President Dallin H. Oaks and his wife, Kristen M. Oaks, joined together with Elder Kim B. Clark, the Commissioner of the Church Educational System, and his wife, Sue Clark, on June 11 in the Cannon Activities Center to discuss the Lord’s love for all and His plan. The four speakers reminded the student body and community members that these are the last days so your decisions matter.
Sister Clark
Sue Clark reflected on a time in her life when she was a nursery leader many years ago. She discussed how she struggled with the children in the nursery and wanted to ask to be released from her calling.
She explained it was not how she studied child development in college that made her calling easier, it was loving the children.
“I felt the spirit prompting me to forget my lesson plans and just love the children.”
Sister Clark reminded the audience that when we accept callings, we need to remember to serve on the frontier. She added the Lord wants us to accomplish the things he wants us to accomplish, rather than what we think we should accomplish.
Elder Clark
Due to Elder B. Kim Clark’s role as Commissioner of the Church Educational System, he discussed the importance of education and seeking knowledge.
Elder Clark encouraged everyone to become a lifelong learners and to learn with their whole souls.
He said, “Do not wait until you graduate. Make your home a center of gospel learning and sanctuary of faith. Make your home a place where the Holy Ghost ministers, feast on the words of Christ, love each other and learn everything the Lord wants us to learn.”
Elder Clark also emphasized learning is a God-given power to each one of us, and if we do not exercise that power to learn and grow, we will lose it.
Jordan McNeil, a sophomore from Arizona studying business, said, “I enjoyed how they stressed the importance of seeking knowledge because it helps us in all aspects of our lives, especially for right now.”
Sister Oaks
Kristen M. Oaks explained she felt right at home at BYU–Hawaii as the great-granddaughter of Joseph F. Smith, also called Iosepa. Earlier that day, she had met with Makena and Tanaya Ale, who is the great-great and great-great-great granddaughters of Ma Mahuhii, the “Hawaiian” mother of Joseph F. Smith. Mahathir was a Hawaiian woman who nursed President Smith back to health when he fell seriously ill in Hawaii as a 15-year-old starting what would be a four-year mission there.
She reminded those in attendance of six things to live by and hold onto:
1. Know you have a Heavenly Father that loves you. The Lord knows what he will need us to do and what we need to know. We will not recognize opportunities initially. When we put spiritual things in our lives, we will be blessed
2. Know we are living in the last days and it is no easy thing.
3. Know personal peace and happiness are possible. Beauty can grow from ashes, and peace from destruction.
4. Use the scriptures. Read the Book of Mormon. We live in a sea of comparison. We need to recognize the Lord’s voice. The Lord speaks to us through scriptures, prophets and patriarchal blessing. Negative thoughts never come from God. We cannot recognize His voice unless we are familiar with it.
5. Remember the holy temple is a house of healing, revelation, strength and peace. Attend the temple. Go on a walk around the temple. Stay near holy places.
6. Keep a holy perspective. Being human is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. As disciples of Christ, we must be prepared to walk some of the path He walked, feel some of the pain He felt.
President Oaks
The last speaker of the devotional was President Dallin H. Oaks, the first counselor in the presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Oaks said he felt impressed to speak to the audience about anxiety and living in stressful times.
Keliano Wesley, a freshman from Utah majoring in business, said he liked the emphasis President Oaks put on not doing good things, but on doing the best things. “I think a lot of times people, myself included, tend to settle in being ‘just good enough’ to where we don’t have to push ourselves or leave our comfort zones,” Wesley said. “The message provided me a new resolve to look at my life and find even better alternatives to the things I already feel are good enough.”
Oaks reminded the audience to not compare ourselves to each other. “Our Savior will judge us individually, not by the performance of our peers,” Oaks said.
He added the most reliable prevention of anxiety is the gospel of Jesus Christ. He mentioned the family is being attacked and to not be afraid of marriage. “Don’t lose perspective of eternal life and the priority it has on marriage and family,” Oaks added.