Thanks for the introduction. Brothers and sisters, Aloha!
I‘d like to apologize in advance to the IT department. I told my mother about this, and I imagine she has spammed the entire galaxy about this Devotional. The servers may not be able to handle the streaming load!
I want to speak about part of our important mission here at BYU–Hawaii. We are a good school, and I am glad to be a part of it, but many of us, students, faculty, staff, and administrators, could be at more “prestigious” schools. Why are we here then? I believe this is a special place with very special people.
I also want to address your most powerful tool as students here at BYU–Hawaii and as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In my experience, this tool is underutilized at all of the BYU campuses, which I have been a part of in varying capacities.
Who are you? A son or daughter of God. That means something very special, but in reality, every person on earth can lay claim to that. What makes you different? The answer is that you know how to have contact with your Father in Heaven. You can pray to Him and receive personal revelation from Him through the gift of the Holy Ghost. Once again, this is available to everyone, but few actually receive it and even fewer use it. I find that so many people take this for granted in student life. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have a vested interest in your success on this campus and your life that will follow. The path for everyone is different, depending on careers and other circumstances of life, but the gospel is the same for everyone. I tell my students in biology to look to Heavenly Father for help in their studies. Why? Because God is the best biologist out there! He can help my students understand biology. He helped me as a student, and he continues to help me as a professor. One of the more spiritual experiences I have had in my time here in Hawaii was in my office. I was preparing a lecture about a subject that was outside of my expertise. I can testify that the windows of heaven were opened, and my thoughts were flowing with the understanding that I sought. The same thing can occur for any topic: accounting, biochemistry, graphic design, theater, computer science, anything. You have access to the best source of knowledge! Daniel and his brethren exhibited exactly this while they lived in Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar.
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King Nebuchadnezzar’s food was contrary to God’s commandments, so Daniel and his brethren would not eat. The story goes on to show that they did prove themselves and became favored by the king.
“And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them [meaning Daniel and his brethren] ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm” (Daniel 1:20). Notice they received wisdom and understanding, not knowledge. You place the knowledge in your mind by various methods of studying. Knowledge is rarely deposited in the mind by the Spirit in my experience, rather you should expect to be led to new ways of understanding what you are learning. Daniel and his brethren lived worthily, and I know that many of you do as well. I share this story because it highlights that Daniel and his brethren utilized worthy living, and then they were blessed with greater wisdom and understanding in ALL matters. This is crucial to you as a student. In addition to all the knowledge you are learning here, you can learn to apply it through wisdom and understanding. The scriptures mention that Daniel and his brethren were promising young men, but because they were devoted to their beliefs, they ended becoming great men in the kingdom. Where will all of your training from your time here at BYU–Hawaii take you?
Devotion to gospel principles leads to receiving by the Spirit. It extends to all realms of life, not just for a class or a major. Any struggle in life can be answered, both trivial and serious. I’ll admit that time required for some things may vary from moments to lifetimes, but I know that there is a solution to whatever it may be.
When my oldest son was two or three, he lost something and was very concerned about it. Like any parent might, I taught that if he prayed for help and had faith, then he would likely find it with Heavenly Father’s help. He did find what he had lost, it was probably a toy, but the experience cemented in his mind that prayers can be answered. For months afterwards, he would pray for ANYTHING to be found. One time, he was praying to find some lost article. I do not remember what the item was. I want to say that is was a piece of a broken Pez dispenser, but I remember it being the most trifling thing. I had to restrain myself from laughing during his prayer because I considered it to be trivial. Of course, he found it! As he grows up, I see him applying this method in more powerful ways in his life.
Late night revelation as a parent is my favorite. We have a baby of seven months that likes to wake up at the worst hours. Sometimes, he struggles to go back to sleep. My wife and I have lost many hours of sleep to that little guy. One particular time a few months ago sticks out in my mind. It was my night to be on-call; my patience had run dry, and I was exhausted, and the usual means of providing him comfort were not working. I remember pleading that I could know how to help calm the baby, so I could sleep. A thought came to me. It was seemingly random, but it was a thought to do something I had never done before. I held my child's hand in mine rather just stick his pacifier in again or adjust his blanket. He quickly calmed down and was asleep in five minutes! It was a one-time deal though because it did not work in subsequent rough nights.
I mention these stories to highlight that God is there for each of us. There are obviously more difficult trials in life, but the principles can be applied in any situation.
How does this affect you here at BYU–Hawaii? I challenge everyone of you to pray and fast about your studies, or a class, or even a test. Maybe you need help trying to grasp a difficult concept. Maybe you are struggling with a method of teaching a professor uses. Maybe you need to find a better way to study or learn. The answer is out there, and through devotion, the Lord can help you find it.
“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” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Find a way to let the Lord direct you. Instead of asking for an “A,” it is more powerful to ask for help to understand something or find a way to perform at your best, and then a good grade will come. I have a firm testimony of this.
The answers you seek come in a variety of ways, and I cannot expect to list them all here. However, I can tell you of a few ways it will NOT come. Many a prayer has elevated towards the “heavens” in the testing center only to figuratively reach the ceiling because there was not sufficient faith to power it. A quick prayer in the testing center, and no true preparation, is a sign of pride. You need to show humility and work HARD to prepare for the test beforehand. If you do not prepare, then you are relying on yourself and/or luck.
“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD” (Jeremiah 17:5).
“Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).
Help is promised in the scriptures.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:7-11)
Humility, the opposite of pride, will unlock the best side of you. Elder James J. Hamula mentioned this in his Devotional in June of this year. He said, “James wrote, ‘God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ The Lord taught the same thing to Moroni. ‘[M]y grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me.’” Elder Hamula continues, “Indeed, my brothers and sisters, the Lord’s grace is sufficient for you and me to obtain every needful thing” (“His Grace Is Sufficient for You”).
This leads me to the familiar quote by President David O. McKay from 1955:
“One man said the world needs men who cannot be bought or sold, men who will scorn to violate truth, genuine gold. That is what this school is going to produce. More than that, they’ll be leaders. Not leaders only in this island, but everywhere. All the world is hungering for them and best of all the world is recognizing them. How many of them are in the leading offices of our nation today? Count the number who are in the colleges throughout the land. I’ve been astonished as I’ve gone from state to state to meet the members of our church who are leaders in those colleges and universities of the land. A little church of a million, yes, that’s all we are, a million three hundred fifty thousand, but how those members, representatives who are true to the ideals, will leaven the whole lot.”
Leavening is the process of yeast making bread rise. We are much bigger as a Church now, but the same principle applies. How will you leaven the “whole lot” that surrounds you throughout your life?
I grew up in Northern California, which is where the famous Gold Rush occurred. Members of the Mormon battalion helped build a mill in Coloma, CA and subsequently discovered gold. When I hear about genuine gold that President McKay refers to, I always think back to the California Gold Rush. The BYU–Hawaii Gold Rush is ongoing. I have only been here a handful of years, but I have seen the great effect this campus can have on individuals and the Church.
Thinking about gold also leads to me to think about pyrite, commonly called fool’s gold. You can see it everywhere in California. I remember seeing it on many camping trips in rivers, lakes, rocks, and other sediment. As a kid, I recall being very excited about finding “gold!” The excitement faded as an adult explained to me that I had not found gold but fool’s gold. Nobody likes being fooled. Pyrite is a mineral that can be useful in some ways, but it isn’t as valuable as gold. It is not just the value of gold that is important but also that it is precious. Gold can be used because of its rare properties. It conducts electricity. As “genuine gold,” you can conduct the Holy Ghost into your life. I promise that other people will recognize that you are different. Testify to them of the gift of the Holy Ghost and that it can be theirs as well. Also, gold is malleable and can be shaped more easily than other metals. People who are genuine gold will be humble, similar to the malleability of gold. This allows the Lord to “direct thy paths,” as stated in Proverbs 3:5-6. I testify that your path will be directed. Sometimes, it is hard to recognize, but looking back on my life, I acknowledge that without being directed, I would not be standing before you today.
Gold, though rare and precious, can be misused. After leaving Egypt, the house of Israel struggled with this. Exodus 32:22-24 says, “And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.” As genuine gold, be useful to the Lord and His Kingdom. Guard yourselves against falling into temptation and being misused by the adversary. Technology can facilitate the spread a private act of indiscretion across the world very quickly. When that act is associated with BYU–Hawaii or the Church, imagine the damage done.
The McKay quote says that you can become genuine gold. I have observed that many of you are becoming exactly that. What properties do you have that make you rare and special? Everyone is different, but one thing is that each of us can live the gospel to its fullest. This makes you rare and special. Now, I ask you to ponder how many of you are becoming genuine gold and will serve in the kingdom of God. What in your life might cause you to become “fool’s gold”?
Becoming genuine gold is a process. “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). This scripture shows that the process is not easy. You probably know that it is difficult. Maybe some of you are considering giving up for one reason or another. Please do NOT. The Lord needs you and wants you to succeed.
I am no expert on the subject, but according to Google, raw gold needs to be processed. It is not precious and desirable in a sense until the processing occurs. It needs to be refined. This is done traditionally by what is called a refiner’s fire. The gold is heated to a high temperature. Any impurities are burned off, and only the gold remains. Chemical refining is used modernly. Small amounts of gold are leached from large amounts of rock. In either type of purification, the genuine gold has to be prepared and impurities are removed. Each one of us has precious worth, but we need to remove the "impurities." Life’s trials help this process.
How are you tried? In life, trials come in all shapes and sizes: callings, service, classes, culture, and people. By people, I mean students, roommates, administrators, staff, professors, and, mostly importantly, yourself. To progress, you need to learn from trial.
Another path towards becoming genuine gold is by taking advantage of the unique environment found here on campus. Spiritual opportunities are common here while on most campuses across the world these opportunities do not exist. Have you taken advantage of the Devotionals? I have attended most of them along with you in my time on campus. The messages always have something valuable to offer. An alum from my ward congregation works in town, and he expressed to me the disappointment he feels in his life on Tuesdays at 11 AM because he cannot come to Devotional. This is a special time in your life to take advantage of.
Do you remember old Devotionals? Are you now doing what was taught or, more importantly, what you learned by the Spirit? Take advantage while you can, and it will edify your soul. I am grateful to have been at each BYU campus, and I recognize the power of these opportunities. They helped shape who I am today.
I am old enough now to understand that Devotional messages have had an effect in my life. Early in my career, I wanted to work on cancer or research for a biotech company. I definitely did NOT want to teach at the time. Teaching was not emphasized much in my field 10-15 years ago. I was being groomed, like so many other scientists, for research, and I enjoyed it. Federal funding was plentiful, and the scientific research was growing. During recruitment for graduate school, the one guy who stated that he wanted to teach was the only 1 of 60 recruits who did not get accepted to the PhD program. Everyone was being prepared to research. Many factors have changed the focus on research, though it is still very important. The global downturn rippled through the economy. All of us were affected in many ways. Among many other effects, I was nudged in the direction of teaching, so here I am today and happy to be here I might add. I could be bitter or disappointed for not fulfilling my “dreams,” or I can accept that so much is out of my control. I would encourage you to continue to pursue your dreams, but I was able to recognize that my “dream” was not my dream at all. It was a plan I had made, and I know I could have been successful had it worked out that way, but it did not. I have learned to be flexible because the Lord had a different plan.
I would like to recall some recent Devotionals. I cannot mention all of them, so I will briefly mention a few that affected me personally. Elder Hamula last month taught about our weakness as humans and how we can do far more if we rely on the grace of Jesus Christ. Brother Lane shared insights on companionship and marriage. Brother Workman spoke of how to obtain and use divine guidance. Brother Bliss spoke of being honest. This is not earth-shattering news, and you could look at the title of the talk to gather as much information that I have given. Nevertheless, the messages left an impression on me, and they led me to make a change for the better.
I especially enjoyed the May 29, 2012 Devotional by Elder Gary L. Crittenden ("Ponder, Liken, and Record"). He instructed us to ponder, liken, and record during our scripture study. I took that message to heart, and because of his instruction, I now have pages of notes that are personal revelation. The topics vary, but several times, a running theme will start to come out of my studying the scriptures by pondering, likening, and recording. I consider this personal revelation to be very valuable.
One of the entries in my “Ponder, Liken, and Record” journal is from the October 30, 2012 message by Elder J. Christopher Lansing ("That's Life"). I would like to relate a personal story he shared.
“Please forgive the personal nature of this story, but I think it highlights a message that I would like to leave with you. The business I own today was founded by my father, Ted Lansing, some 57 years ago. He died in 1980 from a terrible illness, ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, at the age of 57. I was the only family member involved in the business. At the young age of 30 I was probably not ready to take the helm of the company. The country was in a recession. In those early years, situations would come up that required me to make decisions which could affect the future existence of our frail business. In those years I worked hard to act as my father would have acted, and I spent a great deal of time on my knees, trying to discern his will. In all those decisions, I never once felt his calming influence or any direction one way or another. I would ultimately do what I thought was best and move on. But I confess that I was a little disappointed that I had not been able to get any confirmation of my actions.
“One night my father came to me in a dream. It certainly wasn’t a vision or anything like that; he was just in my dreams. When I saw him, I first told him how good he looked and how peaceful and happy he appeared. But then I began to chide him for his insensitivity to me when I had needed him most. My father said he was aware of the situation, but that he was too busy with his responsibilities where he was and that he didn’t have time. This wasn’t the answer I had wanted. I told him that I had been afraid for the business and had really needed his help. His answer to my criticism was what President Hinckley would have called a ‘soft answer.’ He said that where he was, the business was not terribly important and that he had assignments elsewhere. Again I asked him how he could be so insensitive. Finally, he said, ‘Chris, we really don’t care about the business up here. What we care about very much is what you become because of your business.’ What a great lesson for me, one that I hope I never forget.
“The message that my father brought to me is as pertinent to you as it was to me. The Lord has given you much. What you get is inconsequential. What you become makes all the difference.”
I share these parts of other Devotionals to highlight the wealth of spiritual blessings here on campus. Genuine gold happens here because of the environment provided, but also because of your effort put forth. I see you students working hard. I testify that your hard work will pay off. Elder Gerritt W. Gong of the Seventy talks about doing our best in this month's Ensign: "Given life's demands, students can learn that it is sometimes perfectly fine to do all they can and that it is not always possible to be the very best" ("Becoming Perfect in Christ," Ensign, July 2014). Do not focus on getting a maximal GPA, but be and do your best, and success will follow in your life.
My undergraduate years at BYU in Provo were VERY busy. I was single and practically living on campus. I went to class, researched, prepared for graduate school, and enjoyed the social scene. Apparently, I didn’t get enough out of the social scene because I met my wife a few years later in graduate school. I remember nights when I would come home exhausted. It was on those nights when I felt the Spirit sustaining me. Live worthy, take advantage of the unique spiritual blessings offered here, and you will become the “genuine gold” that President McKay spoke of.
Upon leaving this university, a new phase in your life begins. I am old enough to see people live their lives and see the consequence of their actions. Many have been successful, some middling, and still others failing. I have lived long enough to see friends let go of the rod of iron and fall into the mists of darkness as depicted in Lehi’s vision. It breaks my heart. I am a scientist, and I must say that statistically speaking, some of you here will even though you just said in your mind, “No way. That’s not me.” I do not pretend to be perfect. I’ll admit that there are days where the only thing that I can think about are the dimensions on my next surf board instead of my family, work, my calling, or my testimony. I have other weakness as well, but I am also getting stronger as I live the gospel.
I testify that as you devote yourself to the gospel, you will be happier. Take advantage of the unique environment here on campus, especially the Devotionals, the CES firesides, etc. Let the gospel fill your life, and become better for it. Never stop. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.