On Tuesday, January 20, Kevin J Worthen, president of Brigham Young University, addressed the students, faculty, and staff of Brigham Young University–Hawaii at the weekly Devotional held in the Cannon Activities Center. President Worthen’s address, entitled “Holy Places,” detailed ways in which we can turn everyday places, even haunted places, into holy places.
Worthen suggested that by aligning ourselves with and binding ourselves to God, we can create our own holy places. “If we align ourselves with God and then bind ourselves to Him,” said President Worthen, “we will be endowed with power to transform prisons into temples, humble dwellings into celestial abodes, and places of despair into havens of hope.” He encouraged the audience to read the scriptures and pray daily in order to come closer to Jesus Christ, a simple but essential way to align ourselves with Heavenly Father. He warned that some people might believe that this way is too simple, but he testified that his 25 years of service in the LDS Church has proven to him that reading scriptures and praying daily works keep us aligned with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.
President Worthen instructed the audience to bind themselves to God by making and keeping covenants, which helps people gain the Lord’s guidance in places of darkness or difficulty. “Covenants are so powerful because it is through covenants God’s general promises are made operative in our individual lives,” said President Worthen. He observed that part of using that power from covenants may be essential in helping others along the way as well, helping them make holy their own places. He then shared the metaphor of the lighthouse and the lower lights, suggesting that God is the lighthouse, but we are the lower lights, charged with guiding others toward God. Working in conjunction with God allows others to maneuver the rough seas of life to safely make the harbor. “There may be many around you – in the places where you stand – who are in the same position,” said President Worthen. “They want to do what’s right; they want to have greater peace in their lives; they want to come closer to God; but they are unsure of how to do it. Your example may provide the lower lights they need to see the safe passage.”
To read or watch the full Devotional address, click here.
