On Tuesday morning, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf spoke at the Marriott Center during what he called "the most important week.” This week is important not because of final exams but because it is Holy Week, culminating in Easter Sunday.
He invited everyone to reflect on the events of Palm Sunday and Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where crowds praised Him as the long-awaited Messiah. Yet, just days later, those same crowds faded, and Christ was left to suffer alone in Gethsemane and later on the cross.
“With the advantage of hindsight, we can clearly see that people had mistaken expectations about Jesus’s real mission,” he said. “Haven’t we all experienced an occasional disconnect between what we expect in life and what actually happens?”
Elder Uchtdorf explained that this can be a common experience with a gospel that promises joy, peace and eternal blessings, but the trials faced in life can feel at odds with those promises.
When faced with this challenge, he taught that “there are at least two things you should remember: Never give up on the ideal, and don’t disregard the real. Accept both.”
He explained that real joy doesn’t come from avoiding sorrow but from finding meaning and divine purpose within it and existing alongside it. Elder Uchtdorf referenced the Fall of Adam and Eve, teaching that the presence of pain and sorrow actually allows for the experience of a deeper joy.
“If you wait for sorrow to end before you experience joy, you might miss joy completely. To experience a measure of sorrow may enable your heart and mind to receive pure heavenly joy,” he said.
Just as the view from a mountaintop makes the valley’s obstacles seem smaller, God’s perspective helps us see life’s challenges with clarity and peace, Elder Uchtdorf taught. He also encouraged everyone to "climb the mountain" by gaining a higher spiritual perspective through prayer, scripture study and sacred ordinances.
“My dear young friends, connect with Heavenly Father daily, elevate your view and raise your perspective on life and your personal situation,” he challenged.
Elder Uchtdorf closed with the invitation to personally invite Jesus Christ into our lives, especially during this Easter season.
“I bless you with hearts that are open and wide as the gates of Jerusalem to joyfully receive the Messiah, the Savior, the King of kings,” Elder Uchtdorf expressed.
