be needed.
Certainly he is an exception.
For most of us this ephemeral type of preparation is not
demanded or necessary. However, the Lord has blessed us
each with special gifts. Author and financial motivator
Robert Kiyosaki calls
this our inner genius,
and then goes on to break the word into a concept of self-actualization
— finding the genius-in-us. What is demanded of
us is to discover this special gift, this individual genius,
inside us and be prepared to use it when the Lord requires.
Organizing Ourselves
In the words of revelation
found in D&C 109, the Lord tells us, “Organize yourselves;
prepare every needful thing.” Encouraging the preparations
to assure disaster survival has been at the forefront of
the Church’s teaching since its founding. President Hinckley
has advised us to “set aside some water, basic food, medicine,
and clothing to keep us warm,” and to “have a little money
laid aside in case of a rainy day.”
These are well worn sentiments,
but they continue to be at the heart of the process that
is preparation. Furthermore, prayer is what keeps the heart
of preparation beating. It is a two-fold process, both
physical and spiritual. By being aware of staying in the
light of the Lord, if we keep his commandments, if we share
his gospel, if we listen to the counsel of the prophets
and act accordingly, we will not only be prepared for the
coming tribulations, but we shall also be prepared any time
the Lord needs us.
