Brigham Young University President C. Shane Reese loves the start of a new school year.
He loves the smells and sounds, the sense of excitement throughout campus; he loves the “tremendous expectation” for perfect grades, national championships and new relationships.
Most of all, President Reese loves the students, speaking to them as he shared his love and hopes for BYU during the fall semester opening devotional on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in the school’s Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
“I love that you are here at BYU in this exciting season of our history, when we are flourishing in a big, fancy new athletic conference, excelling in our academic disciplines, laying the groundwork for a prophetically announced medical school and leaning even more deeply into our unique mission,” he said.
But in order to fulfill that unique mission, “we have work to do.”
In particular, he emphasized the importance of “becoming,” inviting students to “embrace the process of going from ‘here’ to ‘there.’”
He was joined by his wife, Sister Wendy Reese, who spoke on the power of positivity. Over 12,000 students attended the devotional, BYU administrators said.
3 ideas for ‘becoming’
President Reese presented three ideas he hopes will provide a solid foundation for becoming: vision, persistence, and making and honoring covenants.
He said the gospel challenges individuals to become something more, something better, something holier; but answering that challenge requires a vision of what and who a person wants to become.
It’s all too easy, however, to get mired in the adversary’s deceptions about divine identity, President Reese said. That’s why people sometimes need others with “bolder” visions for them than they have for themselves, he said — and why everyone needs to have that vision for others at times.
“Having a crisp vision of what we might become is the starting point of our process of becoming, because it shapes our work and effort in productive ways,” he said, adding that it “empowers us with faith and confidence, two attributes of becoming that can help replace our doubts and our fear.”
President Reese continued that the second idea, persistence, is the next step toward becoming. He invited students to embrace the hard work that must precede the harvest — because without it, nothing grows but weeds.
He also said that while everyone will fall short, all can choose to give their best efforts. He shared the story of Oliver Granger, an early Latter-day Saint given the “all-but-impossible” task of settling the Church’s financial affairs in Kirtland, Ohio. But as the Lord said in Doctrine and Covenants 117, Oliver Granger’s sacrifice “shall be more sacred unto me than his increase” (verse 13).
“In the Lord’s eyes, Brother Granger’s effort was more important than his achievement,” President Reese said. “When he fell, he got up and tried again. His striving was more important than his success.”
Finally, President Reese emphasized the “centrality” of covenants on the path to becoming. President Russell M. Nelson, in particular, has taught “consistently and powerfully” on covenants, he said.
President Reese said making and keeping covenants accelerates a person’s ability to become.
“As President Nelson put it, ‘The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power, power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations and heartaches better,’” President Reese said.
The power of positive thinking
Prior to President Reese’s address, Sister Reese spoke about the power of positivity, sharing a variety of scientific research showing that people with positive attitudes tend to have better health outcomes.
She offered two suggestions for harnessing the power of positivity: seeking the good and turning to God.
Sister Reese said those who consciously look for the good in their lives find blessings and peace during trials.
“The mere act of looking for the good in our lives is a positivity-producing action,” she said. “It helps us put things in perspective and increases our ability to see the Lord’s hand in our lives. ... When we actively seek for things that are good, the more good we will find.”
She continued that the second suggestion, turning to God, is done by making and keeping covenants, praying daily, reading the scriptures, attending the temple, looking for miracles and thinking celestial, as President Nelson has taught.
“If we turn our hearts to [Jesus Christ], He will strengthen us and give us courage to face hard things,” Sister Reese said. “It is spiritually vital to have a strong relationship with the Savior. When we turn to Him, He will be a positive force in our lives.”
