Tonya Fischio, assistant dean of communications for the College of Life Sciences, posed the question “We all have to-do lists, but what is on your to-become list?”
“By placing yourself in the hands of the Master Artist, He can transform you,” said Fischio in her devotional address, as she spoke on the journey of becoming who God knows you can become.
Fischio loves stained-glass windows, especially in the many temples being built across the world. These windows are beautiful at all times; however, when the light shines through them, they are particularly brilliant. She taught that, like these stain-glass windows, individuals’ lives and studies are enhanced by the Light of Christ.
“No matter your field of study, everything you are learning, producing, researching or performing is beautiful all on its own, but wow, when illuminated with the Light of Christ, it becomes more vibrant and magnificent, radiating its influence even further,” she said.
Jared, a student at BYU, was not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when he first stepped foot on campus. With no interest in religion when he started school, he began to see how faith and science actually helped each other.
Jared studied the biomechanics of distance running with Professor Hunter. So many classmates and faculty around him were bilingual in both the language of scholarship and the language of the Spirit. They used the Light of Christ to magnify and enhance their work in the classroom. He learned from their examples and decided to follow in their footsteps and be baptized.
The shoe Jared helped design was originally meant for distance runners. However, his dad suffered a heart attack and struggled to walk for more than two minutes. Jared followed a prompting from the Spirit and adapted the shoe to help those suffering from difficult physical conditions to recover more quickly and easily. The light within Jared was enhanced because of the Light of Christ.
Fischio taught that an important step in letting this light illuminate your life is to embrace your identity as 1) a child of God, 2) a child of the covenant and 3) a disciple of Christ.
“The first identity is a blessing inherent to every one of us; the other two are identities we get to choose whether we take them upon ourselves,” Fischio said.
BYU provides a unique environment for students and employees to foster these three defining identities into their daily lives.
On this campus, “a sacred space has been designed to invite the Spirit into all that you learn, all that you do, and all that you are,” Fischio said. “If you invite the Spirit into all your life’s endeavors and seek to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, you will be right where you need to be, right when you need to be, with just the right preparation and knowledge to radiate the Light of Christ wherever God places you.”
One example on campus is at the BYU Law School, where several original Jorge Cocco paintings hang. The art illustrates seven roles of the Savior — a visual example and reminder for law school students of Christ-like attributes to emulate in their lives.
While America has nearly 200 law schools, BYU is unique because the Savior is part of the curriculum, successes and failures of each student.
“Here [at BYU], you may become a disciple scholar,” Fischio taught. “And if you learn to integrate faith into all your life endeavors, you may also become a disciple employee, a disciple family member, a disciple friend and neighbor, and ultimately, a disciple of Christ who radiates His light to everyone you encounter in your journey of becoming.”
