“Go to Work and Build”

It is wonderful to be here! It is great to be home!

I love the Lord, I love this university, and I love President and Sister Reese. Their leadership, their genuine love for the Lord, and their unwavering passion for BYU sports are truly inspiring. 

My first interaction with President Reese was unforgettable—and slightly terrifying. It happened at a BYU football game last year. I was invited alongside two legends—Reno Mahe and Steve Young—to run the alumni flags onto the field before the game.

Picture this: the football team was behind us, packed in the tunnel, adrenaline at an all-time high, ready to storm the field. Meanwhile, there I was, gripping the flag like my life depended on it, silently praying that I wouldn’t trip, fall, or—heaven forbid—get flattened by the players behind me.

But just seconds before we bolted onto the field, I glanced to the side and locked eyes with President Reese. His eyes were as big and wide as a blitzing linebacker, his veins were popping out of his neck, and he was screaming with so much excitement that it felt like he might sprint out there himself. In that moment all my fear vanished and was replaced with pure adrenaline. Suddenly I wanted to grab a couple of helmets, some shoulder pads, and go and play in the game with him!

President Reese isn’t just a leader; he’s a force of nature. I’m grateful for the example he and Sister Reese set every day. I am sure others have had similar experiences with President and Sister Reese. It was an unforgettable moment.

From the LaVell Edwards Stadium to the Marriott Center, this place has been the setting for countless unforgettable moments over the years. Here we have welcomed world leaders, visionary innovators, and renowned artists. This arena has also been a place of unforgettable moments in BYU sports, including the day in 2011 when number-nine BYU, led by Jimmer Fredette, faced number-four San Diego State University and Kawhi Leonard in front of 22,700 fans. It was a game for the ages!¹

Another unforgettable moment came in 2017 when a dear friend and former teammate addressed the fans in the Marriott Center as the BYU football coach²—and then again just last week when he addressed you as the devotional speaker.³ Coach Kalani Sitake is truly a BYU legend!

For me personally, one of the most cherished moments in the Marriott Center took place in October 1995 when President Gordon B. Hinckley was the speaker. Among that record-setting audience of 25,875,⁴ there was one person who carried a quiet but fervent prayer in her heart. A child of divorced parents who had spent much of her life less active in the gospel of Jesus Christ, she was earnestly seeking to strengthen her testimony.

That day the Spirit reached out to that one student amid tens of thousands, and her life changed forever. She received a witness that President Hinckley was a prophet of God and that the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in its fulness. That young woman later became my eternal sweetheart, and she has since been a blessing to me and to countless others. I love you, Heath!

Brothers and sisters, this place is more than just an arena; it is a place of revelation. In many ways it can be like a sacred grove, where the heavens are opened for one seeking truth. I pray that each of you may have your own sacred experience—one that will be a blessing not only for you but also for your family and future generations.

“Go to Work and Build”

Throughout the scriptures we learn of sacred places where revelation was received. Moses ascended a mountain to commune with the Lord.⁵ Nephi sought the Lord’s guidance and strength also on a mountaintop.⁶ Lehi, while dwelling humbly in a tent, testified of the coming of the Messiah, His redeeming mission, and His Resurrection.⁷ And who can forget the powerful revelations the Prophet Joseph Smith received in Liberty Jail—a place of unimaginable difficulty that became a sanctuary of divine communication?⁸

Your Heavenly Father wants to speak to you too and is eager to give away the secrets of the kingdom.⁹ He will do it in His way, time, and place. Elder David A. Bednar explained:

God uses a variety of patterns to convey revelations to His sons and daughters, such as thoughts to the mind and feelings to the heart, dreams, . . . and inspiration. Some revelations are received immediately and intensely; some are recognized gradually and subtly. Receiving, recognizing, and responding to revelations from God are spiritual gifts for which we all should yearn and appropriately seek.¹⁰

Once you receive and recognize revelation, the questions arise: What will you do with it? How will you respond?

I love the story of the brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Lord answered his prayers to spare his family from having their language confounded. With the Lord’s guidance they crossed great waters, reached the seashore, pitched their tents, and settled in.¹¹ Life was good! They were together as a family, enjoying what could only be described as prime real estate: a tent with an ocean view.

But after a few years, the Lord came to the brother of Jared with a powerful lesson. In a conversation that lasted three hours, the Lord chastened the brother of Jared for forgetting to call upon Him. Humbled and repentant, the brother of Jared turned back to the Lord.¹²

What came next was a command that has become a guiding principle for me. In Ether 2:16, the Lord instructed the brother of Jared to “go to work and build.” These three words—go, work, and build—resonate deeply with me, and I believe they can serve as a pattern for the way we respond to revelation and guidance from the Lord.

Go

When the Lord commands us to “go,” it is always with a purpose. His direction is intentional, leading us toward growth, greater faith, and blessings—even though sometimes the destination is unknown to us. Throughout scripture, we see powerful examples of this sacred call:

• The Lord told Abraham to leave an idolatrous city and go into a new land.¹³
• The Lord told Joshua to “go over . . . Jordan” and lead Israel to the promised land.¹⁴
• The Lord told Jonah to “go to Nineveh.”¹⁵
• And in His Great Commission, the Savior told His disciples to “go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”¹⁶

An invitation for me to “go” came during my freshman year at BYU. It was 1995, and I was an anxious kid from American Samoa, completely experiencing culture shock but absolutely determined and excited about the American college experience. The goal? Get an education, play sports, and, well, date. Simple plan, right? Three boxes to check—nothing too complicated.

Little did I know, the Lord would remind me of an important addition to my checklist: serve a full-time mission.

Of course I knew that should be one of my goals. But if I’m being honest, I tried my best to sidestep that one. It was inconvenient. I didn’t think I knew enough about the gospel. I thought, “Maybe a mission isn’t for me.” But no matter how much I tried to push it aside, the prompting kept coming. The message was clear: Go!

As I reflect on my mission experience, I see that it wasn’t just another box to check—it was the catalyst that set me on a path that continues to bless my life today.

When the Lord says, “Go,” He is inviting us to trust Him and to proceed with courage. The very mission of this wonderful university comes to mind: “Enter to learn; go forth to serve.” As we act in faith, we will come to see that wherever the Lord leads, He also prepares the way¹⁷—and it requires work!¹⁸

Work

We often see work as something to avoid, but the gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us that work is a blessing! It can be “invigorating both mentally and spiritually.”¹⁹ As Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained, “Work is always a spiritual necessity even if, for some, work is not an economic necessity.”²⁰

In a powerful BYU devotional address, Elder Bednar taught:

As disciples and members of the Lord’s restored Church, you and I “are called to the work” [Doctrine and Covenants 4:3; emphasis added], and, in different seasons of our lives, we fulfill various purposes and responsibilities. Through the power of God’s grace and mercy, every act of selfless service that we render helps us become more acquainted with the Master whom we represent and every act draws us closer to Him [see Mosiah 5:13].

President Ezra Taft Benson taught:

“Ours is a gospel of work—purposeful, unselfish and rendered in the spirit of the true love of Christ. Only thus may we grow in godly attributes. Only thus may we become worthy instruments in the hands of the Lord.”

Work is love made manifest. Doing God’s holy work by the power of His Spirit changes our hearts and minds in remarkable ways.²¹

Elder Bednar continued to teach that as this spiritual work progresses, we

become sanctified as “new creatures” [Mosiah 27:26] in Christ. Ultimately, then, we become the works, or the results, of God’s work. “Our progress is His work!”²²

Build

As you answer the Lord’s call to “go,” remember that your work is more than just getting through classes, preparing for a career, or building a résumé—it is building yourself into the person God created you to be.

Because the brother of Jared “[went] to work and [built],” the Lord had far greater blessings for him than a tent with an ocean view. The Lord had prepared a “promised land.”²³ But more than just being prepared for a destination, the brother of Jared was being prepared for future revelation,²⁴ shaping him into a person whose story would be respected and honored for generations.

When You Go to Work and Build, God Builds You

Let me share with you how I learned for myself this powerful truth: When you go to work and build, God builds you.

Here’s a photo from my final fall football camp at BYU. [A picture was shown of a young Gabe Reid holding his baby.] At the time, Heather and I had one child, and later that year we would learn that our second was on the way. We couldn’t see what lay ahead—the challenges, the growth, the unseen blessings. But looking back now, we see the Lord’s hand in every step.

As my senior year ended, I was ready to hang up my football cleats. I loved BYU football, but I struggled with self-doubt, anxiety, and the constant fear of failure. Coaches believed in me. NFL scouts came to watch. But I didn’t believe in myself. Rather than stepping up, I often stepped back, convinced I wasn’t good enough. So in my mind, I was done.

But as I sought the Lord’s guidance for the future, He redirected my path. Following regular temple visits and after studying the scriptures and praying earnestly, I received an unmistakable prompting: pursue an NFL career. It wasn’t what I had planned, but I chose to trust the Lord.

That moment didn’t just change my life—it changed our life.

A single picture captures our NFL journey: three children born in three different states while I was playing for three different teams—all in just three years. [A picture was shown of the Reid family of six.] It wasn’t the kind of career that made ESPN headlines, but it was a journey of faith, resilience, and sacrifice. And no one sacrificed more than my dear wife, Heather.

While I was on the field trying to make an NFL roster, she was holding everything else together, packing up our home, driving across the country, living out of suitcases, raising babies in unfamiliar cities, and supporting me through every uncertainty. She gave up the stability of home, the comfort of community, and her own plans—all because she trusted in what the Lord was building in both of us. Through every challenge, she never wavered.

When I chose to “go” and “work,” God built me into something far greater than a football player. He made me a stronger husband, a more present father, and a man who would trust Him fully. And Heather was right there beside me—growing, stretching, and becoming the person God needed her to be as well.

After a career-ending injury in 2007, we were ready to settle down in Utah. We had stability. We had a home. Our children had lifelong friends. Life was good. We had “arrived.”

But God had other plans.

As I focused on growing my business, I received a clear and undeniable prompting: move your family to American Samoa. I was stunned. I had vowed never to return after high school, and I had promised Heather—an American—that we would not.

When I told her about the prompting, she listened. Then, with her characteristic wisdom and patience, she gently reminded me: she hadn’t received that prompting yet.

But just days later, she did.

At first we hoped to wait until our children graduated before moving, but once again the Lord asked us to trust Him. He called me to repentance—just as He did with the brother of Jared: do not delay the prompting. We were to move that year.

Without hesitation, Heather led the way. She helped put everything in order, packed up our belongings, and sent them in a shipping container to American Samoa.

Our faithful children embraced the call, said tearful goodbyes, and gave away all their winter clothes, ready for island life.

Then COVID hit.

American Samoa closed its borders—for almost a year. Our home and belongings sat on an island while we remained in Utah, uncertain of what was next.

Heather’s faith never wavered. She held our family together, steady in the unknown, trusting that God had a purpose in all of it.

And then, out of nowhere, came the call.

We had a Zoom interview with Elder Bednar. He told us that we were being considered to serve as mission leaders. We were shocked and deeply humbled. Elder Bednar asked about our children specifically: “How would they feel if they had to pack up and move to a foreign country?”

Suddenly it hit me: God’s command to move to American Samoa had never been about business or about giving our children an island experience. It was about preparation. It was about faith and a willingness to serve. It was about our family’s trust in the Lord’s command to go, work, and build.

Looking back, I see it clearly. With every move, every sacrifice, and every unknown, God was preparing us. We weren’t just enduring; we were growing. We weren’t just following; we were becoming. I was learning to trust the Lord fully as a husband and father, and Heather was becoming the steady anchor of faith and strength that would help our family through every storm. And through it all, God was building us—our family, our faith, and our future—one act of trust and one step forward at a time.

Serving as mission leaders in the Australia Sydney Mission stretched us beyond anything we had ever imagined. But, more importantly, it built us in ways we never could have foreseen.

Brothers and sisters, we have loved being with you today—thanks for your time, for your attention, and, most of all, for who you are. In closing, I want to leave you with one last story, a story about our son, Adney, who will be attending BYU in a year. It’s surreal to think that soon he’ll be sitting in these seats listening to devotional talks and praying for personal revelation—and, let’s be honest, also hoping for good grades and a fun date on Saturday.

As a kid, Adney had two settings: full speed ahead and crazy. His favorite pastime? Giving his mother a headache and high blood pressure. The moment the front door cracked open, he was gone—bolting down the street with zero regard for his surroundings. I’d often hear Heather frantically calling after him, “Adney, don’t go! Stop! Come back!” That happened weekly, if not daily.

Fast-forward to the day he left for the Denmark Copenhagen Mission. Heather wrote him a note that said something like this: “Today I’m going to do something I have never done before. I’m going to ask you to not look back. Open the door to your next phase of life and run.” Or, in other words, “Go.”

Because Adney trusted in the Lord to go on a mission and to work, the Lord built him from a young boy into a missionary.

So, can I leave you with that same invitation today? Maybe you’re here today searching for an answer—a confirmation of your faith, direction in your future career, or clarity in dating and marriage. Know that God hears you. He sees you. And He is leading you.

Go. Work. Build. And don’t look back!

Trust that the Lord has a plan. He knows your desires, your goals, your hopes. If He prompts you to move forward in faith, go with courage. Work at it “with all your heart, might, mind and strength.”²⁵ Trust that the Lord is building you.

I bear my humble witness that Jesus Christ is our great example. In Nazareth, He was known as “the carpenter’s son,”²⁶ but the things He built were eternal. He went, He worked, and He built and continues to do so—that He might build us. He is the rock upon which we must build our lives,²⁷ the sure and steady guide who strengthens, refines, and lifts us.

May we always choose to follow Him, trusting in His plan as He builds our lives of faith, shaping us into who we are meant to become—today and for eternity. In the sacred name of the Savior of the world, the Master Builder, even Jesus Christ, amen.

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