Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve delivered the devotional address on Tuesday, Aug. 20 during BYU Education Week, speaking on the importance of having righteous desires.
Elder Andersen began by discussing how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints values education, and how education allows individuals to gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. He also explained how every individual has the power to determine their personal desires.
“There is a place inside of us that we uniquely and individually control and create,” Elder Andersen said. “You alone determine your long-term private desires, tied closely to your personal will and agency. These desires are being constructed or developed, fortified or weakened constantly, whether they are righteous or unrighteous.”
He continued by repeating the question to the audience, “What are your most deeply held righteous desires?”
Members of the Church may have a number of desires, according to Elder Andersen. These include living eternally with Heavenly Father, living forever with an eternal companion, helping others, contributing to the strength and purity of the Kingdom of God and living the Lord’s laws of happiness. He highlighted how essential it is to keep righteous desires.
“While personalities can vary greatly, there is one path of righteousness and we want to strengthen who we are becoming,” Elder Andersen said. “When the framework of our desires are righteous, we then educate them in such a way that the attributes we live align with the desires of our heart.”
The two gifts of time and patience, he explained, are powerful forces when it comes to fostering those sincere desires.
Elder Andersen shared a poem written by James Allen that he memorized in high school, 55 years ago. He recited the poem by memory and then asked the audience to join in to recite it a second time.
Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes,
And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes
The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills,
Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills: —
He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass:
Environment is but his looking-glass.
Elder Andersen explained that having this poem memorized for decades, he has been impressed by the power of the mind and the goodness of God’s power in his life.
He continued by discussing how keeping righteous desires can sometimes be a challenge, given the contentious world we live in today.
“We are on the quest to live eternally with God,” he said. “In our very secular and increasingly wicked world, we keep our feet firmly planted in our faith in Jesus Christ and our desire to be with him eternally, not allowing the distractions of our mortal life to overcome our efforts to become more and more like Jesus.”
He explained that not all things in this world are bad and that individuals can still receive uplifting blessings from things in daily life.
“We can enjoy the good things of our mortality, like the thrill of a BYU football victory, we hope they come often, or the good food at a favorite restaurant, without allowing inconsequential things to distract from our most important inner desires,” Elder Andersen said.
Each person must approach their desires “step by step, year by year” with Heavenly Father, according to Elder Andersen, despite worldly distractions that might get in the way. Although every Church member is imperfect, they can learn and grow from their experiences.
In light of the recent 2024 Paris Olympics, Elder Andersen shared a quote from Eric Liddell, a gold medalist in the 1924 Paris Olympics, to illustrate his point.
“I want to compare faith to running in a race. It’s hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul,” Elder Anderson said, reading Liddell's quote. “If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.”
Elder Andersen said the five covenants that are made and kept in the temple are the foundation to educating righteous desires. These covenants include the law of obedience to Heavenly Father’s commandments, the law of sacrifice, the law of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the law of chastity and the law of consecration.
He discussed how individuals can lean on Heavenly Father in cultivating their righteous desires.
“Our Heavenly Father knows your heart and your spirit,” he said. “He understands your anxieties and your hopes, your longings and your fears. He knows your private struggles and He knows your faith.”
The Lord prepares a way for confirmation and confidence in the gospel through a complex world, Elder Andersen taught.
“My promise to you is that as you thoughtfully prepare to enter the Lord’s house, with willing hearts, with real intent, awaiting the Lord’s direction, you will receive the lifting power to educate your desires and strengthen you in your desire to become,” he said.
Elder Andersen concluded by sharing how Jesus Christ is the perfect example of having righteous desires, especially seen through his sacrifice in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he aligned his desires and plan with Heavenly Father’s.
“While our struggles can in no way imaginable be measured against His, His incomparable example of aligning His will with the will of the Father brings us a beautiful vision of our way forward,” he said.