By HOLLY COX
holly@newsroom.byu.edu
Addressing the youth of the LDS Church on Saturday afternoon, President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, encouraged the use of hymns to control thoughts.
'You can replace thoughts of temptation, anger, disappointment or fear with better thoughts -- with music,' he said.
President Packer related a lesson he learned from his older brother, Col. Leon C. Packer, a brigadier general in the Air Force. While returning to England after a raid over Europe, Col. Packer's plane was heavily damaged by flak. As the crew moved to the bomb bay to parachute out, one of the engines sputtered, and Col. Packer was able to coax enough power from the engine to make it back to the shores of England. Col. Packer told his brother afterward that often when he was under fire and in danger, he would think of a hymn.
'He said, `I have a favorite hymn' -- and he named it -- `and when things got rough, I would sing it silently to myself, and there came a faith and assurance that kept me on course,'' President Packer said.
That brotherly lesson became very real for President Packer later in life. In 1945, President Packer was caught in a typhoon during a flight to Guam. The radio was broken, and the plane was lost. It was then that President Packer remembered the lesson of his brother and began to pray and sing silently. With seconds of fuel left, the plane finally located Tinian Island and landed safely.
'I had experienced the power in prayer and in sacred music. I learned that both can be very private and very silent,' President Packer said.
It is that same power that can help the youth of the church control their thoughts and take charge of their lives, said President Packer. Negative thoughts can be replaced with positive ones, and when they are, the Holy Ghost can be a constant companion.
'When you learn to control your thoughts, you will be safe.'
President Packer said that while sin can seem to take control of us, there is a way out. Repentance can make you whole again, and crippling feelings of guilt can be left behind.
'If you have already made bad mistakes, there are ways to fix things up and eventually it will be as though they never happened,' President Packer said.
In closing, President Packer encouraged youth to be strong and push forward to perfection.
'You young people, you'll get close enough to perfection to have a life filled with challenges and troubles, with inspiration, and happiness, and eternal joy,' President Packer said.