When Brother Gabriel W. Reid, second counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, fumbled the football while playing for the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in 2007, he said his focus on the mistake made him want to quit.
However, he later learned that one fumble does not equal failure. That was his message to the listeners at the BYU-Idaho devotional, Tuesday.
“We all face disappointments, mistakes, trials, and setbacks. The devil cunningly tries to make us believe that we are defined by these moments,” Brother Reid said in his devotional address.
He said he almost let the mistake overshadow his years of playing and practicing football and encouraged listeners to not let their fumbles become the focus of their lives.
Brother Reid also reminded listeners about the story of Nephi in The Book of Mormon, who accidentally broke his bow while hunting in the wilderness.
His starving family began to complain about their situation, but Nephi instead turned to the Lord.
“Nephi chose to keep moving forward with faith in the Lord. Strengthened, perhaps, by earlier experiences when he had something difficult to do and the Lord provided a way, Nephi proactively made a bow and arrow out of wood. Armed with his new bow and arrow, he sought the counsel of his father, who asked the Lord where to go to obtain food,” Brother Reid said in the devotional.
He said that, like Nephi, people can turn to the Lord when they fumble.
They can also learn from their mistakes and learn to bring their imperfections to the Lord so they can grow from their experiences.
“Nephi’s fumble taught Him to be innovative and proactive to build another bow. He learned the pattern of how to provide spiritually and temporally for the needs of His family. These lessons prepared him for future opportunities to trust the Lord, go to the mountain often, and make the tools to build a ship that would carry his family across great waters and to the promised land,” Brother Reid said.
In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, Brother Reid expanded on his experience as a professional football player for the Chicago Bears.
He said his focus on his relationship with the Savior, scripture study and living his covenants brought him peace and power, reminding him that his mistakes did not define him as a child of God.
He also talked about the power of repentance. Brother Reid invited listeners to seek strength through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
“If you really look at the definition of repentance, it means turning to the Lord. And so, when President Nelson says we repent daily, it’s an invitation for us to turn to God daily,” Brother Reid said in the interview.
One of the ways Brother Reid turns to God every day is through intentional scripture study.
He starts with a question each time he studies and does not close his scriptures until he has had a spiritual experience.
However, Brother Reid encouraged individuals to find a way to study the scriptures that works for them.
“Find how you savor the scriptures. President Nelson said we need to savor the scriptures, and so find what works for you and be open to trying different things,” he said in the interview.
Brother Reid said these spiritual experiences come with devoting time to scripture study and encouraged not only BYU-Idaho students, but all listeners to put in the work to build their relationship with their Savior.
When asked what he most hopes listeners learn from his devotional message, Brother Reid said he hopes listeners realize they are good enough and that they can turn to the Lord when they fumble in any area of their lives.
“The Lord loves us and He’s so merciful. And so, just remember that when you fall short, just get up and just keep going,” Brother Reid said.
You can listen to more messages from upcoming devotionals on KBYI 94.3 fm or stream them live on Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m. at BYU-Idaho Devotionals.