I am grateful to be here. About seven weeks ago when I was asked to speak at devotional, I thought, “Awesome. Summer session. It will be like speaking in church.” Then a week later I was in a meeting and was reminded that this will be broadcast worldwide. That is not a comforting thought.
Truly this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I thought to myself so many different things, but the question I keep asking myself is, “How did a nice girl like me end up here? There are so many more qualified people on campus to deliver a devotional talk.” I thought for a long time what the Lord would have me say to my students and all the students listening today.
If you would have known me 40-plus years ago there is no way you would have ever guessed I would be standing before you, speaking at a BYU-Idaho devotional. Growing up in a home that was less than ideal and lacking self-confidence does not begin to describe who I was. I look at the picture of myself at five or six years old and think of everything she as a little girl, as a young woman, as a wife and mother will go through, and think, “Hang in there. Heavenly Father has a plan for you. You are going to do some remarkable things with your life.” She gets to learn what Proverbs 3:5-6 means: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” [1] I pray that the Holy Ghost will be with us today to teach us what we need to hear.
About four years ago life was anything but perfect, according to me. I had recently been turned down for my dream job, a position that I knew was the best thing for me. My husband’s health had taken a downturn, and after going to countless specialists, nobody could figure out what was wrong. To make matters worse, my children were not perfect like all my friends’ children. I was frustrated with where life had taken me. It was about 10:30 p.m. and I was driving home from work after a very long and busy day. I just wanted to be home, relax, and go to bed. As I was driving home, I could see up ahead of me a police car off the side of the road with its light flashing. There wasn’t an ambulance, paramedic, or fire truck, so I knew there wasn’t a car wreck. There was an older truck in front of me traveling really slow and weaving all over the lane. “Great,” I thought, “an impaired driver that doesn’t want to get pulled over.” The closer we got to the flashing lights, the slower the truck in front of me drove, still weaving all over the lane. Again, I thought to myself, “Seriously, let’s just get down the road. The cop has someone pulled over. We don’t need freak out over it.” Patience has never been a strong suit for me. As I was getting ready to pull around the truck, he pulled out in the other lane, and I could see that someone had hit a deer and it was in the middle of the road. The police car was there letting us know someone had hit a deer. I drove around the mess, and as I was continuing to drive down the road home, a thought came to me from a blessing that I had received a few days prior. “Renee, just like this situation back there, you don’t know what is ahead. God has a plan for you. Be patient, have faith, everything will be okay.” This has been a promise made to me repeatedly over my life: God has a plan for you. Be patient, have faith, everything will be okay.
One of my favorite scriptures is 1 Nephi 2:1:
For behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life. [2]
I have always found this interesting that Lehi, after being faithful and doing what God asked Lehi to do, the people sought to take away his life. We also know the end of the story and the things that God asked Lehi and his family were for the benefit of all of us.
I appreciate Brother Paul Cox’s devotional from last week, “He Shall Prepare a Way for Them.” Brother Cox reminded us about Nephi’s life, and it was anything but smooth-sailing. But just like your life and my life, we can look to the story of Lehi and Nephi and see that they were given strength to overcome their challenges.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated:
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan by which we can become what children of God are supposed to become. This spotless and perfected state will result from a steady succession of covenants, ordinances, and actions, an accumulation of right choices, and from continuing repentance. “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God.” Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become. . . . The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become. [3]
In 2004 Sheri Dew published a book titled No One Can Take Your Place. She was signing books at Deseret Book in Rexburg. I went down to the store, purchased the book, and stood in line for her to sign the book. As I was waiting in line, I became more and more nervous and almost left the line. As I approached her table, I remember being really nervous. I didn’t say a whole lot, because, you know, this is Sheri Dew, my all-time hero, and what could I say to her that she hasn’t heard a million times from other women? I remember my face turning red as I handed her the book. She signed the book with a little message. I said “thank you” and went to my car. Once out to my car, I read the message:
To Renee, with love and complete confidence in you!
Sheri Dew
How did she know that was what I needed to hear? That brief message helped me to start to focus on who I was, not who I thought I was. I started focusing on who I really am. I started praying to know what I was supposed to be doing with my life, and who Heavenly Father needed me to become. I started reading my scriptures with intent, praying for understanding, and studying conference talks. I started to put real energy into those things I had been doing all along, but now with more purpose. I will let you in on a little secret: if you ask Heavenly Father how to become a better person, He will help you.
In 2 Nephi it says:
For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. [4]
As we take those seemingly small steps, faithfully reading our scriptures, faithfully and earnestly saying our prayers, attending the temple, accepting and fulfilling callings, stepping out of our comfort zone, and stretching ourselves by doing difficult things, little by little we become more of who Heavenly Father needs us to become. We can start this process by asking Heavenly Father, “Who do you need me to be? Teach me what I need to do to be that person.” As we learn to do this, Heavenly Father will teach us who He needs us to become. This process is not always easy, fun, pleasant, or rewarding at the time. But the end result will be who you were meant to be—actually, the person you always were.
Sister Wendy Nelson, in a worldwide devotional given with President Nelson in June of 2018, said it perfectly. Let’s watch a clip of her talk now.
The only thing that really matters is that you and I are doing exactly what we committed—even covenanted—premortally with our Heavenly Father we would do while we are here on earth.
So, let me ask you a question: What were you born to do?
How I wish you could watch a 10-minute video of your premortal life on YouTube.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that if you could gaze into heaven for five minutes, you would know more on a topic than if you studied it all of your life. So just imagine if you could gaze for 10 minutes at your premortal life!
Of course we realize that the Lord has wisely drawn a veil over those memories. But, just for a moment, imagine the effect on your life right now if you were permitted to watch 10 minutes of your premortal life.
We have opportunities to fulfill our mortal missions, but we don’t have to. No one will make us. We have our agency to choose how we spend our time and energy, our talents and resources. In fact, what we choose to do is actually part of our testing.
The choice is yours and mine. Will we choose to do whatever it takes to fulfill the wonderful missions for which we were sent to earth? [5]
Can you imagine being able to see a 10-minute video of your pre-earth life—the way that our Heavenly Father and Jesus see us? They know our potential and who we are.
In a conference talk given by Elder Neal A. Maxwell he states:
The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things . . . He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give! [6]
I want you to think about that for a moment: our individual will is the only possession which is truly ours to give to Heavenly Father; everything else He has given to us.
Just like Sister Nelson said: “The choice is yours and mine. Will we choose to do whatever it takes to fulfill the wonderful missions for which we were sent to earth?” [7]
Submitting to the Lord’s will is not always easy, but when we do, He helps us become who He needs us to become. He has taught me along the way who I am, and not who I thought I was.
Just like Sheri Dew, being in tune with the Holy Ghost to know what I needed to hear at that exact moment, we too need to be in tune with the Holy Ghost to know how to lift and help others become who they are, and to help them accomplish their mission while here on earth. As we strive to become more like Jesus Christ, more of who our Heavenly Father needs us to become, we help others along the way. I have asked my sweet student Samantha Carey to share her thoughts on this.
Samantha Carey
I am so excited to be here!
In the Book of Mormon, Ammon is a great example of lifting others through Christ. Christ tells him, “Ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.” [8]
Ammon blessed the lives of so many when he was alive, and his story and his experiences are still blessing the lives of many, many more. During his time on earth, I don’t think he realized the impact he would have on millions of people. He acted in a way that was pleasing to the Lord, and the Lord blessed him with meaningful experiences and opportunities to act as the Savior’s hands.
Think about yourself for a second. Are you living in a way that is pleasing to the Lord? Do you think He can trust you to be His hands?
President Thomas S. Monson said, “The sweetest experience I know in life is to feel a prompting and act upon it and later find out that it was the fulfillment of someone’s prayer or someone’s need. And I always want the Lord to know that if He needs an errand run, Tom Monson will run that errand for Him.” [9]
I too can testify that it is a very sweet experience to be an answer to someone’s prayer, and I too want the Lord to know that if He needs an errand run, Samantha Carey will run that errand.
President Spencer W. Kimball said, “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.” [10]
I think about this quote a lot. I know that He has sent many individuals to answer my prayers. I just hope I can do the same for others. This is a huge driving factor in my life. Someone once told me that she prays to be an answer to someone’s prayer every day, and her life has been so much better because of it. I started doing it too, and it has also been a huge blessing in my life. I invite you to do the same. Pay attention to promptings. Serve everyone—your roommates, classmates, family members, ward members.
Service is such a great thing. We have the opportunity to help each other on this mortal journey and be an answer to each other’s prayers. We also get to become better people as we serve. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness.” [11]
It can be hard to comprehend the kind of influence we have on others, but if we are doing the Lord’s will, I have no doubt that He will use us to bless the lives of so many.
I know that I have had an influence on my peers, but it is not without the help of the Savior. As I have served in Relief Society and other callings, as well as in Student Support, I have been blessed immensely by the influence of friends, loved ones, coworkers, family, and leaders. My life has been changed for good because of the influence these wonderful people had on me. I just hope that I have been able to and will be able to affect others in a positive way like others have done for me. It can be difficult to look outside of yourself so much, especially when we have so much happening in our own lives, but I promise that the Lord will bless you for your efforts.
I am so grateful for the opportunities I have been given to be an answer to someone’s prayer and to be His hands. I know I have become a better person, and I hope to continue to improve and learn from others that have been sent to answer my prayers. I hope you all can realize the kind of influence you have on those around you and be the Lord’s hands to answer the prayers of His children.
I’m grateful for the opportunity I have had to speak today. I hope we can all learn from the Spirit and become better people and better followers of Jesus Christ.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Thank you, Sam. She is a great example of listening to the Holy Ghost, acting on His promptings, and helping others.
A few weeks ago, I was having a conversation with my daughter. She was telling me how she likes how she feels when her dishes are done up, she has pretty pillows on her bed, and her bed is made-up. I said, “Yes, sweetheart, I have been telling you this for years.” She then said, “Mom, I have always known that, but now I understand it.”
Understanding who we are, and what our personal mission is, helps us become more than we thought we were.
On the discussion board this past week I posed the question “How has trusting in the Lord helped you fulfill your earthly mission and become who Heavenly Father needs you to be?”
I appreciate each person who responded to this question. Joseph Kemper said that he has learned how to trust in God and His timing. One of my favorite comments he made was, “As I continued to learn how to trust in God and His ability to turn all things for our good, I also learned to appreciate the many struggles that come in my life. I have even grown to where I call them ‘sandpaper-coated blessings’ because they are always a little rough to deal with.” I think most of us know what Joseph is talking about when he says “sandpaper-coated blessings.” Looking back, you can see how the situation was a blessing in your life and how it has helped you become more of who God needs you to be, but at the time it just didn’t make sense.
The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to become more. It invites us to act upon life instead of life acting on us. In his book The Continuous Conversion, Brad Wilcox said:
Going to the temple and even going to the celestial kingdom are not the ends. They are a means to the real end. The ultimate goal is for all of us to become more like our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. . . . To that end, God wants us to obey, learn, change, improve, overcome, and ultimately become more like Him. [12]
I believe that as we become more like Christ, we in turn become who Heavenly Father needs and expects us to be.
I want to end with my testimony of things that I know. I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet who restored the gospel of Jesus Christ. He lacked wisdom and prayed for guidance on what to do. He saw and talked with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ face to face. I know that we have a prophet on earth today. President Russell M. Nelson is our prophet at this time that leads and guides us with direction from our Savior Jesus Christ. I know the Book of Mormon is true and that we can find answers and comfort in its pages. I know that Heavenly Father loves and knows each of us personally. He wants what is best for us and for us to be able to return to Him. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and redeemer, that through His Atonement we can repent and be clean. I know that through Christ we can become more than we think we are capable of. Looking at my ancestors, there is a good chance that I have another 30-plus years left on this earth. I know that Heavenly Father has more for me to accomplish, and through Jesus Christ our Savior, I can become who I was sent to earth to become.
[1] Proverbs 3:5–6.
[2] 1 Nephi 2:1.
[3] Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov. 2000.
[4] 2 Nephi 28:30.
[5] Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel,” Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018.
[6] Neal A. Maxwell, “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father,” Ensign, Nov. 1995.
[7] Russell M. Nelson and Wendy W. Nelson, “Hope of Israel,” Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018.
[8] Alma 17:11.
[9]On the Lord’s Errand, DVD, 2008.
[10] Spencer W. Kimball, “Small Acts of Service,” Ensign, Dec. 1974.
[11] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness, Your Heritage,” Ensign, Nov. 2008.
[12] Brad Wilcox, The Continuous Conversion, 2016.