As Thanksgiving shifts into Christmas, the whole world seems to focus more fervently on the atoning sacrifice of the Savior Jesus Christ. At the start of her devotional talk “Seasons with the Savior,” BYU-Idaho Customer Experience Coordinator Holly Johnson expressed gratitude for this season as a celebration of the Christ child. She also explained how our lives will also be full of many seasons, purposes and lessons to learn.
“The Lord can accomplish His purposes in the seasons of our lives. So how do we allow Him to influence and improve us during each season of our life? I would suggest four steps to come closer to him – learn of Him, show gratitude, give service, and share the gospel,” she said.
As she addressed an auditorium full of students, Sister Johnson recognized that many of us are in a season of learning, of dating and of discovering long-term interests. She encouraged thought by asking very specific questions about life trajectory.
“What does this season of learning look like for you? What stories of learning and faith will you share with your children and grandchildren that will bless their lives? What legacy are you building today?” she asked.
President Dalin H. Oaks asked a similar question in his talk on faith just two devotionals ago. He asked students if they are living up to the legacy of pioneer faith. In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, Sister Johnson commented on the correlation between their questions and why reaching our potential is so vital for the future.
“Each person now today that’s connected with the University, they have a story. They have a reason that they’re here. They have a legacy that they’re building. It may not look the same as the pioneers’ or what they created. They may not even have a connection to any of those early pioneers, but they’re building their own legacy and whatever that looks like is going to bless the next generation,” Sister Johnson said.
Patience is a necessary part of learning. Sister Johnson invited students to think about what kind of harvest they would have if they planted a seed but returned to see the fruits of their labors only a week later. By this analogy, she emphasized how patient effort and the Lord’s timing are important ingredients in the recipe to become who we need to be.
“In our lives, there’s a lot of ways we can grow and sometimes our vision is not maybe the best way for us to grow, and so that’s why I’m so grateful that Heavenly Father knows each one of us and He can tailor the things we learn, our spiritual progress to what we need and what’s going to make us our best self in the future…as we grow and progress to being that person that our Father in Heaven knows that we can be, we’ll learn so much more than we ever thought we could,” Sister Johnson said.