Elder Patrick Kearon and Sister Jennifer Kearon addressed a crowd of more than 13,000 BYU students and employees on Tuesday at the BYU Marriott Center at this week’s devotional.
Sister Kearon focused her remarks on trusting in the Lord through the inevitable surprises of life. Elder Kearon emphasized the transforming power of small acts of kindness and service, likening them to accumulating spiritual flecks of gold. He invited everyone to look outward and upward and promised that in doing so, they will experience joy.
SISTER KEARON
Inevitably, we each experience unexpected events in life which require trusting in the Lord’s plan. Some surprises are wonderful, while others are shocking and difficult.
“Either way, good or bad, surprises cause us to pivot, recalibrate, modify and adapt,” Sister Kearon taught.
Sister Kearon pointed to D&C 90:24 and Matthew 7:9-11 as simple reminders that Jesus Christ is there to help us be resilient when surprises come.
“Jesus is promising that all things will work together for your good because the Father only gives bread, never stones,” Sister Kearon said.
She cautioned that in order to have God work together for our good, we need to do our part by searching the scriptures, praying, believing and keeping the commandments.
“But as we do our part, the promises here from the Lord are astonishing!” Sister Kearon remarked. “He will surprise you with His miracles and His perfect divine design for your life.”
ELDER KEARON
Elder Kearon reflected on his first visit to BYU, even before he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not only was the campus stunningly beautiful, but the students were captivating, he recalled. They were extraordinary students who were unlike anything he had seen before. They were happy, positive and anxiously engaged.
“You are not meant to be like everybody else,” Elder Kearon said, speaking to the BYU students. “[This institution] is meant to be higher, it is meant to be holier and it is meant to be much more joyful.”
Referencing 1 Peter 4:12-3, Elder Kearon taught about the nature of mortality. He explained that everyone will experience hardships, and yet we can rejoice knowing this process changes and elevates individuals.
Elder Kearon then showed a video clip illustrating a frustrated gold digger searching for large nuggets of gold, only to find small flecks of gold. It wasn’t until an old, experienced prospector showed him an accumulation of flecks of gold that the inexperienced gold digger finally realized their immense impact.
Similarly, small acts of kindness leave immense impacts.
Elder Kearon quoted Elder M. Russell Ballard, “Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another.”
Based on this principle of small and simple acts of kindness and service, Elder Kearon extended the invitation to “look outward and look upward.”
He reminded the audience of the powerful eternal truth that we are all spirit children of Heavenly Father. We should not become complacent with this knowledge. This knowledge is changing. Each child of God deserves to receive kindness.
“You [will] become flecks of gold to an often-troubled world. Start today with small acts of kindness, blessing those around you,” he invited. “And realize as you look out and as you look up, you will be blessed, and millions will be blessed as you go forth.”
