Students should be still, become humble and place trust in the Lord, they were told in Tuesday’s devotional.

Erin Maughan, an assistant professor in BYU’s College of Nursing, shared a variety of personal experiences that she said taught her to be still and know the Lord.

She said her own life has been filled with stress. Initially she said she thought this stress motivated her to work harder, but she has realized this was an error.

“About a year ago, I was talking to a friend who turned to me and simply said, ‘To worry is to lack faith,’” Maughan said.
Maughan said this statement struck her hard.

“Think about it — it really does make sense,” she said. “If we worry and try and put it all on our shoulders we are not trusting the Lord.”

She said this counsel has helped calm her in times when she didn’t understand why events occurred in her life.

As the international coordinator for the College of Nursing, Maughan accompanied nursing students to England so they could complete the required clinical hours in a clinical setting for their degree. They partnered with a university that arranged those hours to be completed in a local hospital. Shortly after beginning the program, however, Maughan was told that because of a change in visa rules the students could no longer continue their work.

Maughan and the students “scrambled and prayed hard” to find other opportunities to work in the health care system. Maughan said she had many students say the experience gave them a broader outlook of the health care system.

“A change that seemed devastating at first became a blessing because we changed our perspective,” she said. “‘Be still and know that I am God’ literally became our motto.”

Maughan quoted Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin who said, “The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be.”
Maughan said she knows life can be difficult for students.

“The simple secret is this,” she said. “Put your trust in the Lord, do your best and leave the rest up to him.”