Elder Tad R. Callister, First Counselor in the Pacific Area Presidency and member of the Quorum of the Seventy, spoke at BYU–Hawaii's devotional on Tuesday, August 18, 2009. Callister, who was joined by his wife Kathryn, is a native of Los Angeles, California. He recently served as President of the Canada Toronto East Mission (2005-2008), and he and his wife are currently based out of New Zealand.
Drawing on the scriptures as well as his life experiences, Callister offered advice to students about marriage and the career path to pursue, focusing on seven principles that would "increase the revelation we receive…and [that we would] recognize it when it comes."
In the matter of choosing a spouse, he shared the counsel he gave as a mission president to missionaries returning home. These, he noted, were not a set of checklists, but a list of "principles that could help expedite the revelation process."
- Does this person appeal to me physically and emotionally?
- Do I feel comfortable in his or her presence and at the same time does he or she inspire me to rise to the best within me?
- Is this the person I would want to be the father or mother of my children?
- Will this person teach our children faith in Jesus Christ, a love for the scriptures and the power of fervent prayer or does this person give priority to worldly things?
- Am I the type of person I am searching for?
Since revelation does not always come, even after we have done our best, Callister shared the importance of acting on our best judgment when inquiring with the Lord: "He oft times requires us to do things on our own before He dispenses revelation." Through this process of doing, we grow more than we would under expectant waiting.
He spoke of another challenge that comes as we seek revelation—the conflict between reason and revelation. The solution he suggested was to choose revelation over reason, but he also cautioned—"There is a price tag for revelation…. Certain activities and attributes invite revelation and others repel it." He continued by stating that if we asked with intensity, are worthy, and have spiritual integrity, we would then have paid the price.
To all these thoughts, Callister taught: "There are certain distinct feelings of the Spirit which Satan cannot counterfeit." One of these feelings, peace, is a "feeling of the heart and impressions of the mind that come only from heaven"—only from the Lord. The best part of revelation, then, is that even Satan, the great counterfeiter, cannot duplicate what "may not only be a potential in our lives but a reality."
--Photo by Ian Nitta