Akron Ohio Stake News

Article by Brother Tuong Nguyen – Wooster Ward Clerk

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Summer games have recently ended on August 8, 2021 – Watching the Olympics Closing Ceremony on television seeing athletes around the world once again gathered into the main Olympic Stadium with winning medals around their necks and with countenances of joy helped bring back my memories of some Church member athletes who participated in previous Olympics along with their inspirational comments.  

The first Church member to participate in the International Olympics Games was Brother Alma Richards. In the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, Brother Richards competed in the running high jump. Before his final jump, he walked to a spot on the infield grass, and in full view of an audience of 24,000 people, he took off his hat, kneeled, and said this prayer, “God, give me strength. And if it’s right that I should win, give me the strength to do my best to set a good example all the days of my life.” As soon as he said “Amen,” he put his “lucky” hat back on, walked to the end of the runway, and, without hesitation, raced for the bar. He cleared it at 6-feet, 4-inches to set a new world record and earn the gold medal.

Sister Laura Berg, who competed in the women’s softball and won the gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, said: “We go out and work hard. We play this game with emotion and love. Coach always says ‘Emotionally, physically, mentally – come to the field prepared.”

Brother Peter Vidmar, who competed in gymnastics and won two gold and one silver medals in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, shared: “In determined athletes, we can see the difference between knowing and doing. Those who really desire to reach their goals will do whatever they must do in order to achieve them. . . Let’s not just talk about what we want to be. Let’s not just dream about what we want to be. Let’s just do it, whatever it takes.”

Sister Breeja Larson, who competed in swimming and won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay in the 2012 London Olympics, said: “If you can learn to be your own best friend and be kind to yourself and be patient with the progress, that’s where a lot of the success comes from. If you can give an honest effort every day and know you could have done more, then you can be happy with that progress.” 

The inspirational quotes from these victorious Church member athletes who participated in previous Olympics summer games emphasize important principles of faith, love, kindness, hard work, desire, determination, and patience that propelled them to victory in their competitions. 

On July 23, 2021, the opening day of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, President Russell M. Nelson sent an inspiring message to all Olympians around the world in which he said: “Athletes from all over the world have come together in Tokyo, Japan. The Olympic Games will shine a light on athletes and teams demonstrating friendship and respect even as they compete against each other for gold, silver, and bronze medals.

There is a difference, however, between healthy competition and any kind of destructive contention, which the Savior declared was “not of Him, but is of the devil” (3 Nephi 11:29). It is possible to disagree with others without violating the Savior’s injunction to “love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12). It is possible to have a different opinion than your neighbor while still loving that neighbor. It is even possible to “compete” in a spirit of mutual respect that brings out the best in everyone.

May we reflect personally on what we can do to eliminate contention from our own lives as we embrace the Olympic ideals of excellence, friendship, and respect.”

I believe President Nelson took the opportunity of the Tokyo Olympics event to remind us all of God’s perfect love for His children and that He commands that we shall love one another. Through this message, the living Prophet of God also extended an invitation to all members of the church, including the member athletes, to seek divine guidance and strive to eliminate the spirit of contention and embrace the spirit of love, friendship, and respect toward others during the Olympic game competition as well as in our daily lives. 

Just imagine how ideally peaceful this world would have been if the spirit of contention does not exist among people. During her keynote address at the Utah Valley University’s graduation in Orem on May 7, 2021, Sister Wendy Nelson also said: “If you will remove contention from your life, not only will your world change, but you will help to change the world itself.” What a powerful and true statement that was. 

Watching the Olympic games seeing people compete vigorously with one another, and at the end, competitors smiled, hugged, and congratulated one another no matter who won or lost truly reflects the spirit of healthy competition and mutual respect between athletes. By eliminating contention, “hearts can change, conversations can change, and relationships can change as well.

We are living in a time of turmoil and great challenges, which the Lord earlier revealed in the Doctrine and Covenants 1:35 that: “Peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.” There is no doubt that the Savior’s warning is unfolding right in front of our eyes. The world today is in constant commotion and being filled with contention around the globe with extreme forms of discord, strife, racism, and antagonism, which are rooted in disagreements and hatred between and among people and nations. 

These forms of contention are indeed lethal. It can ruin physical health, ravage relationships, and play havoc with productivity, creativity, and stamina among people. Misunderstanding among people can easily happen in our daily lives, either at home or at work or even at church, through careless actions and conversations, which results in hurt feelings and thus invites the spirit of contention to arise. When we say or imply that others are wrong and must change their view, or when we force our ideas on others or insist that they must think or believe or vote or behave as we do, emotional violence unavoidably happens. And emotional violence is the breeding ground for contention.”

It is okay for one to have ideas that are different from others. That’s, in fact, just the most enriching part of life. We can be passionate about our ideas and still be able to find ways to share our ideas in a manner that leads to congenial debates and engaging conversations with mutual respect. Sister Wendy Nelson suggested that “Multiple perspectives can become a rich seedbed in which creativity, productivity and human dignity can flourish — if they are shared by those who are respectful, curious, and kind.”

If we truly want to have a wonderful life, a life filled with “spiritual” joy, peace, happiness, momentum, optimism, and accomplishments, we get to consistently strive to single our eyes unto the glory of our Father in heaven and our beloved Savior Jesus Christ and diligently follow His teaching and examples and make an effort to remove contention from our mind and heart, from our conversations and relationships, from our home, and from our workplace. We may not be able to do it in an instant, but it may take some time for us to get there with divine help and guidance. It is, therefore, expedient that we constantly seek spiritual help and guidance from our heavenly Parents by committing ourselves to our daily prayer and scripture study so we may have the Spirit of God to be with us and enjoy the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, which will guide, comfort, strengthen, and help us work toward our goal of zero contention in our life.

Brothers and Sisters, contention wounds our souls, but love, even the love of Christ, is a powerful healer. In her address at the Utah Valley University’s graduation, Sister Nelson also invited all of us to consider Maturana’s definition of love: “Love is opening space for the existence of another.” Opening our minds and hearts to listen to and receive other’s ideas doesn’t mean or require everyone to always agree. But when opening minds and hearts to the ideas of others, contention leaves, and love enters in. And with love present, we may be surprised how easy it is to offer commendations and encouragement or to apologize for not previously listening or for attempting to push or force our ideas. By being humble and tolerable, we allow the Holy Ghost to soften our hearts and feel the love of our Savior, which helps subdue the spirit of contention. 

I truly love and am always looking forward to watching the Olympic games every four years. Olympic athletes from throughout the world (including some Church members) have been participating in the Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo. Through the Olympics, I can see personal excellence, perseverance, and commitment put into action. International Olympians can teach us about overcoming life’s roadblocks, how to eliminate negatives that creep into our minds, how to focus on priorities, and how to reach our God-given potential.

Brother Fraser Bullock, President for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, said: “Our theme was “Light the Fire Within,” suggesting to us all to strive harder, to reach higher to accomplish things we never thought possible. It also tied to the idea of inspiring others with that light kindled within each of us . . .  As we continue our journey in life, let us follow some of these simple lessons. We will get knocked down—and many times unexpectedly—but when we do, let’s get up, and let’s get up quickly. Let’s rely on the Lord and use the opportunity to draw closer to Him and align our will more with His. Let us take His divine hand every step of the way throughout our lives to navigate the many challenging turns that await us. And let’s light the fire within to achieve more than we perhaps think possible. Let’s light the divine fire within each of us to realize the divine potential we each have.” 

Brother Bullock’s particular comment, “Let’s rely on the Lord and use the opportunity to draw closer to Him and align our will more with His. Let us take His divine hand every step of the way throughout our lives to navigate the many challenging turns that await us.” This reminds me of President Nelson’s message during the October 2020 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During the Sunday morning session of the conference, President Nelson taught about the gathering of Israel and how that is related to our willingness to let God be the most important influence in our lives. He said: “The only way to survive spiritually is to be determined to let God prevail in our lives, to learn to hear His voice and to use our energy to help gather Israel.” 

How can we let God prevails in our lives? President Nelson taught that “It takes both faith and courage to let God prevail. It takes persistent, rigorous spiritual work to repent and to put off the natural man through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It takes consistent, daily effort to develop personal habits to study the Gospel, to learn more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and to seek and respond to personal revelation.” 

We must always remember that God respects the agency that He has given to His children according to His Plan of Happiness. As such, we need to constantly acknowledge, call upon, and invite Heavenly Father in the name of His Son Jesus Christ to come into and prevail in our lives. Then, we must maintain our unfeigned faith, hope, and trust in God that we will receive His divine help and blessing according to His will that He sees fit to inflict upon us and bless us with. That action indeed requires unwavering faith and patience.

To be able to receive divine guidance from our Heavenly Father, we seek constant companionship of the Holy Ghost by diligently feasting ourselves daily upon the words of God as well as the teaching of His living Prophet, Apostles, and the General Authority of the Church. As we read and ponder upon the scriptures and the teaching of God’s living Prophet with a humble heart and sincere desire to learn of divine truths, the Holy Ghost will dwell within and confirm to us what we are reading is indeed true, which is, in fact, the blessing of personal revelation. 

The blessing of receiving personal revelation through the confirmation of truths by the power of the Holy Ghost, in turn, helps strengthen our personal testimony of the restored Gospel and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It will help embolden and fortify our belief that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Prince of Peace, the Counselor, the Good Shepherd, the ultimate Healer of all things, even the beloved Savior and Redeemer of the world. 

These testimonies of truth will then help strengthen our love for and faith in the Savior and increase our desire and motivation to engage in divine work of salvation and to serve others in the effort of gathering the house of Israel from the four corners of the earth and help prepare the children of God on both sides of the veil for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which is nigh.

I am truly amazed and marveled at the true and real power of God, the restored Gospel, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know without a doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father indeed delivered me out of bondage from VietNam, brought me to this promised land, helped me get an education, blessed me with a good job, softened my heart, answered my humble and sincere prayer with a heavenly revelation that Joseph Smith Jr. was indeed His latter-day chosen Prophet who restored the fulness and everlasting Gospel, the Priesthood, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints upon the face of the earth in this last dispensation of time. 

The characters of faith, love, kindness, forgiveness, humbleness, hard work, desire, determination, and patience that are demonstrated by the brothers and sisters of the church who participated in previous Olympic games propel them to victory. Those characters are, in fact, the very principles that are taught and found in the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

We are the spirit children of God and are created from His own image. We all have divine potential to become like our Heavenly Father and our beloved Savior Jesus Christ. We are so blessed to be the covenant people of God. We are Jesus’ sheep, and He is our best Shepherd. As we faithfully and diligently embrace those core principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and humbly invite God to come and prevail in our daily lives, I know that God will move to do a marvelous work and wonder upon us, for He is the God of Miracles. Heavenly Father will no doubt make us the instruments in His hands in the work of gathering the house of Israel from the four corners of the earth and on both sides of the veil in preparing for the Second coming of His Son, Jesus Christ. We will also be blessed with the spiritual joy, peace, and happiness in this life and the eternal life in the life to come. I know that is true, and I so testify in the name of our beloved Savior and Redeemer, even Jesus Christ, Amen.