"Tulips and Testimonies" & "Not Blind Faith, but Big Faith"

BYU-Idaho President Henry J. Eyring and his wife Kelly Eyring gave their first devotional of the new year today. Their topic was faith and what to do to increase it even in moments of trial.  

Sister Eyring’s talk, “Tulips and Testimonies,” focused on the three key things you can do when you feel your testimony is being shaken. She explained to remember the seed of an answered prayer, the seed of a scripture hero, and the seed of sure testimony that comes from applying the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

“It’s not easy,” she said, “but you can look to the scriptures to those who have done it and it might inspire you.”  

President Eyring added, “I think it also helps us to think of ourselves as scripture heroes,” he said in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio. “I’m grateful for Sister Eyring’s statement to me once that she had the impression, ‘Henry should keep a journal’ and that did come at a very dark time in my life when I was spiritually struggling the most.”  

He said journaling changed his life for the better at a very hard time in his life.  

His talk “Not Blind, but Big Faith” addressed the importance of understanding that faith is not blind, it is us as human beings who are unable to understand all the mysteries of God. He explained big faith ideas are the boldest of the Church’s declarations, 1 – Jesus Christ suffered for the sins and sorrows of all people, 2 – Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as well as other heavenly messengers who instructed him in establishing the Church, and 3 – because of priesthood power we can each qualify each day for repentance and peace of mind. 

In his talk he said, “The gospel of Jesus Christ, authored by Him and our Heavenly Father, is perfect. But it is not perfectly intuitive to those of us in mortality.” He continued, “Some gospel laws and Church policies, for example, may seem unduly strict and out-of-step with the times. And many shortcomings can be ascribed to the members of the Church, who are all human.” 

President Eyring’s talk later mentioned how his grandfather, who was a renowned research chemist, always had a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  

“He was a great example of what is described in the scriptures as learning the gospel by study and by faith,” President Eyring said.  

 You can listen to their devotional talk on our BYU-Idaho Soundcloud page.