Measuring the Life of A Child of God

Suzanne Tuttle | University Relations | 
2 December 2011

Students and faculty filed into the CAC to hear Gary Cornia’s devotional centered on measuring one’s life as a child of God. Gary C. Cornia, Dean of the Marriott School of Business at BYU Provo, explained that there is a lot expected from each of God’s children. While nobody is perfect it is important to strive to live up to one’s potential.

He began his devotional address entitled, "Measuring the Life of a Child of God” by talking about his childhood stake patriarch, William A. Budge. Before he became a patriarch, he was a stake president, and in preparing for a stake conference one year, he asked the Stake Primary President to compose a song for the primary to sing. She composed the song “I am a Child of God.” He said, “It was not just a song that contributes to the culture of Mormonism, it is a song that informs the youngest members of the Church of a fundamental aspect of the doctrine that we all bear witness to. It is a message I have tried to remember in my roles as a son, brother, missionary, Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood holder, husband, and father.”

Cornia then discussed different kinds of lines and how we use them to measure progress over time by plotting change in a graph. Through various visual aids he explained how we can better understand and see our progress through graphs and lines. “I believe we see this principle used in the scriptures. For example, talking about ‘the iron rod’ has far more influence than simply saying that it is ‘the word of God’ that the iron rod represents. I can visualize holding on to an iron rod, on the other hand, it is much more difficult for me to visualize holding on to the word of God.”

In furthering the topic of line graphs, Cornia discussed various factors in our lives that “should be increasing at an increasing rate.” The first factor is the importance of gaining an education. Not just to apply themselves in school, but in spiritual learning.

Another factor was to recognize the things in our lives and be more concerned with the things that are more important throughout the eternities. He described this through a story of a man who preoccupied himself with earning frequent flier miles through his occupation. He never used them because of the great importance he put on them. He later developed a cancer in his throat and never used the miles that he accumulated, “if you are accumulating ‘things’ at an increasing rate make certain that they are things that matter in the eternities.”

He concluded by saying, “What is required is an honest review of our lives and an honest and correct measure of the behavior of a child of God. If adjustments are needed, if trends are going in the wrong direction, we can change. And if trends are going in the right direction, we can find strength to continue.”