Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve and his wife, Sister Jennifer Kearon, spoke about God’s loving plan for His children at the BYU devotional on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
Elder Kearon focused on finding and sharing joy as beloved children of God. Sister Kearon showed how every part of God’s plan is dealt in love for the benefit of His children.
Both Elder and Sister Kearon’s remarks were well-received, both for their message but also for their humor, which caused students to erupt in laughter and applause several times.
In her remarks, Sister Kearon noted that her assignment to speak came as a surprise since she had originally planned a trip to St. George for the same day. She compared this surprise to life's other common surprises that, although sometimes undesired, often prove to be great blessings.
“Good or bad, surprises cause us to pivot, recalibrate, modify and adapt,” Sister Kearon said. “You may be in the middle of navigating some surprising twists and turns in your life right now and you won’t be alone.”
Sister Kearon added that sometimes the blessings of the Lord may look different than desired, but “as we do our part, the promises here from the Lord are astonishing.”
“Some of God’s surprises are wonderful, some confusing, some difficult to navigate and some perfectly heartbreaking. But hold on to Him through it all. If you have eyes to see and if you choose faith, He will surprise you with His goodness and love,” Sister Kearon said.
She challenged students to “surprise God right back” by choosing Him in faith despite life’s surprises.
Elder Kearon followed Sister Kearon's remarks, praising BYU President C. Shane Reese and his wife, Sister Wendy Reese, for their devotional messages from the previous week. He said they were “a winning combination” for the start of the semester.
He also specifically acknowledged incoming BYU freshmen.
“I have a particular sensitivity to the freshmen amongst you, as I am one,” Elder Kearon said, referring to his recent call to the Quorum of the Twelve. “You are not meant to be like everybody else as you come here ... this is meant to be special. It is meant to be higher. It is meant to be holier. And goodness knows it is meant to be much more joyful.”
Elder Kearon explained that, as in life, a joyful BYU experience is built by slowly gathering the "flecks of gold" that bring astonishing wealth to patient seekers.
“Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another," Elder Kearon quoted President M. Russell Ballard.
Elder Kearon further explained that these flecks of gold are observed as students look “outward and upward” to deeply understand their identity as children of God. Understanding this identity through flecks of stretching and joyful moments at BYU can bless students as they become the gold to serve and lift others, he said.
“I have an invitation for you ... as you look out, as you look up, it’s that you become flecks of gold to an often troubled world. That you rejoice in becoming flecks of gold,” Elder Kearon said. “The world sees you differently as you rejoice in the truth that you’ve received, as you come to a deeper understanding of who you truly are and as you practice these principles that you’re learning.”
Elder Kearon expressed love and gratitude for all of the students who are already following his invitation and promised that as students act on his invitation they will find joy.
A full view of Elder and Sister Kearon’s devotional messages can be found here.