In a devotional given by President Cecil O. Samuelson and Sister Sharon Samuelson on Tuesday, students were reminded to hold to the iron rod and use their agency to achieve things that are most important in life.

Sister Samuelson counseled students that though life may be full of trials as well as joys, the one constant should be a determination to holdon to the word of God and gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sister Samuelson recounted Lehi’s vision of the tree of life.

In the vision, Lehi sees a tree bearing fruit that is precious above all others. Lehi wants his family to come and eat this great fruit but as they make their journey toward the tree, they encounter many obstacles: a mist of darkness, mockery and shame, as well as temptations to wander from the path that leads to the fruit, she said.

“This vision teaches us the course we should follow in the course of our lives,” Sister Samuelson said.

The individuals who had the opportunity to taste of the fruit but then fell away from the word of God struck Sister Samuelson. She applied this principle to the lives of those who have the gospel today, but face the temptation to separate themselves from this truth.

“You have the word of God, or iron rod, within your grasp,” she said. “To live with God again, you cannot deviate from the path or lose your grip of the iron rod.”

Sister Samuelson said she has known people with various reasons and an abundance of excuses as to why they let go of the iron rod. She admonished students to choose a different path than these individuals.

“Be strong and true to the word of God you believe to be true,” she said. “There is no short cut to eternal salvation. Snares, pitfalls and mists of darkness will come into your life. Hold to the iron rod.”

Sister Samuelson closed her remarks by encouraging students to recognize their divine potential.

“Do not settle for less than the Lord wants you to be,” said Sister Samuelson.

Following his wife’s remarks, President Samuelson advised students to focus on the important aspects of their futures.

According to President Samuelson, unfair occurrences beyond our control are endless. Life is full of great surprises both happy and sad, however, things of most significance are within our control.

President Samuelson identified relationships, covenants and commitments as three things of the greatest importance in life.

Students were encouraged to nurture relationships with Heavenly Father, family and themselves.

To have a relationship with Heavenly Father, students “must not only know, but always remember you are spirit children of Heavenly Father and are beloved of Him and Jesus Christ,” President Samuelson said.

Students are also encouraged to build a constant relationship of love within their families, even if separated by great distances.

“Make sure you don’t forget your family even when you don’t need money urgently,” President Samuelson said.

Finally, students must be honest with themselves, remember who they are and love themselves.
“You can’t have good relationships with others if you don’t know yourself,” he said.

Students must also use their agency to make and keep covenants with the Lord. Blessings will come to those who value these sacred promises to God, Samuelson said.

The final counsel President Samuelson gave to students was to be loyal to their commitments regardless of how menial they may be, because commitments are one of the most important aspects of life.

To honor commitments, students should start with the small things such as serving others, serving in callings, in jobs and in “adult duties and responsibilities,” he said.

If students fulfill small commitments well, they will be blessed with bigger responsibilities, line upon line, precept upon precept, Samuelson said.

Students were challenged to rise up and face every adversity with a perspective of what is truly important in life and were encouraged not to become distracted by meaningless things.

“Your futures are bright,” President Samuelson said. “Jesus Christ has great expectations for you and of you.”