Welcome to BYU-Idaho! Wherever you are, we’re so happy to be starting this new semester together. Whether in Rexburg or half a world away, thanks to marvelous technology, we have been participating with you in devotionals with President Nelson and Elder and Sister Bednar.
I don’t know how you are feeling, but I am very excited, a little scared, and pretty sure that at the end of the semester I will be feeling the satisfaction that comes from finishing something challenging. I won’t be in class with you, but I have some responsibilities on campus that ensure growth for me too.
I wish we could sit at my kitchen counter and you could tell me about your summer. I would love to hear about time spent with family, working at a job or internship, completing a mission, as well as your other adventures. I bet a few of you spent some time outdoors, hiking, biking, or maybe even waterskiing.
My son-in-law, Derek Slauson, participated in a Spartan Race in July. [photos of Derek] He trained and prepared for months. Following the race, Derek said it was more difficult than he could have imagined. There were heavy barrels to carry, hills to run up, and bars to cross. He finished among the top five percent of more than 4,000 competitors. He can’t wait to do it again. There is something so satisfying about doing something hard.
When I am doing something difficult, it is helpful to envision my desired outcome. For example, every time I get out of our boat and into the water to ski, my heart pumps fast. And my adrenaline flows as I watch the rope unwind while I sit in the water with my ski tip up. I breathe deeply and envision myself getting up.
I recall experiences of getting up before. Most of the time it works really well. Occasionally, I will drag or fall. But I learn from those failures. I remind myself to keep my tip up, my legs bent, and let the boat do the pulling. As Elder Bednar taught us on Sunday, sometimes we have to “try and try again” to reach a desired outcome or overcome a temptation. But with the Savior’s help, and with the “persistence and patience” that Elder Bednar prescribed, we can succeed in “getting up” and accomplishing our goals. [i]
Envisioning success in this way was a technique I learned as a young dancer. I was taught to envision myself executing a turn or leap and that my body would follow my mind’s lead. Perhaps you have had a coach or other teacher who gave you similar advice.
I have found that these techniques can work well in physical settings. But I also like to employ this kind of approach in other settings, including spiritual settings. Missions, education, and motherhood all fall into this category. Life is in this category.
May I suggest, from repeated personal experience, that you envision going through this semester with the help of the Savior? He is the one who has shown us how all righteous goals can be realized. The Holy Ghost can be our constant coach, reminding us that we can do all things in Christ. Elder Bednar reminded us of this truth when he gave a simple plan of action for following promptings from the Spirit: “Be good and go.” [ii] As we act on the promptings of the Holy Ghost quickly, we will be blessed with his continual companionship. This is the one sure way to overcome the fear you may feel and to learn all that is meant for you to learn now.
I bear testimony from experience that the Savior has helped me through difficult times that seemed too hard to bear. Like you, I have wanted to know how a certain trial would work out. But then I wouldn’t have known the sweet feeling of faithfully envisioning the outcome I hoped for.
Some of our envisioning will require a lifetime of hope and faith. But, for now, I encourage you to envision your success this semester. Your professors want you to do well. Your roommates or spouse really want you to have a happy home and a friend in them. And, most of all, I know that Heavenly Father cares about you.
It helps to remember other times you have felt His help. In sharing with me your summer at my counter, I would hope that you could point to a time when you saw heaven help you overcome a challenge or a doubt. I have asked Elisa Walker to tell us what she would share with me in my kitchen about this.
Elisa Walker
Well, I’ve always wanted a degree, but for a really long time I really struggled with knowing what I wanted to get my degree in and what I wanted to do when I grew up. And people would try to help me and they’d say, “Well, what’s your dream job?” And I couldn’t even answer that, because I really had no idea. And I felt a lot of uncertainty and anxiety over it, and I felt completely lost. But I kept moving forward with school, took it one semester at a time, and now that I look back at my three years being here, I’ve realized that God has guided me the entire time. He’s opened my eyes to new perspectives and ideas; He’s lead me to certain classes; He’s lead me to people who’ve become my mentors; and He’s given me opportunities to learn things about myself and develop skills. And so I’ve realized that God is always guiding me, even though I may not always recognize it.
Thank you, Elisa. Life is supposed to be exciting and difficult. As Lehi declared, “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” [iii]
In closing I would like to remind us of the blessing given to us last Tuesday by President Nelson:
Now, in my capacity as President of the Church, I invoke a blessing upon you, to be able to discern between right and wrong, between the laws of God and the conflicting voices of the world. I bless you with power to detect the adversary’s deceptions. I bless you with greater capacity to receive revelation. And I bless you to be able to feel the infinite reach of God’s perfect love for you. [iv]
As President Nelson said, we can choose to learn and grow from our trials. Let’s all envision a semester of exciting things to learn, new friends to make, and the joy that comes when we rely on the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the love of our Heavenly Father and the Savior.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[i] David A. Bednar, BYU-Idaho Devotional, Sept. 22 2019.
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] 2 Nephi 2:11.
[iv] Russell M. Nelson, BYU-Idaho Devotional, The Love and Laws of God,” Sept. 2019.