Elder Michael A. Dunn, a General Authority Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, delivered Tuesday’s devotional address at the Marriott Center.
Quoting President Russell M. Nelson, Elder Dunn repeated that “the joy of our lives has little to do with our circumstances.” He emphasized that “our focus must be our priority.”
Elder Dunn introduced the idea of being a “fool for Christ” which “might very well be the first, last and only speech you’ll ever hear advocating foolishness from this pulpit!”
He explained that the world would see having faith in the impossible as foolishness. Elder Dunn continued: “For our purposes today, I want you to think of ‘foolishness’ as not just merely a dearth of knowledge, but the all-too-common delusion of having it. Thus if my deep love for Jesus along with yours makes us ‘fools for Christ’s sake,’ then this is one time that I urge you from this day on to join me in making complete fools of yourselves!”
Elder Dunn gave real-life examples of when disciples of Christ made seemingly foolish decisions, such as the disciples preaching the gospel to the world after Christ’s death.
“It’s my belief that any sincere quest for wisdom, truth and beauty eventually leads anyone to the One who not only created the world, but who also turned it upside down through … what was to many of His day … a mind-boggling ministry,” Elder Dunn said.
He taught that it is important to follow Jesus Christ, whose teachings — such as loving enemies and putting others first — were seen as foolish in His time but have become widely accepted today.
“It was Jesus Christ and His bold, daring and innovative message of the preeminence of love of God and neighbor and to this day, a message that still ruffles the entrenched and rankles the status quo,” Elder Dunn expressed.
He challenged the audience to ask whether they are dedicating their energy to meaningful pursuits or wasting time on trivial concerns. He also advised, “Whatever your righteous dreams are, don’t let the myopic of this world derail you.”
Elder Dunn expressed that it is important to focus on divine truth rather than worldly skepticism and urged all to embrace their faith boldly, despite opposition.
“While worldly wisdom would always point to what we can do, ‘fools for Christ’s sake’ understand it’s more about what He can do,” Elder Dunn concluded.
