REXBURG—Brother Rob Garrett is encouraging BYU-Idaho students to trust in Jesus Christ and remember their divine identity when life does not go according to plan.
Garrett, chief of staff and vice president of executive strategy and planning at BYU-Idaho, shared the message “He Will Make More of You” in his devotional address.
The message grew out of themes Garrett noticed while reviewing notes from his personal gospel study over the past several months. He said those themes reminded him that while people should give their best efforts, the Savior can turn those efforts into something they could not accomplish alone.
Garrett focused on four principles: trusting in the Lord’s timing, remembering what He has done, keeping covenants and making disciple-like efforts.
For students who may feel behind in life or unsure whether they are on the right path, Garrett said faith in Jesus Christ can bring reassurance even when answers do not come immediately.
“When we have faith in Jesus Christ, we have faith that He understands more than us, and that He wants the best for us,” Garrett said in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio.
Garrett also shared an experience from his mission more than 30 years ago. While serving in the Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission, he learned his father had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Doctors estimated his father had three to six months to live without treatment and six to nine months with treatment, the same amount of time Garrett had left on his mission.
During the early morning hours following the news, Garrett prayed for strength, understanding and help finishing his mission. In his devotional, he described the answer he received.
“My answer was to trust Him, and that He trusted me. My answer was this is the Lord’s plan for me and for my family,” Garrett said.
In his interview, Garrett said that answer did not remove the sorrow and uncertainty, but he felt the Savior give him additional strength as he continued serving on his mission.
“I received extra strength, and that in having that extra strength and having that impression that the Lord trusts me, it just made my whole experience, and I realized He had my back,” Garrett said.
Garrett finished his mission and was able to see his father again before his father passed away three months later. Looking back, Garrett said he could see the Lord working through the imperfect effort he gave each day.
“The miracle is the Lord took that imperfect effort and blessed me. He gave me strength, and His power flowed into my life,” Garrett said in his devotional. “It was His power that carried me through the rest of my service.”
Garrett encouraged students to apply the same principle by continuing to take disciple-like actions regardless of their circumstances. Prayer, scripture study, repentance and keeping covenants are actions he said can help individuals grow closer to Jesus Christ even when they do not know what comes next.