Brother Sean R. Dixon, the second counselor in the Young Men General Presidency for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, spoke at Brigham Young University on March 17.
Brother Dixon highlighted the importance of being an everyday disciple of Jesus Christ. He taught how discipleship is not an activity to be crammed into a busy schedule, but to define who we are at our cores.
“Disciples don’t compartmentalize their lives. They strive to be the same whether they are at school, work, church, playing in BYU intramurals or driving down the interstate,” Brother Dixon said.
He shared ways that BYU students can engage in the work of daily discipleship. He focused on doing the small everyday actions of ordinary life.
Brother Dixon said, as one strives to make choices that leads to the path of the Savior, they will begin to understand why Jesus Christ is the way and how to incorporate it into their lives.
Brother Dixon explained how one can get caught up in perfectionism when relying on their own efforts.
“As we make mistakes, we may hear a negative voice in our head condemning us and making us feel hopeless. The danger comes when we mistakenly associate that voice with the voice of God." Brother Dixon said. "In those moments, it has helped me to pause and ... recognize that belittling voice is a tactic of the adversary."
In connection to this principle, he quoted Sister Tamara W. Runia when she taught how a person is not the voice in their head or the mistakes they have made.
Discipleship, Brother Dixon said, is the condition of the heart that leads one to obey the commandments of God and to love the people around them.
He shared a story about a conversation he had with a recently returned missionary. Brother Dixon asked her what was different from when he had seen her before her mission, to which she responded, “I have a soft heart now.”
Brother Dixon expanded about how gaining a soft heart requires intentional action.
“One simple choice is to take a daily morning walk with God. This includes carving out time to build a relationship with the Lord through heartfelt scripture study, prayer and pondering so He can teach and prepare us for whatever comes to us that day,” Brother Dixon said.
He also mentioned the importance of attending the temple in daily discipleship.
Brother Dixon encouraged students to remember that even when one loves the Lord and strives for a soft heart, they will still fall short sometimes. But because of Jesus Christ, they can realign their actions with their intent.
“Repentance truly is a joyful choice that is made possible by our Master, Redeemer, Exemplar, Teacher and Savior,” Brother Dixon said.
He concluded his address by emphasizing that the Lord needs disciples who love Him, and the time is now.
“May we embrace each day as our beloved Savior taught and exemplified, with a love for God and a love for our neighbor,” he said.