A Certain Idea of BYU
“I hope you will seek holiness, seek learning, seek revelation, seek the best gifts, seek Christlike exemplars, and, above all, ‘seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written.’”
The Dignity and Demeanor of Discipleship
Dignity and demeanor in our discipleship begin with understanding who we are. . . . We look to our Brother Jesus Christ as our perfect example and seek to emulate the divine attributes He demonstrated throughout His life.
Finding Your Purpose
Believe that you have a divine purpose. Believe that you have unique talents that are unmatched in the world. Work hard and pray. The Lord will help. He will direct you to your best self.
Knowing Who You Are
The family proclamation clearly declares that “each [of us] is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.”
Finding Your Place in the Universe
We may not know the whys of all of God’s creations, but each of God’s vast creations is a reminder that He is in charge, that there is a divine plan, and that we are here on this earth for a much greater purpose than what the world would espouse.
Women and Education: “A Future Only God Could See for You”
Women’s stories are powerful, and they haven’t always been told. So I am going to tell you a little bit of mine.
“Lay Hold upon the Word”: The Power of Wholehearted Living
I believe that one of the most significant obstacles to our laying hold upon the word is our inability to fully immerse ourselves in the word or other worthwhile things—our inability to fully focus on them.
The Light of the Y
You are not here by accident. God has a work to perform through you. Make Him the center of your efforts. Do what He would want you to do. Let His light shine more brightly through you as a result of your experiences at BYU.
God Will Use You, God Will Bless You
Our Heavenly Father doesn’t need you to be mighty, intelligent, well dressed, well-spoken, or well inherited. He needs you to incline your hearts to Him and seek to honor Him by serving Him and reaching out in compassion to those around you.
Who You Are and the Things You Do
Many in the world are searching for the kind of competence, compassion, and vision you have developed as a result of the gifts God has given you, including your education here.
Becoming What Our Heavenly Father Wants Us to Be
The mission of BYU “is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life.” This mission does not end today at graduation. Your learning doesn’t end, your quest doesn’t end, and our relationship doesn’t end.
To Do and To Be
Now, let me share a thought for you graduates. You are entering a new phase of life…with this transition in the pursuit of your formal education, you need to continue to focus on becoming the person the Lord needs you to be.
Be the Vision
I believe that we, the graduating class of 2015, are the students that Alfred Kelly saw more than one hundred years ago. What can we do to be the vision?
Be Excellent: Becoming Who You Are in Today’s World
If you follow the suggestions I have offered and combine them with earnest prayer and pondering, they can provide you with the insight needed to see where and possibly how you can maximize your potential and leave your indelible mark in the world.
The Abundant Life
Everything the Savior did and said was for the benefit of humankind. His Atonement, His example, and His teachings—everything was to help us not only to have a more abundant life on earth but also to attain the most abundant of all life—even eternal life.
Commemorating Your Divine Potential
As important and as powerful as it is to learn some truth or to do some good act, it is much more important to be true and to be good. If you become a true and good spouse, parent, child, sibling, co-worker, or friend—and ultimately realize your divine potential as sons and daughters of heavenly parents—your higher education that has begun but not ended here will be a true success.
Becoming a Work of Art
Let us understand our eternal perspective and turn our lives into beautiful works of art that were planned by a loving Heavenly Father who developed a plan of redemption so that we could return to His presence.
“I the Lord Am with You”
Study the scriptures to know the word of God, be prayerful, be found standing in holy places—the temple in particular—and “be strong and of good courage” even when the waves come and the dam breaks.
In the Race of Life: Get Ready, Get Set, Go!
Just as our students consider the world our campus, BYU alumni have truly gone forth from this campus in excellence to work and serve in communities locally and all around the globe.
Metamorphosis and Accountability: A Guide for the Future
We can decide to always be perfectly honest, to contribute our skills and talents to our communities, and to build and serve everywhere we go. We can decide to live up to the expectations and to guard the trust of those who have sacrificed for us.
Live Your Life with Purpose
What can we do to ensure that we build a lifetime of righteousness and accumulate wise choices? We can live our life with purpose—the purpose to gain eternal life and be counted as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Created in the “Image and Likeness of God”: Apprentices in the Master’s Workshop
The eternal and enduring masterpieces that we produce in our lives are not works of art or music or scholarly books or articles—they are the people around us. As we help the Master with His masterpieces, we are engaged in His work and His glory: “the immortality and eternal life of man.”
Our Eternal Education
Our eternal education begins with an understanding of where we have come from, why we are here, and where we are going after this life.
Our Identity and Our Destiny
Why is it so critical to have a correct vision of this divine destiny of godliness of which the scriptures and other witnesses so clearly testify? Because with increased vision comes increased motivation.
Celebrations and Memories
All of you have a story
and are part of a grand legacy that will bless not only you and those with you today but will reach
on through the generations and over space to bless many others for years to come.
Little Worlds
We are in the world—and we have come to this university—so that we ourselves might become microcosms of the Divine, that we might have “the image of God engraven” not only upon our countenances but also upon our very existences (Alma 5:19). Of all the microcosms in the world, surely the greatest is the man or woman who strives to become a reflection of the Savior.
“Hold the Banner High”
Though men’s hearts are failing them, you should take heart. There have always been challenging times. We, the generations of your predecessors, have survived daunting challenges, and so will you. The answer to all of these challenges is the same as it has always been. We have a Savior, and He has taught us what we should do.
We Were the Greatest Generation
I challenge you to become “the greatest generation” by assisting our Father in Heaven’s children to return to their Christian faith and to the strong religious foundation that is so necessary to enjoy peace of mind and real happiness in this period of mortal probation.
What Is Your Calling in Life?
When it comes to asking what our calling in life is, Jesus Christ is in the answer. The grace of Christ, that same power that helps us do things we otherwise couldn’t, is what will guide us to our callings and enable us to excel in them.
Hold Tight to the Iron Rod
Hold tight to that rod of iron! Be true to everything that you are and everything you can become. It is so worth it. It will bring you joy and happiness now and forever. It will bring you full circle back to Him.
“Act Well Thy Part”
Throughout your life you will have opportunities each day to be reminded of the admonition that was followed by a prophet of the Lord: “Whate’er thou art, act well thy part.”
Your Future
There is significant truth in the notion that much of what happens to us is unexpected and not in our control. However—and this is most vital and critical to understand—the things of greatest ultimate importance to us are largely in our control and are within the scope of our agency.
The Cycle of Becoming
This cycle of learning, doing, and becoming is literally going on in some micro or miniature form every day of our lives. That’s how we’ve become who we are today.
Becoming and Overcoming
Fully consecrate your life to Heavenly Father and draw ever closer to Him and His Son. Have an attitude that you will serve Him in spite of the pain you are going through and the lack of true understanding you have of where He is taking you. Continue to feast on the word of God and have faith.
Greatness
Your greatness in the things God has ordained as primary and fundamental will not come in a day or with one grand act. It will be built over time with the sort of patient, persistent effort that has brought you to the achievement that we are celebrating today.
Realizing our Potential
I hope that when you are at the end of your days you will not have walked past opportunities that you should have taken or challenges you should have accepted. I hope you will draw each day upon your secular and spiritual knowledge to find your way in faith.
Seeing Through the Generations
As you can learn to see through the generations—by looking back and by looking forward—you will see more clearly who you are and what you must become. You will better see that your place in this vast, beautiful plan of happiness is no small place. And you will come to love the Savior and depend on Him.
“Understand Who You Are”
This is why we partake of the sacrament each week: to renew our covenants we have made with the Lord in the waters of baptism; to remember Him and to keep His commandments; to refresh in our minds who we are and what our role is in God’s plan.
“Your Work Is Not Yet Finished”
To each of you I say that your work is not yet finished either, and I regret to inform you that you don’t know how much time you’ve got left. Pondering that reality should raise some questions in your mind as to what you should be doing with that time.
You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory
You simply must understand this, because you were born to lead by virtue of who you are, the covenants you have made, and the fact that you are here now in the 11th hour.
Seeing as Far as Forever
So let us remember that from the vantage point of a roof and a tall tree, our perspective is to look as far as forever and set goals that will not just help us through the week but will lead us on into eternity.
Achieving Your Full Potential
Is the road you are now traveling and the present conduct of your life leading you to achieve your full God-given potential?
Becoming You
These years of your life are a time to plant seeds that you will later be grateful to harvest. Heed the counsel of prophets on your journey to becoming you.
Light the Fire Within
What a delight to be here. I have a very fond place in my heart for this wonderful institution and for all of the great work that is accomplished here. Thank you for joining me this morning. I would like to recognize my wife, Jennifer, with me here on the stand. She is my angel. I am also delighted to have my parents and children here. On February 17, 2002,…
A Divine Nature and Destiny
The nature of deity in the composition of our spiritual organization opens the door to the vision of eternal life and divine destiny.
The Crucibles of Eternal Identity
Our prophets have reminded us that this mortal estate is a school to learn how to be gods and goddesses, having increase and creating worlds while giving all glory to the Father. I would like to suggest that crucibles are one way in which we move toward eternity—connecting our premortal, mortal, and postmortal identities.
We Believe in You!
As hard as it may be at times to avoid the "Devil’s Throat" - the tricky, slippery pitfall of sin - we believe in your integrity, morality, and potential.
Change: It’s Always a Possibility!
His desire is for you to change, to have a change of heart, a change of nature, and to, over time, completely cast off the natural man.
Reaching Our Potential in the Lord’s Way
As to my strength I am weak; . . . but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things” (Alma 26:12). I am grateful for the opportunity to speak to you today. I pray that we can both speak and listen by the Spirit, that we may all be edified. I love being part of BYU, and I really believe that we have…
Some Thoughts about Butterflies, Replenishment, Environmentalism, and Ownership
Remember the Brazilian butterflies. What you as an individual can do may not be much, but it is something; and when aggregated with what others are doing, the increment can be significant.
Come unto Christ
I bear you my testimony that God lives. He is your Father. You want to go home. You want to be with him. The only way you can be with him in the way you want to be is to become clean and spotless.
Filling the Measure of Your Creation
How does one fill the measure of his or her creation? We do so by thrusting in a sickle and reaping with all our strength—and by rejoicing in our uniqueness and our difference.
A Message to Our Granddaughters
With an eternal perspective, God will help you—our granddaughters, and all women—fulfill your divine missions in the family, the Church, and the world.
Meekly Drenched in Destiny
Furthermore, whether you realize it or not, you are a generation drenched in destiny.
To the Lonely and Misunderstood
Once in my life, I had the feelings of being left out. I now share the companionship of incomparable brotherhood and sisterhood, a feeling of belonging, of being useful, and I recognize that it comes only from sincere striving to live the commandments of the Lord.
On Feeling Inferior
Paul H. Dunn explains that "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." If you know your worth, you can succeed.
Developing a Personal Relationship with the Savior
Every ordinance in the gospel is a channel of power to us if, as we function in those ordinances, we develop in an ever-increasing way a personal relationship with the Lord.
Hello, in There
Thank you, President Lewis, so very much for that generous introduction. Thank you, Brother Downs, for that beautiful music. Thank you, my brothers and sisters, for sharing this hour with me. The introduction made me reflect back on my life. Many of the events mentioned in it sound better in the telling than in the doing, but I’m grateful that they would be mentioned. What We See Versus What We…
The Highest in Us
Latter-day Saints believe that we can become like God. Knowing our own divinity can help shape our lives now and into the eternities.
We Believe in God, the Eternal Father
We believe in God, the Eternal Father of our Spirits. That belief is the foundation of our religion, our purpose in life, and our destiny.
God Is the Gardener
Whatever undertakings may demand of you and of your attention, I tell you, young men and young women, you cannot make a better resolution today than this: “I am going to keep close to the Lord. I am going to understand Him better, and, understanding Him, I will understand myself and will try to put my life into harmony with His.”
Be What You Will to Be
You have a divine nature and destiny, and you also have the agency and will to decide whether you will become all you can be.
Earning Your Own Heritage
Florence S. Jacobsen advises young people to think now about the legacy they want to leave. You can make decisions now, she says, to earn your own heritage.
Kings and Priests
Through the story of John, a man squandering his time on earth, we are encouraged to embrace our identity as potential kings and queens —as children of God.
Lamanite Prophecies Fulfilled
The Native American population, or "Indians," descendants of the Lamanite people, are displaying their immense potential, as foretold in the scriptures.
Man and What He May Become
Man is so much more than we can comprehend, as evidenced not only by religious tenet but also scientific inquiry. He is the offspring of God!
The Worth of Souls
The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. He is interested in each member of the Church and their needs, potential, and talents.
Discover and Actualize Your Potential Self
Your soul is as powerful as the atomic weapons which our age fears. As you discover your divine potential, you will be able to actualize it.
Four Cornerstones upon Which to Build Greatness
The four cornerstones upon which we must build greatness faith, education, industry, and cooperation. John A. Widtsoe explains that each of these cornerstones must be nourished and understood through a gospel lens.
