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By Lynnette McConkie, Church News
Elder Michael A. Dunn started his remarks at the Tuesday, March 4, Brigham Young University devotional with a request he supposed had never before been asked at previous devotionals. He exhorted audience members to be “a fool.”
He explained that when he was a young teen, his grandmother took him to see the musical “Man of La Mancha,” an adaptation of the book “Don Quixote.” The story made him think about the possibilities in the world and his place in it. He found Quixote’s character instructive.
“Quixote sees only the divinity in our world and its people and devotes his life to advocating and defending goodness,” said Elder Dunn, urging listeners to cling to their personal quests for the noble and divine, despite ridicule from the world.
Students can press forward in their righteous desires and determination to overcome the impossible with Christ, said the General Authority Seventy in his devotional message in the BYU Marriott Center Provo, Utah.
Don’t Waste Time ‘Tilting at Windmills’
Elder Dunn also pointed out that Quixote had times when he was distracted from his course, recalling the moment when the idealist battles a giant windmill, thinking it was a monster. The would-be victor was putting his time into attacking a problem that was not real or, as the idiom states, “tilting at windmills.”
Elder Dunn cautioned listeners to consider how they are prioritizing their time and energy, suggesting they ask themselves, “Do I spend too much time ‘tilting at the windmills’?”
He advised listeners not to get distracted on a “fool’s errand.”
Elder Dunn said noble deeds and big ideas of courageous believers make the impossible possible, reminding us of President Gordon B. Hinckley's words.
“It is not enough just to be good,” said President Hinckley in a 1996 BYU devotional. “We must be good for something. We must contribute good to the world.”
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Elder Michael A. Dunn, a General Authority Seventy, delivers a devotional address at Brigham Young University on March 4, 2025, in Provo, Utah. Photo courtesy of BYU Photo.All rights reserved.‘Bold, Daring and Innovative’
Elder Dunn related the lives of two “unflinching, undeterred” people: Martha Hughes Cannon and Steve Young.
Hughes earned her medicine and pharmacy degrees in 1857. Later a wife and mother, she became a “visionary” physician, suffragist and state senator.
Young started his football career as a left-handed quarterback hopeful. Though the coach initially saw no potential, Young became one of BYU’s top quarterbacks, three-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer.
They both defied the seemingly impossible, Elder Dunn pointed out, with their “relentless” determination and hard work in their professions and their faith.
Jesus Christ’s ministry was “mind-boggling” to many of His day, Elder Dunn added, calling His message “bold, daring and innovative” and one that “rankles the status quo.”
The skeptics’ response then is the same as today, labeling believers as “fools.” The Apostle Paul wrote about the irony of the worldly reaction:
“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Said Elder Dunn: “This dumbing down of the divine by the opposition is a recurring theme at the heart of every dispensation down to the current day.”
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Students and faculty listen at a BYU devotional address given by Elder Michael A. Dunn, a General Authority Seventy, on March 4, 2025, in Provo, Utah. Photo courtesy of BYU Photo.All rights reserved.Despite the Persecution
Elder Dunn asked the audience to reflect on two examples that would remind them never to give in to naysayers: the great commission given to the apostles and the eventual Restoration of the gospel.
British theologian John R.W. Stott wrote about the commission Christ gave His apostles to take His message to all nations, calling it preposterous.
“The little band of 11 men, no money, no machinery, no human prestige — are told to take on the world. The disparity between the task and the resources available is ludicrous” (“The Message of Acts,” 1990).
Yet, despite facing persecution, they succeeded in spreading the gospel and establishing the church in many parts of the world.
The Restoration of the gospel, Elder Dunn noted, was brought about because a “truth-seeking farm boy … who had no idea of the ‘impossible’ ahead of him” pursued genuine redemption and revelation.
Joseph Smith, despite facing skepticism and ridicule for his radical teachings, received a divine revelation and was undeterred in his “impossible dreams.”
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Students and faculty listen at a BYU devotional address given by Elder Michael A. Dunn, a General Authority Seventy, on March 4, 2025, in Provo, Utah. All rights reserved.Possible With Christ
Comparing the world’s wisdom, which focuses on the ability of self, to God’s wisdom and what He can do, Elder Dunn explained, “‘Fools for Christ’s sake’ understand it’s more about what He can do.”
Elder Dunn testified Jesus Christ beat the unbeatable, fully shouldered the unbearable, righted the unrightable wrong and willingly gave His life for right because He “marched for His heavenly cause.”
Elder Dunn concluded by encouraging listeners to rely on God, embrace their vision and not “waste your time ‘tilting at windmills.’” He urged them to see the best in the world and shape the future with faith and determination as “fools for Christ’s sake.”
“Keep your focus on matters within your control, and let go of those which shimmer but in reality are counterfeit. Refuse to seek treasure where there is only trash,” said Elder Dunn. “Be assured that ‘whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world’ (Ether 12:4).”
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