Last year, our daughter Caroline and I accompanied our son Connor as he returned to his mission and attended the Antofagasta Chile Temple Open House. We had an unforgettable experience inviting many of his Chilean friends to attend.
One night, after driving for several hours along a two-lane highway through the Atacama Desert, we pulled the car over to look at the stars. Parts of the Atacama have not seen rain in more than 500 years. When we stepped out of the car, it was completely silent and pitch-black until we looked up.
I have never seen a more glorious view of the stars. Unfortunately, all we had was a cellphone to take a picture. This photograph could not begin to capture what we saw. It was a stunning glimpse of only a tiny sliver of God’s creations.
There are teachers and students here today who I’m sure could teach us much more about our ever-expanding scientific understanding of the universe and about the truth of this scripture:
“I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name. . . . And worlds without number have I created . . . and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.” [1]
And what is the purpose of these magnificent creations?
“For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” [2]
His work—His glory—is you.
Your time at BYU-Idaho is part of His work with you.
As we commemorate 25 years since the university’s inaugural fall semester in 2001, I’d like to share three principles from devotional messages delivered that semester by Sister Susan K. Bednar, then-President David A. Bednar, and then-Elder Henry B. Eyring. Their counsel remains as relevant today, if not more so.
The first principle is simple: Remember.
Remember who you are. Please remember your three most important identifiers: you are a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Elder Eyring taught, “How you answer the question of who you are will determine almost everything.” [3]
Remember where you are. Sister Bednar invited us to remember and appreciate the sacrifices made to create Ricks Academy, Ricks College, and now BYU-Idaho. She asked, “As the new guardians of this institution, will we have a sense of whose house this is?” [4]
Remember: you are in a sacred place, built through sacrifice and dedicated to the Lord. Her words reminded me of another house in Rexburg: the House of the Lord.
During that first semester in 2001, Rexburg had no temple. The Rexburg Idaho Temple would not be dedicated until February 2008, almost seven years later. Miraculously, this semester we are witnessing the construction of a second temple on the same street, less than twenty years after the first.
Remember to worship and serve regularly in the House of the Lord.
The second principle is: Seek revelation “line upon line.”
President Bednar said that one of the most frequently asked questions at the student home evenings he and Sister Bednar hosted was about receiving revelation. He taught that the creation of BYU-Idaho was itself the direct result of revelation. But that revelation did not arrive as one enormous, perfectly detailed answer.
2 Nephi 28:30 teaches that the Lord gives us “line upon line, precept upon precept.” [5]
President Bednar taught:
“We tend to believe the Lord will give us a big answer quickly and all at one time. However, the pattern repeatedly described in the scriptures suggests we receive ". . . line upon line, precept upon precept . . .," or in other words, many small answers over a period of time. . . . you and I must learn to better recognize the Lord's pattern as a series of related and expanding answers to our most important questions.” [6]
I love that description of revelation: a series of related and expanding answers.
The third principle is: Prepare to change.
Elder Eyring delivered his landmark talk, “A Steady, Upward Course,” 25 years ago this Friday. He spoke about several principles that led to the creation of BYU-Idaho. I will mention only one: change. He used that word forty-four times in his message.
He said: “You’re going to change tremendously, and the world around you is going to change. The purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to change you so that you’re not trying to resist change. You’re trying to have change take you where the Lord wants you to go.”
He continued: “God, through prophets, prepared us to expect changes to accelerate in the world.” [7]
Consider his message now, 25 years later, in this age of artificial intelligence:
“Although we face an increase in challenges, there is another change sweeping the earth. It is a flood of opportunity. The steady flow of invention is an example.”
And then this invitation:
“We can follow a steady, upward course in a world of change without fear, welcoming the opportunities.” [8]
I appreciate a prophet’s optimism in the midst of great change. And it is safe to say that the Lord hopes you will change this semester—and every semester you are here.
I encourage you to study Elder Eyring’s talk.
The first thing Elder Eyring attributed to the successful, rapid transition from Ricks College to BYU-Idaho was that the people involved “took the words of living prophets as their guide.” [9]
We would be wise to do the same.
President Dallin H. Oaks, our living prophet, is Chairman of the Church Educational System and is guiding BYU-Idaho under the direction of Jesus Christ.
As you begin or continue your experience at BYU-Idaho, please remember who you are, where you are, and the importance of worshipping and serving in the temple. Seek revelation line upon line. And prepare to change.
Like the stars over the Atacama Desert, you will discover that God’s plans for you are far more glorious than you could have ever imagined.
Jesus Christ lives. He knows and loves you. Our Heavenly Father knows and loves you.
You are His work and His glory.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Moses 1:3; 33.
[2] Moses 1:39.
[3] Henry B. Eyring, “A Steady, Upward Course,” Foundational Address, BYU-Idaho, Sep. 18, 2001.
[4] Susan Bednar, “Legacy,” Devotional Address, BYU-Idaho, Sep. 11, 2001.
[5] 2 Nephi 28:30.
[6] David A. Bednar, “Line Upon Line, Precept Upon Precept” Devotional Address, BYU-Idaho, Sep. 11, 2001.
[7] Eyring, “A Steady, Upward Course.”
[8] Eyring, “A Steady, Upward Course.”
[9] Eyring, “A Steady, Upward Course.”
About Sister Jennifer E. Meredith
Jennifer E. Meredith received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University. She worked in Human Resources for Franklin Covey. Sister Meredith served as a mission leader with her husband in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. She has served as a presidency member in multiple church organizations and as a full-time missionary in the Argentina Salta Mission. President and Sister Meredith were married on June 6, 1998, in the Salt Lake Temple, and they are the parents of six children.