Shortly before the semester began, Sister Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society General President for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke to BYU-Idaho employees at the annual All-Employee meeting.
President Johnson’s message focused on two things: love and divine identity.
“When we love God first, everything else falls into its proper order and things that don’t really matter fall away,” President Johnson taught.
She reminded employees that doing things out of love for God is much more gratifying than simply checking boxes on a checklist. She listed tasks that members of the Church do on a regular basis, such as reading the scriptures, praying, and holding family home evening, but suggested a “higher and holier” way of doing them.
She went on to relate that to tasks that BYU-Idaho employees do on a regular basis. Even while working, employees can complete their tasks in a higher and holier manner.
President Johnson then referenced the first and second great commandments to love God and to love your neighbor, as found in Matthew 22:35-40.
“But what about the work we do for a paycheck?” President Johnson asked. “Can it be motivated by love for God?”
President Johnson spoke about her professional work as a lawyer, sharing that if a potential client was looking for a lawyer to get contentious with the opposition, she was uninterested in the case. President Johnson viewed herself as a problem solver, helping her clients to resolve issues sometimes through litigation. She worked to make love of God and neighbor her priority, even in a profession not generally thought of as inviting of love.
She challenged the employees to make love the top priority in their work.
She then went on to talk about President Nelson’s recent devotional for the young adults of the Church, in which he spoke about divine identity.
“My dear friends, you are literally spirit children of God,” she quoted President Nelson saying. “The way you think about who you are affects almost every decision you will ever make.”
President Johnson reminded employees that this spiritual identity is not only important for themselves, but also for the students in their stewardship. She then returned to the words of President Nelson, who stated that the three most important designations for members of the Church are child of God, child of the covenant and disciple of Jesus Christ.
“As you embrace these truths, our Heavenly Father will help you reach your ultimate goal of living eternally in His holy presence,” President Nelson said.
President Johnson challenged faculty and employee supervisors to share ways that they can help their students internalize these designations. Here are some of the suggestions employees shared:
- Showing love
- Accepting people for who they are
- Remembering divine identity and potential
- Inviting people to come unto Christ
- Giving the Holy Ghost room to work
- Finding and developing personal connections
In conclusion, President Johnson quoted 3 Nephi 5:13, a favorite scripture of hers, which is posted in her office so that she can see it on a regular basis.
“Behold, I am a disciple of Christ, the son of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among his people that they might have everlasting life.”
The full version of President Johnson’s talk is available for employees to view at https://video.byui.edu/media/1_zcj0khxv.