Jonathan Sandberg gives devotional address on healing

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The Jan. 21 Devotional speaker began by throwing on a BYU hat and a stern look to show the comparison between himself and football coach Bronco Mendenhall.

Jonathan Sandberg of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences gives Jan. 21 devotional.
Jonathan Sandberg of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences gives the Devotional address on Jan. 21. (Photo by Elliott Miller)

Jonathan Sandberg, a professor and researcher in numerous studiesin the College of Family, Home and Social Sciences began the talk by quoting Martin Luther King Jr. to introduce the topic of healing that can be found through the word of God. The title of the devotional, “Healing Equals Courage Plus Action Plus Grace,” set the stage for the rest of the address.

“Professor Sandberg gave an insightful formula, reminding us that truly overcoming obstacles in our lives requires both personal effort and the Atonement,” said junior accounting student Lance Oldroyd.

Healing, as described by Sandberg, is a long process that requires suffering in order to see growth.

“We all need healing,” Sandberg said. “For some of us that need is great today. My hope today is to encourage you that healing is possible.”

Sandberg took some of his remarks on healing from a devotional by then-dean of nursing Elaine Marshall.

Sandberg gave an example from the life of Martin Luther King Jr. to show the power of healing through the word of God after the holiday celebrating the civil rights leader’s life.

“It requires time — it requires all the energy of your being,” Sandberg said. “Healing is much more than getting better or having your problems go away. Healing is growth and development.”

Sandberg used many current news topics of discussion to give explanations of healing throughout his talk. He referenced the work of Martin Luther King Jr. several times to highlight healing and strength. Sandberg also gave examples from Nelson Mandela’s life to explain how one man’s personal healing furthered nationwide healing in South Africa.

“In order for healing to occur, we have to be courageous enough to move forward, even when we’re afraid,” Sandberg said.

Sandberg learned the importance of living a life where public and private priorities are in sync — to show that what he felt on the inside was reflected through his actions.

“I thought it was an excellent reminder of what is really important,” said junior advertising student Lucy Myers. “I liked how he stressed the importance of trusting the Lord even when things don’t go according to your plan.”

Sandberg told the audience to act in faith through prayer and courage, which leads to the divine grace of Jesus Christ.

“Grace is the power by which healing occurs. Our part is to be courageous enough to act,” Sandberg said.

Sandberg ended the Devotional by encouraging those struggling to stay with God (whether those struggles be same-sex attraction, a crisis of faith, addiction, or a deep sense of loneliness),  trust him and keep doing the things that bring him into our lives.

Read the footnotes from the Devotional at speeches.byu.edu to learn more about healing from Jonathan Sandberg.

The next forum will be given at the Marriott Center by Andrea Thomas, senior vice president of sustainability at Walmart, on Jan. 28 at 11:05 a.m.

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