REXBURG— The devotional speaker for the second week of the spring 2026 semester taught students five ways Christ can transform their lives.
Kassandra M. Mackley, the Tours and Event Coordinator, told BYU-Idaho Radio she hopes the students know that Christ can transform them personally.
“It can be really daunting to think about this Earth life being a test or becoming like our Heavenly Father someday and trying to measure up, that can feel like a lot,” Mackley said. “So overall, I just want that to not be discouraging, but for people to feel uplifted.”
One comparison Mackley shared is the building of the Teton River Idaho Temple. She enjoys taking pictures at the beginning of the temple construction to see the change over time. Over the years it changes from a dirt plot to the start of the exterior of a building. For her it is a reminder that people are also works in progress.
“I’ll be the first to say, I am very imperfect and I feel very imperfect,” Mackley said in her devotional address. “Even so, I have a testimony that because of His Atonement, Resurrection, and role as our Savior, Jesus Christ can, will, and wants to transform us, and that joyful process of becoming can start now.”
In her talk, she introduced five ways Jesus Christ can transform His disciples through their desires, weaknesses, relationships, circumstances and perspective of themselves.
Mackley shared that Jesus Christ can help people reach their greatest desires. The scriptures, words of the prophets and the Holy Ghost can guide peoples’ decisions.
“I think anything that draws you closer to God is a good desire,” Mackley said.
When Christ is involved in our relationships, Mackley taught, people can draw closer and heal with their loved ones. Prayer can bless their relationships by how they communicate.
“It's so important that we are building our own relationship with God, understanding how he communicates with us and sharing our concerns with him,” Mackley said. “I think [God] knows everything, but as we are communicating our feelings and our challenges and concerns to him, we're opening up that way.”
Mackley invited listeners who might feel distant from God to follow her invitation to ask God the question, “How can Jesus transform me?” Then to find their answers through prayer and reading the scriptures.
“It's such a personal journey, this life and our individual relationship with God, but I do have a testimony that as we try to open that door of communication, like the Lord loves us and he wants us to be successful, to feel successful,” Mackley said.