April 23, 2025, 12:55pm MDT
BYU – When President Chase, son of IDAHO Alvin F. Meredith III, was about five years old, President Meredith bought him kite.
One refreshing afternoon, the two of them were flying through the kite for the first time, so Chase asked again and again to make the kite go high. When President Meredith told Chase that there was no more string and it couldn’t be high, the boy suggested they cut the string. Despite President Meredith’s protests, Chase insisted, and President Meredith succumbed. Chase shed tears as Kite inevitably hit the pavement.
“In his young mind, Chase saw the strings as a constraint. It prevents the kite from flying high,” President Meredith explained in a campus prayer on Tuesday, April 22nd.
In fact, the string didn’t hold the kite down. It held it, he said.
While offering opening prayers for the spring semester, President Meredith witnessed the blessing of obedience.
“Obligation is not about obtaining God’s love, but about dealing with it,” he testified. “Jesus lived in perfect obedience and showed us the way to follow.”
Based on the teachings of President Darrin H. Oaks, the first counselor of the first presidency, President Meredith encouraged students to strengthen their commitment to being fully obedient, including in the school’s honorary laws.
Christ, obedience, planning
In his earthly ministry, Jesus consistently demonstrated obedience to His Father in his actions and words. “I have come down from heaven, and not my will, but his will, that sent me” (John 6:38).
The late Elder Robert D. Hales of the 12 Apostles, Quorum, said, “Of all the lessons we have learned from the life of our Savior, none are as clear and powerful as the lessons of submission.”
President Meredith pointed out that, in order to truly grasp one another, individuals must understand the other because their father’s plan of happiness and principles of obedience are so closely intertwined.
Alma testified to Zeezrom about Adam, Eve and her plan of happiness. “Therefore, after God informed them of the plan of redemption, he gave them the commandment that they should not do evil” (Alma 12:32).
“A great test in a great plan is to learn to be obedient,” said President Meredith.
Submission brings joy
President Oaks used the image of Kite strings in his October 2024 general conference, “Following Christ.” The kite strings described by President Oaks represent the covenant that unites individuals to their Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
President Oaks said, “We respect those covenants by keeping their commandments and following the redemption plan, so with their promised blessings we can soar to heaven.”
In a spiritually immature moment, an individual may see the commandments and covenants just as his son saw the string of Kite, President Meredith said. “I beg you not to fall into that trap.”
He invited his students to open their spiritual eyes, realizing that obedience unleashed the divine power of their lives and allowed them to rise higher than they could ever do.
Honor Code and Submission
In that same conference speech, President Oaks distinguished the commandments into two types: permanent and temporary. A temporary commandment is intended to be followed only for a specified period of time.
BYU – There are both IDAHO honor codes, President Meredith pointed out. “Living an honest, chaste and integral life, and living the Word of Wisdom is a permanent commandment in line with our honorary standards. However, some of the elements of our code of honor, especially the expectations of dress and grooming, are temporary and not tied to the values of the temple.”
While at BYU-IDAHO, all students and employees agree to “maintain the standard heights characteristic of Latter-day Saints’ institutions of Jesus Christ” (CES dressing and grooming principles).
With a spirit of obedience and “with all the love and compassion I can offer,” President Meredith invited listeners to “renew our commitment to fully obeying the Honor Code, which includes the temporary aspects seen in dress and grooming expectations.
Four important truths
In conclusion, President Meredith highlighted four truths about submission.
First, there is a distinction between intentional disobedience and human weakness. “When the Lord speaks of weakness, it is always compassion and mercy. But conscious rebellion is seen more seriously,” President Meredith said.
Second, individual values are not linked to their submission.
For the third truth, he taught that “values are not perfect,” the brother, Brother Brad R. Wilcox, the first counselor for the young male general.
Value means the effort to repent and obedient when individuals are short on the line, President Meredith explained.
Fourth, “There are many reasons to follow the commandments, but the most powerful and pure motive is love for the Savior.”
Like a kit that requires a string to tower, “We need a steady connection of commandments and covenants to reach God’s destination,” President Meredith taught.
In her remarks, sister Jennifer Meredith spoke about the great plan of happiness in her Heavenly Father, also known as the plan of salvation or redemption.
She testified that Jesus Christ was at the heart of his plan. “We had just celebrated Easter and before the general meeting where we were enjoying it. What did you feel inspired to do to make Jesus Christ the centre of your life? Our Father made Jesus Christ the centre of his plan.
