"An Instrument in the Hands of the Lord"
Vickie Lovell
July 5, 2005
When President Hall called me to meet him in his office and “invited” me to speak at a devotional, I was very surprised – panicked actually, and thought of every way possible to refuse. As I contemplated this invitation while driving home that afternoon, and convincing myself that “I just couldn’t do this task,” the thought came to me, “Of course I can’t do it.” A calm, reassuring feeling came upon me that this opportunity was not about me, but rather about the message the Lord would have you hear through “me” and he would bless me. Brother Hall insisted that this would be a “great growing experience” for me and since I am only 5’3” tall, I am really excited for this opportunity to “grow” with you today.
Those of you who know me, realize what a difficult task this is for me today. I prefer to be the “behind the scenes” person, making sure things run smoothly. Not only is my wonderful husband a GREAT teacher here on campus in the Geology Department, but he has a tremendous gift for speaking and I would very gladly defer to him today. I told him if I happen to pass out or hyper-ventilate, he could take over for me.
If you listen closely to the many devotionals given here on campus, you will hear an open invitation for the Holy Ghost to be present. I also invite the Holy Spirit to be in attendance this afternoon and pray that you will have ears to hear and hearts open and receptive to my message today and that you will ponder on what the Lord would have you learn during our time together.
During the past few months as I have been preparing this talk, I have been so grateful to our Heavenly Father for the promptings that have come and the “fine-tuning” I have been privileged to experience as I have listened more intently to talks and lessons heard in various meetings and paid greater attention to what I have read in the scriptures. Sometimes it is hard to remember all we read and study but it’s our job to put the information in, and the Holy Ghost’s job to pull it out when needed. I pray that will be the case here today. I am also very grateful to you students who have come up to me and said, “Sister Lovell, I see you are speaking at Devotional. I just want you to know that I am praying for you.” Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers. I have felt them and been strengthened in my preparation.
First, I want to share with you my love for BYU-Idaho. I was a student here at Ricks College 30 years ago. I loved being here on this campus attending classes, working in the Library, living in an apartment with five other girls, and being an active participant in all that was happening here. After I graduated with my associate degree, I continued to work in the library while pondering where to go next. (This may sound familiar to some of you here today.)
I was in the library working one day, when I met my husband. He had just returned from serving a mission, enrolled in a communications class, and was checking out a book from the reserve area at the circulation counter when we met. I always tease him that he came in to “check out a book and checked me out instead.” We dated through the fall semester, married at the break in December (as many of you have done), and while Brother Lovell continued his schooling in Geology here on campus, I worked as a secretary in the Athletics Department.
After Brother Lovell graduated from Ricks College, we attended the University of Utah and later BYU. We then ventured off to Houston, Texas with our four small children to work for an oil company. We loved the eight years we spent in Houston, living in the “mission field”, having great “growing experiences” working and serving in the Lord’s “southern Texas” Kingdom and adding two additional children to our family.
With a chance to return to the family farm in Ririe and raise our six children in the same environment and setting we had been raised, we returned to Idaho. We marvel at the “tender mercies” of our Heavenly Father in blessing us with the opportunities we have had being away and new opportunities to be back in Idaho these past 15 years. The many lessons learned while being away have truly blessed our lives and helped prepare us to be here at BYU-Idaho. As we come to campus together each day, we truly cherish the opportunity of being employed here.
An Instrument in the Hands of the Lord
As I prayed for inspiration as to what the Lord would have me teach you today, I received a very strong impression of the topic, “An Instrument in the Hands of the Lord.”
For the past 10 years while working on campus, I have watched and learned a great deal from the students and employees. While working in the Austin building, I marveled at the amazing creations and works of art the welding students created with their torches – projects such as trailers, bakers racks, and even a delicate rose; engineering students used techniques, skills, and modeling tools to solve problems; automotive students disassembled vehicles and with tools and equipment reassembled them to a proper working order; students studying architecture and construction management learned to draw plans, design buildings, and build homes; students studying electronics worked with circuit boards and various tools as they learned valuable skills for employment as technicians.
Coming to work in the Activities Program has shown me another tool or instrument – that of developing one another here on our campus. It has been an amazing experience to work with the student officers and directors each semester. They are also using skills and techniques as they invite other students on campus to “act”, “get involved”, “grow”, and enhance their Academic experience through the various opportunities in the Activities Program.
Whether in Academics, Activities, or other areas of campus, as students each of you require various instruments, tools, and knowledge specific to your area of expertise to accomplish what is needed for a grade or to be successful.
Right now, you have different career interests, different ward callings, and different talents. You will travel many different paths in life. Each of you will progress at a different rate. There are, and will be in the future, many different ways for each of you to serve our Heavenly Father and to be the most effective instrument you can be in building his Kingdom here on the earth.
I am sure there are many returned missionaries here today who have experienced the sweet joy of being an instrument in the hands of the Lord similar to what Ammon and his brothers must have felt in bringing the knowledge of Christ to the Lamanites. In Alma 26, verse 3 we read:
. . . for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work (Alma 26:3, emphasis added).
As many of you accept internship assignments and then jobs around the world, you too will “be made instruments in the hands of God” in bringing the knowledge of Christ to those you come in contact with.
During this past winter semester, it was an exciting time for our daughter, Dianna, along with 10 other interns from campus, who filled accounting internship assignments in New York with a top accounting firm. Eyes were opened and hearts were touched as these interns demonstrated that BYU-Idaho students are leaders, knowledgeable, and as worthy of employment as other prominent universities across the United States. In the devotional address, “A Steady Upward Course”, Elder Eyring shared the following:
You can imagine the joy of an employer or a Church leader when such a graduate arrives. The graduates will be at personal peace by having kept the commandments. They will be natural leaders who know how to teach and how to learn. They will have the power to innovate and improve without requiring more of what money can buy. Those graduates of BYU-Idaho will become—and this is a prophesy that I am prepared to make and make solemnly—those graduates of BYU-Idaho will become legendary for their capacity to build the people around them and to add value wherever they serve (“A Steady Upward Course,” BYU-Idaho Devotional Address, September 18, 2001, 11).
As you are hired by various companies throughout the world, you will become “instruments in the hands of the Lord” not only at the workplace but in the wards and stakes of the church as you help build the Kingdom of God.
In every aspect of our lives, the Lord needs us to embrace our eternal callings, and look for ways to serve others as we help build the Kingdom. We have come to earth precisely when we were needed. We must be in tune to the promptings of the spirit to know when, where, and how the Lord can use us as his instruments.
President Spencer W. Kimball said:
Remember, in the world before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks. While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to. [We] are accountable for those things which long ago were expected of [us] (“The Role of Righteous Women,” Ensign, November 1979, 102).
Our assignment is not an easy one. There are times when we may feel overwhelmed or inadequate and that we have been asked to deal with impossible tasks, that too much is asked of us. So how do we do it? With all that is happening in our busy lives, how do we become the most effective instruments we can be in the hands of the Lord?
Our Heavenly Father, in his infinite wisdom, does not allow us to work alone. The Holy Ghost will guide us, and prayers will be answered. We have been given many attributes which will help us do what we have been sent here to do and I would like to share four with you today.
1) First, we need to have Faith.
Faith that the Lord can help us, and will help us. From the moment of his conversion, John Taylor was committed to giving his all to the Lord’s work. Through his decades of service, he placed his trust in the Lord, knowing that if he served faithfully, the Lord would sustain him and enable him to accomplish His will. On one occasion when Elder Taylor was preaching the gospel on the Isle of Man near England, he had arranged for the printing of some tracts he had written in response to the false accusations against the Church and the Prophet Joseph Smith. However, the printer refused to deliver the tracts until he was paid in full. Anxious to distribute the tracts as soon as possible, Elder Taylor prayed to the Lord for help, which was soon given.
A few minutes after his prayer was offered, a young man came to the door, and upon being invited to enter handed Elder Taylor an envelope and walked out. The young man was unknown to him. The envelope contained some money and a little note which read: ‘The laborer is worthy of his hire,’ and no signature was placed thereon. A few minutes later a poor woman engaged as a fish vendor came to the house and offered a little money to assist him in his ministerial labors. He told her there was plenty of money in the world and he did not wish to take her money. She insisted that the Lord would bless her the more and she would be happier if he would accept, whereupon he received the offering, and to his surprise the poor woman’s mite, added to what the young man had given him, made exactly the amount sufficient to pay the printer the balance due him (Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, 4 vols. (1901-36), 1:16).
As with John Taylor, we must ask in faith for inspiration to know what we are to do. Answers will come when the Lord is sure that we will act on the promptings. Each challenge and brush with adversity strengthens our faith and “grows” us to prepare us for the next experience or challenge. Each time our faith is stretched, our testimony of the Savior, Jesus Christ, increases and we will be able to do what we have been sent here to do.
2) We must have Charity – The Pure Love of Christ.
As we become increasingly more pure – in thought, word, deed, and motive – we will eventually be led to those needing our help, those we can care for, guide, love, and teach. When we have the “pure love of Christ” we stop worrying about how the world sees us and we are free to focus our attention on others.
Elder Eyring instructed that, “You are called to represent the Savior. Your voice to testify becomes the same as His voice, your hands to lift the same as His hands” (“Rise to Your Call,” Ensign, November 2002, 76).
Our Heavenly Father knows us and he knows the needs of his children. He works through us, giving us those promptings to help one another. When we act on those promptings, we are allowed to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord and a way will be opened to serve as his instrument to accomplish the task. President Heber J. Grant shared the following incident:
One day while sitting in my office an impression came to me to go to Sister Emily Woodmansee and loan her fifty dollars. I did so, and found that she was in absolute need of the necessities of life . . . There is nothing I desire more than to have my mind susceptible to impressions of this kind (Letters from Heber J. Grant to N.L. Nelson, 1 April 1914, Family and Church History Department Archives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
President Grant goes on to say:
That every kind word spoken gives you greater ability to speak another. Every act of assistance rendered by you, through the knowledge that you possess, to aid one of your fellows, gives you greater ability to aid the next one. Good acts grow upon a person. I have sometimes thought that many men, judging from their utter lack of kindness and of a disposition to aid others, imagined that if they were to say or do a kind thing, it would destroy their capacity to perform a kind act or say a kind word in the future. If you have a granary full of grain, and you give away a sack or two, there remain that many less in your granary, but if you perform a kind act or add words of encouragement to one in distress, who is struggling along in the battle of life, the greater is your capacity to do this in the future. Don’t go through life with your lips sealed against words of kindness and encouragement, nor your hearts sealed against performing labors for another. Make a motto in life: always try and assist someone else to carry his burden (“Have a Purpose in Life,” Improvement Era, February 1902, 289-90).
One of the best ways to be an example of the Pure Love of Christ is in our Visiting Teaching and Home Teaching. In one of our recent devotional messages, I appreciated hearing that these are not “callings”, but rather “assignments”. When asked to accept an assignment to be a Visiting Teacher or a Home Teacher are we willing to do so? By not accepting and striving to serve those we are assigned to visit, nurture, and love we are in essence telling our Heavenly Father, “No thanks . . . I don’t want those blessings right now.” We can be instruments in the hands of the Lord as we follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost to know how to serve those “assigned” to us.
A sweet sister and friend in our ward recently lost her mother-in-law. I had visited with her on several occasions as funeral plans were being prepared, but at work one afternoon the day before the funeral, I had the distinct impression to give her a call. I was working on a project that I wanted to finish and tried to push the thought away. But the prompting came again, and I stopped, dialed her number and had a very special visit with her over the phone. She later told me that she was feeling especially low and just needed someone to talk to.
I think these are the kinds of “promptings” the Lord gives us quite often, if we have our “ears tuned” to hear. Our Heavenly Father knows each one of us and gives us that “comforting hug” through one of his children who are his “instruments” here on the earth. I would encourage you to record these special occasions in your journals to reference and share with your posterity at a future time.
3) We need to Know Who We Are.
None of us came to this earth to gain our worth; we brought it with us. President Wilford Woodruff said:
The Lord has chosen a small number of choice spirits of sons and daughters out of all the creations of God, who are to inherit this earth; and this company of choice spirits have been kept in the spirit world for six thousand years to come forth in the last days . . . to build . . . up and to defend the Kingdom of God (Our Lineage [course of study for genealogy classes, 1933], pt. 1, p. 4).
There is not a man or woman in this Church who doesn’t have a specific mission to perform in helping build up the Kingdom of God. It is humbling to think that you are here now, at this time, for a specific purpose. President Gordon B. Hinckley said:
Believe in yourself. Believe in your capacity to do great and good and worthwhile things. Believe in the nature within you, the divine nature, that you are in very deed a son or daughter of the living God. There is something of divinity within you, something that stands high and tall and noble. Get above the dirt and the filth of the earth and walk on a higher plane with your heads up, believing in yourselves and in your capacity to act for good in the world and make a difference (Stand a Little Taller, 160).
My father-in-law, Rendon Lovell, served as a Stake Patriarch in the Ririe Stake for a number of years. I had the wonderful blessing and opportunity to assist my mother-in-law in transcribing the blessings given to the youth in our stake. He gave close to 600 blessings during the time he served. I could not specifically tell you what any one of them said today, but I can testify to you that this “army of valiant young people from the Ririe Stake” includes some of the most trustworthy of our Heavenly Father’s children. So it is with stakes throughout the world as patriarchal blessings are given. I challenge you to read, study, and ponder your blessings to know who you are and where the Lord needs you to be his instrument in building the Kingdom.
4) We need to have Courage.
The courage to be obedient and fearless; the courage to stand alone if need be; the courage to open our mouths when prompted; the courage to be ready to “act” when called upon to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord.
In General Conference, October 1991, then first counselor in the first presidency, Gordon B. Hinckley taught that in the fall of 1856, the saints who were trapped and dying along the trail were at least four hundred miles from their destination. When Brigham Young was finally made aware of what was happening, the next morning, on the Sabbath, he said:
I will now give this people the subject and the text for the Elders who may speak . . . It is this. On the 5th day of October, 1856, many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains with handcarts, and probably many are now seven hundred miles from this place, and they must be brought here, we must send assistance to them. The text will be, “to get them here.” That is my religion; that is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess. It is to save the people . . . I shall call upon the Bishops this day. I shall not wait until tomorrow, nor until the next day, for 60 good mule teams and 12 or 15 wagons. I do not want to send oxen. I want good horses and mules. They are in this Territory, and we must have them. Also 12 tons of flour and 40 good teamsters, besides those that drive the teams…I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains (Handcarts to Zion, Glendale, Calif.: Arthur H. Clark Co., 1960, pp. 120–21).
President Hinckley goes on to state:
Now, I am grateful that today none of our people are stranded on the Wyoming highlands. But I know that all about us there are many who are in need of help and who are deserving of rescue. Our mission in life, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be a mission of saving . . . It is not with those on the high plains of Wyoming that we need be concerned today. It is with many immediately around us, in our families, in our wards and stakes, in our neighborhoods, and communities . . . Let us never forget that we have a marvelous heritage received from great and courageous people who endured unimaginable suffering and demonstrated unbelievable courage for the cause they loved. You and I know what we should do. God help us to do it when it needs to be done (“Our Mission of Saving”, Ensign, November 1991, 52).
Just as those earlier saints who helped bring their brothers and sisters to Salt Lake, we too can be instruments in the Lord’s hands to bring about his purposes among his children today. As we teach and reach out to others, Heavenly Father will multiply and magnify our efforts to bless the lives of his children.
In Mark 8:23 it reads, “And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town.”
Sister Marjorie Pay Hinckley shares this thought:
How simple it is, really, to extend a kindness when we see the need. Jesus set the example on many occasions. He led the blind man out of the town. Just a small kindness, but a powerful example. God helps us to recognize the opportunities we have every day to touch lives in small and simple ways (Small and Simple Things, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, 2003, pp.98-99).
Recently, Brother Lovell had the opportunity to travel to Paraguay with a group from our campus as part of a humanitarian effort. Through working with the missionary couple there, they received word of items to bring that would be so appreciated by sweet members of the Nivalcle tribe, who have little to nothing. There was a devastating flood a few years back that destroyed a large part of their town, resulting in many moving closer to the larger towns of the area and establishing a new settlement. While there are a few families who have made some economic progress, most are struggling with average earnings of less than the equivalent of $250 dollars per year.
One of the suggestions was for the group to bring some sports equipment for the children to play with—soccer balls preferably, but anything that could be found would be greatly appreciated. We contacted Trent Shippen and some of the coaches in the Activities Sports area and they willingly gave some equipment. I happened to mention what was taking place to Brother Shaum one day and the next morning he excitedly showed me the campus surplus sale with listings for basketballs, volleyballs, and soccer balls. I quickly called Gayle Weatherston at the surplus office and explained what was needed, being hopeful that these items were still available. She in turn contacted Larry Wickham at Continuing Education whose office placed the items on the surplus list.
Meanwhile, Brother Lovell wrote an e-mail to Brother Wickham explaining the need for this equipment for the children in Paraguay and before the end of the day; he had more basketballs, baseballs, soccer balls, footballs donated than he could take with him. A coincidence? I don’t think so. As I marveled at the sequence of what had taken place, it occurred to me, that yes, we could have gone and purchased this equipment or even collected funds to purchase what could be taken to Paraguay, but these employees were allowed to play a role as “an instrument in the hands of the Lord” to bless the lives of His children in a far-away village in Paraguay.
Elder Robert D. Hales taught, “We came to this life with a purpose and that the greatest joy we will receive will be those acts of love and service that we do for others . . . There is none too great to need the help of others. There is none so great that he can ‘do it alone’” (“We Can’t Do It Alone,” Ensign, November 1975, 93).
Building the Kingdom
In JST, Matthew 6:38 we read, “Seek ye first to build up the Kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness” (JST, Matthew 6:38).
We need to be valiant in our commitment to build up Zion. We are children of our Heavenly Father and made covenants at the time of our baptism as we read in Mosiah 18:8-11:
. . . and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;
Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places . . .
. . . if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?
And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.
It really is possible to do what we came here to do and do it with “joy”. There is no greater joy and no greater work than helping the Lord with His work, with being instruments in his hands. We are part of the true, restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a work to do. As we find ways to serve in our Heavenly Father’s Kingdom, our testimony grows, and we are strengthened to fulfill our divine mission.
Just before Christmas, Brother Lovell and I were very content serving in the nursery in our ward. We loved it!! We were able to teach the gospel to these sweet spirits through short little lessons and songs. The children were a sweet reminder of our own grandchildren and Brother Lovell enjoyed the much relaxed pace of the nursery after serving as the bishop of our ward – plus there was the added bonus of “snack-time”!!
I was grateful to the Lord for the blessing of serving with my husband. Heavenly Father decided to continue “growing us” as Brother Lovell was called to serve on the High Council and I was invited to serve as our ward Relief Society President. During the past few months, I have so appreciated the many acts of kindness and service the sisters in our ward have shown to others. So it is with each of you in your respective callings.
President Hinckley stated:
No calling in this church is . . . of little consequence. All of us in the pursuit of our duty touch the lives of others . . . Whatever your calling, it is as fraught with the same kind of opportunity to accomplish good as is mine . . . Our work is to go about doing good as did [the Master] (“This Is the Work of the Master,” Ensign, May 1995, 71).
Remember that the work you are doing, the calling that you have is the Lord’s work and when we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help. Be prayerful as you seek guidance and direction from the Lord as you serve in his Kingdom.
The Right Place at the Right Time
Earlier, I told you of a time when John Taylor was prompted to help Sister Emily Woodmansee by giving her $50. Let me share with you the rest of her story.
When Emily was 12 years old she heard LDS missionaries preaching the gospel in her neighborhood and quickly became convinced of the truth of their words. Emily’s family and friends were less than thrilled with her enthusiasm for the Church. She was told by her father that if she joined the Church she would not be welcome in their home. Despite this opposition Emily was baptized when she was 20 years old and immediately left England for the United States with her older sister, Julia, who had also converted. Upon their arrival in America, Emily and Julia traveled from New York to Iowa where they joined a handcart company to make the Mormon trek west to Utah. Their company experienced many difficult trials and may not have made it to Utah except for the timely rescuers sent from Salt Lake City by Brigham Young.
Emily entered into the covenant of plural marriage in 1857 in Salt Lake City. The couple had one child before her husband left on a mission for the Church. He had been gone three years when Emily received a message from him stating that he would not be returning to Utah and severed their relationship. Following this difficult trial Emily married Joseph Woodmansee in 1864 in Salt Lake City and bore him eight children…Emily was well-known for her abilities as a poet. Many of her poems were published in various magazines, journals, and used as text in our hymnbook (http://marialouisapickett.homestead.com/Emily_Hill_Mills_Woodmansee.htm).
She wrote the text for one of my favorite hymns, “As Sisters in Zion”. If we change the word “sisters” to “members”, this song is very applicable to all of us as we strive to be “instruments in the hands of the Lord” in building his Kingdom.
- As[members]in Zion, we’ll all work together;
The blessings of God on our labors we’ll seek.
We’ll build up his Kingdom with earnest endeavor;
We’ll comfort the weary and strengthen the weak.
- The errand of angels is given to[members];
And this is a gift that, as[members], we claim:
To do whatsoever is gentle and human,
To cheer and to bless in humanity’s name.
- How vast is our purpose, how broad is our mission,
If we but fulfill it in spirit and deed.
Oh, naught but the Spirit’s divinest tuition
Can give us the wisdom to truly succeed(“As Sisters in Zion”, Hymnbook, 309).
My young brothers and sisters, as with Emily Woodmansee, the Lord truly knows each of us, blesses us abundantly, and works through us to further his work in the Kingdom. When we moved to Texas 23 years ago, I never expected to return to Idaho, let alone be employed at Ricks College, now BYU-Idaho, and I certainly never expected to be asked to speak at a Devotional. As you prepare now to chart your course, if you never leave the dock, you will never know where the Lord will use you as his instruments in building the Kingdom.
While serving here in the Rexburg Kingdom, Elder Bednar truly was an instrument in the hands of the Lord at the right time and here in the right place to implement that which the Lord desired for this university. President Wilkes has kept us on a steady course while preparations were made for our next president. Now during this exciting time of change on our campus with the coming of President Clark, he too will be an “instrument in the hands of the Lord” as he fulfills his assignment and makes innovative contributions here at BYU-Idaho.
It is my prayer that each of you will have the faith to know what the Lord would have you do; the pure love of Christ to serve others; the knowledge of who you truly are and why you are here at this time and place; the courage to be obedient to “act” and “speak” when prompted; for when we do these things, we are better able to be instruments in the hands of the Lord in building his Kingdom.
I leave you my testimony that I know that our Heavenly Father truly hears and answers prayers and works through each of us to build his Kingdom. I know our Savior lives; I know the Prophet Joseph Smith was indeed an instrument in the hands of the Lord to restore the Gospel to the earth; I know that President Gordon B. Hinckley is the true prophet, the instrument of the Lord to serve at this time in building the Kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.