Shima Baughman, Woodruff J. Deem professor of law at BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, taught the importance of uniting our hearts with God through the principles of the gospel in her devotional address delivered Tuesday, Oct 1.
In her devotional address, she kept the topic close to heart by discussing the importance of our hearts and the connections we have with God.
“There is a connection between loving God with all our hearts and His covenants with us,” she said. “I want to consider each of the five covenants we make with God in His holy house and how they purify our hearts — helping us love Him wholeheartedly and ultimately uniting us eternally with Him.”
Baughman began by discussing the principles of the gospel with the law of obedience.
According to the principles taught in John 14:15, “Our obedience is a manifestation of our love and our desire to be reunited with Him. It is the simple act of trying to be obedient that God asks of us,” she explained.
Baughman further explained that obedience doesn't have to be perfect, but people just have to be willing to try.
“When our heart is attuned to God, any major or minor course correction by a loving Church leader is welcomed, any interruption of our time to serve another a delight, and secular interests that distract us from the Holy One who has captured our hearts are simply not alluring,” Baughman said.
She narrated a story from Van Halen, the 1970s American rock band. During the band’s tour, they became infamous for a clause in their contract which dictated that there shouldn’t be any brown M&Ms in their dressing room.
While this may have seemed over-the-top, it was revealed to have a deeper meaning. With plenty of dangerous stunts involved in their acts, they needed to make sure that safety measures were in place, on-stage and off. The brown M&M’s was a simple aspect which allowed them to easily check and see if their instructions had been followed.
“What are the brown M&Ms we need to remove from our backstage areas," Baughman asked the audience. "The small asks from our Heavenly Father we are neglecting and hope He hasn’t noticed?”
She explained that one shouldn’t let pride get in the way of fixing those little mistakes.
The second element of the gospel that Baughman illustrated was the law of sacrifice. She told the story of her own mother, who was converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after leaving Iran and moving to Los Angeles.
“My mom got baptized thinking she might be sentenced to die for her faith. At the time, she had no idea if her family would be able to stay in America, but she was willing to sacrifice everything for God,” she said.
The faith demonstrated by Baughman’s mother in this instance showed how her mother had given her heart to God, she explained.
In discussing the third law, the law of the gospel, Baughman quoted the Persian poet Rumi, who said, “Whatever sorrow shakes from your heart, far better things will take their place.”
Baughman elaborated on the quote and spoke about those who choose to follow Christ, and the others who are less willing to leave everything and follow him.
“Are we open to leave our plans and favorite sins to give Him our whole heart?” she asked, applying it directly to the audience.
She brought up the law of chastity next and shared her thoughts on why the law would be so important to God. In order to bring our hearts in line with His, we need to know ourselves and Him, she said.
“We know that sometimes our hearts are going to want and feel things that aren’t in line with what Jesus wants us to feel or want. That is the nature of being mortal,” she said.
In discussing the law of consecration, she emphasized that we have to be willing to give all that we can to the Lord, including our hearts.
“Our Savior has given His entire heart for every single one of us and God has blessed us with every comfort we enjoy," Baughman said. "When we consecrate our hearts to Him, it becomes a privilege to dedicate our time, talents and resources to building His Kingdom.”
Baughman then offered a few words of advice for BYU students.
“I did come up with two tricks — or dare I say cheats — to help give all your heart to Him when you are irritated and cannot muster the love, when you feel less than divine or when you are stressed and peace seems out of reach,” Baughman said.
The first piece of advice Baughman offered was to spend more time in the temple. In the early days of her marriage, Baughman and her husband decided to attend the temple weekly in order to overcome the conflicts they had. She explained that the “lasting impact” the temple had on their lives was “hard to overstate.”
“When we embrace the love of God regularly in His house, our hearts are linked with His and we are blessed with His constant peace,” she explained.
The second “trick” was to feel “the power of wearing his name on your heart.” She described the power that can come when one wears their garments, and how it is a way to feel a “lasting hug from heaven."
“Our garments cover our chest, our beating hearts, with the sacred symbols and accompanying hallowed commitments we make when we agree to take on the name of Jesus Christ,” she said.
Baughman taught that our hearts remind us of the purifying power of God that is always available, and as we unite our hearts with His, and seek His love, He will bless us.