After spending a good portion of his adult life in Asia raising a family in Beijing, Taiwan, and most recently Hong Kong, Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the First Quorum of the Seventy and President of the Asia Area testified of the blessings of allowing the Spirit to guide as we make decisions in life.
As the first speaker of the Fall 2009 semester at the Brigham Young University–Hawaii campus, he addressed students, stating, "You are embarking on a new semester, one leg on your journey to a degree, a career, and a bright future. About 2,600 years ago, a young man set out on a journey with his family that would take them across part of a continent and an entire ocean. Nephi knew they needed constant direction throughout their travels so he prayed and pondered often."
"On one occasion, Nephi's prayers were answered with a glorious vision of the earth's future. This vision began with the words, 'the Spirit said unto me: Look' (1 Nephi 11:8)! While you may not be blessed with a one-time vision of your entire future, you may rest assured that the Spirit stands ready to help you 'look' during your voyage through life."
When he and his family arrived in Hong Kong two years ago, experienced residents told them that to really enjoy the city, they needed to 'look forward,' 'look in' and 'look up.' Living in Hong Kong taught them the importance of following this advice. They learned to look forward to know what was ahead of them, look in to find hidden treasures and to look up if they ever got lost and needed to get direction. He said, "Today, I would like to apply this counsel for living in Hong Kong to finding joy along your journey through mortality."
He related an experience that President Packer once shared: "We once had a major decision to make. When our prayers left us uncertain, I went to see Elder Harold B. Lee. He counseled us to proceed. Sensing that I was still very unsettled, he said, 'The problem with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.' Then he quoted this verse from the Book of Mormon, 'Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith' (Ether 12:6). He added, 'You must learn to walk a few steps ahead into the darkness, and then the light will turn on and go before you.' "
He reflected, "The advice we received upon arrival in Hong Kong does apply to a joyful journey through life. May you look forward with an eye of faith to stand before our Redeemer. May you look in to your own soul and in to the hearts of others. May you look up in prayer and to the temple."
--Photo by Ian Nitta
Click here to read the full transcript of Elder Anthony D. Perkins' devotional