Brennan Platt, an economics professor at BYU, gave the devotional address on July 8, speaking on agency, the Atonement and joy.
Platt began by sharing an analogy about kids in competitive swimming after his kids would sometimes complain about having to swim in important meets.
"You really did choose this," he would tell them.
He then expanded on the power of owning our choices and how it cause us to revisit the why behind our choices. Revisiting choices then emphasizes the importance of our future choices. He then discussed one of the greatest decisions we ever made before this life.
"Father wanted to cultivate His godly attributes in us," Platt said. "That would require more than forced obedience. We needed agency! By choosing for ourselves, we could learn not only to control our actions, but to lift our desires, to elevate our goals, and ultimately, to want what our Father wants!"
He then spoke about agency in context of our temple covenants.
He emphasized what it really means to live the Law of Consecration. The Law of Consecration requires one to give all of their time, talents, and possessions to the Lord, but it means even more than that.
He referenced Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's words spoken in his conference address, "Our Heartfelt All" given in April 2022.
"When we consecrate something, we don’t leave it to be consumed upon the altar. Rather, we put it to use in the Lord’s service.”
Thus, consecration is not so much an act, but an attitude that says, “All that I have is thine, and I am striving to use it as Thou wouldst,” Platt explained.
He then talked about experiences he has had in making decisions. Over the years, he and his wife have been foster parents for 21 kids. He recounted an experience he had when choosing to take in twin daughters. He and his wife weighed the pros and cons and felt prompted take them in.
"In the hard times, I frequently remember my prayer in that lonely university hallway. We chose this. We exercised our agency and trusted our prompting. We knew it was right."
He then spoke about the risky decision we made to come down to Earth but focused on Jesus Christ and his infinite atonement. He shared a mathematical analogy about limits and Christ's infinite atonement.
"It is like our sinless Savior is in the denominator, with x = 0, while all our sins are in the numerator. It does not matter how large the numerator; Christ’s infinite atonement is greater!" Platt relayed.
He then spoke about trials. Though we all experience hardship, the ability to experience joy comes through our ability to choose. While sometimes bitter, there is eternal joy waiting for us after this life.
He shared the history of his great grandfather Henry John Platt who joined the church and immigrated from England in the 1840s. He then shared the conversion of his own parents and how all of their experiences have been joyful despite many hardships.
He then concluded with a story about his daughter Rose. They attended the Orem Temple open house when she was about two years old.
"I carried Rose throughout the tour," Platt shared, "and near the conclusion, as we exited the celestial room, standing at the top of the beautiful staircase, Rose distinctly declared, 'Happy,' a word I had never heard her say before. And for emphasis, a hand on my cheek, she repeated it two more times."
He testified of the joy that comes when we strive to strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ.