Perspective
How to Be Happy Now—and Forever
Like a simple magnifying glass that brings things into focus using the light of the sun, the gospel of Jesus Christ will bring your life into focus with light from the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer.
The Y on the Mountain
If we choose to view events in our lives from the eternal perspective that emanates from an understanding of God’s eternal plan of salvation, our lives will be happier and more productive, and we will have greater strength to meet the challenges that will inevitably come our way.
Seeing Things Differently
Our Savior Jesus Christ sees us differently—not as we currently are but as we may become. I am awed by the love He has for me, who does not deserve it, and for the love He has for all of us—no matter who we are, no matter how different we may be from those around us, and no matter what struggles we have in our lives.
The Plan of Salvation: The Gospel Paradigm
All of us view events through particular paradigms or lenses. If the lenses are accurate, the paradigm enhances our understanding and knowledge. If they are distorted, we sometimes make mistakes, which causes a paradigm shift.
“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.
An Eternal Perspective
I urge you to view things from an eternal perspective—in the light of God’s great plan of salvation. As you do so, your past, present, and future will be more meaningful, more fruitful, and more joyful.
Eyes to See
When we see each other as daughters and sons of our Heavenly Father, it changes us. It takes us away from superficial thinking in which we define ourselves as beautiful or athletic or intellectual or popular or not. Instead we begin to see each other as brothers and sisters with the singular purpose of striving to become ready to return to live with our Heavenly Father.
The Lord’s Hand in Our Lives
The help we need is provided by our loving Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, through other people who have been prompted to help, guide, and rescue us in times of need or consequential decision making.
What Happens When Life Gets One Degree Colder?
A plan in which supposedly everything would go right so nobody would be lost was
already proposed and rejected. The plan of salvation, on the other hand, allows for opposition in all things: sadness and sweetness, wrongdoing
and repentance, trial and testimony.
“Therefore Ye Are No More Strangers and Foreigners”
Our challenge then is to overcome our natural-man reluctance to interact with those who come from different languages, dialects, and cultural backgrounds and to treat them as no more strangers but actual, or potential, fellow citizens with the Saints in the household of God.
All Things Spiritual
The interconnected nature of the spiritual and secular learning that takes place at Brigham Young University is one of the defining characteristics of a BYU education.
Carry On!
No one else can do what you can do. Please do not compare yourselves to others. Rather, bloom where you’re planted!
The Gardener of Gethsemane
If we are looking, we will see the caring hands of the Gardener of Gethsemane shaping our lives in ways we cannot now imagine. I pray that we might yield to this pruning so that we can become the people God would have us be.
Zoram and I: Getting Our Stories Straight
Faith in Jesus Christ has the power to help us get our stories straight, and I pray that, like Zoram, we will see that our life’s circumstances are often the very conditions in which God has chosen to bless us as He helps us work out our lives.
What Do You Expect?: A Key to Personal Happiness
Expectations are thoughts or beliefs we have about ourselves, our relationships, and what happens to us in life. They are crucial, as they are the standards or yardsticks by which we judge what happens to us and how satisfied or unsatisfied we are with ourselves and with life.
“Remember Lot’s Wife”: Faith Is for the Future
To all such of every generation, I call out, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the “high priest of good things to come.”
Treasure the Day
I still can vividly recall the time I realized that I should savor and treasure each day and be thankful for and appreciate life. I somehow realized that each day is a gift from a loving Heavenly Father and that if I did not view each day as such, I would be ungrateful.
Sinai Experiences
Our experiences at BYU have helped us to better understand that we are in similitude of the Savior and belong to the great family encompassing all of the people of the earth.
The Great Value of Your Boundless Choice
I wish you every success and hope your wildest and fondest dreams come true. Clearly you are the hope of our nation, our church, and your families.
Perspective, Purpose, Peace
Our perspective is limited, so we must act with restraint and compassion. Indeed, our purpose must be to serve. And we, perhaps more than any other group on the planet, are equipped and obligated to establish peace.
The Changing World
How do you view the changing world? I hope it is with optimism and encouragement rather than with the disappointment or dismay that we find in some circles.
Choose to Celebrate
As you reflect on your BYU days, I pray that you will choose to celebrate all that was happy and good and productive. I pray, too, that you will choose to move forward with that same attitude toward all you undertake and all that undertakes you.
Beyond Baby Shampoo
Looking back upon journal entries from my freshman days at BYU, I found what I had written to sum up my year of learning: “An unconfident man will say he has no talent. A foolish man will believe him.” This idea has made a strong impression upon me.
The Vision of Eternity
Life, if lived properly, allows the Holy Ghost to bring the vision into our mind. The perfect description was given by a loving Heavenly Father when He said, “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”
The Far and Near
Two parts of my university education introduce my subject today. The first I remember from my BYU freshman English class, where I had an excellent teacher. We wrote essays that were due every Friday, and, at that point, I hoped someday to be a writer. I had enjoyed some success with my writing during my 18 years. I had won a prize here and there, and my parents certainly thought…
Is Your Cup Half Full or Half Empty?
"Sometimes struggles and opposition will come into our life. We can become stronger by dealing with these difficult challenges and by not allowing them to cripple us in our spiritual progression."
Eternal Perspectives
"The greatest joy is in the peace of knowing that we are following the path that leads us to eternal life, that our house is in order, and that we are preparing to meet our Savior."
Our Spiritual Eyeglasses: What You See Is What You Get
If your beliefs are based on gospel perspectives, your glasses or belief window will allow you to see eternity from a celestial kingdom perspective. On the other hand, if your belief lenses are made from a non-gospel or worldly prescription, you will see just the opposite and earn your place for eternity in one of the lower kingdoms. So, what you see is what you get—literally.
To See as We Are Seen
As I’ve envisioned this moment and considered what to share with you today, my mind has gone back to the hundreds of times I’ve attended events here in the de Jong Concert Hall. Thinking about those times caused me to reflect on the changes that have come into my life since I first arrived at BYU 30 years ago and reminded me that life’s journey is accomplished one small step…
Seeing with New Eyes
Like Elisha’s servant, we typically do not have access to a complete view of reality. We know, though, that the Lord can open our eyes to a greater reality.
Adversity
Like the mortal life of which they are a part, adversities are temporary. What is permanent is what we become by the way we react to them.
Leaders and Managers
True leaders are inspiring because they are inspired, caught up in a higher purpose, devoid of personal ambition, idealistic, and incorruptible.
Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled
My dear young friends, don’t partake of the spirit of our times. Look for the good and build on it. Don’t be a “pickle sucker.” There is so much of the sweet and the decent and the good to build on.
Murmur Not
Marvin J. Ashton reminds us that murmuring leads to personal apostasy. While it may seem like fun or be easier to murmur, when we do, we turn away from God.
Widening Horizons
To widen your horizons academically, expand your mind and learn something new. To widen the horizon of your soul, follow the prophetically established pattern of reading God’s word, asking Him for guidance, and then learning by revelation from promptings of the Spirit.
Upward Reach
After inviting Louise Lake to bear her testimony on the importance of gratitude in our trials, Adam S. Bennion counsels students to keep an upward reach toward heaven. Keep your spiritual channel open to receive God's revelations and blessings.
