While Pursuing Education, ‘Look to the Lord for the Help You Need,’ Says Elder Christofferson

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By Rachel Sterzer Gibson, Church News

The journey to become educated can be riddled with obstacles. Some would-be students are deterred by the cost — in money or time. Other students might flounder to learn in a traditional classroom format. Some might not know what to study or where to go for help.

The answer to all of these challenges is the same. “Look to the Lord for the help you need,” Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told thousands of high school seniors and young adults throughout the Utah Area during a devotional broadcast on Wednesday, March 5.

During the broadcast, Elder Christofferson and Elder Kevin W. Pearson, a General Authority Seventy and the Utah Area President, and Sharon Eubank, director of the Church’s humanitarian services and former counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, formed a panel to discuss the religious responsibility and spiritual blessings of education.

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The focus for the devotional — which was recorded on February 5 — came from a quote from then-Elder Russell M. Nelson, who taught: “Pursue your education as a priority of the highest order. Gain all the education you can. With us as Latter-day Saints, education is a religious responsibility” (“Education — A Religious Responsibility,” BYU–Idaho devotional, January 26, 2010).

Elder Pearson noted that any educational journey will require hard work.

“Anything worthwhile, my young friends, is going to be hard work,” said Elder Pearson. “There are going to be setbacks. You’re going to feel like throwing in the towel. You’re going to feel like: ‘I can’t afford this. It’s too hard. It’s taking too long. I’d rather get on with my life.’ But do not be distracted by the difficulty of the journey.”

An educational journey can also be a spiritual journey full of self-discovery. “Difficult times and difficult situations can draw us to the Savior,” Elder Pearson said.

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The opening song for the devotional was “How Firm a Foundation” (“Hymns,” No. 85), which reminded Sister Eubank of her own educational journey.

While in college, she worked at a retail store. One night after closing, she locked the door and knelt behind some shelves to plead for Heavenly Father’s help because she didn’t have enough money to pay her bills and the next semester’s tuition.

The words to the third verse of “How Firm a Foundation” filled her mind — “Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid.”

Said Sister Eubank: “And He did. He opened up a way for me to [pay for school], even though I couldn’t see it at the time.”

From that experience, Sister Eubank said she learned, “Heavenly Father is my biggest cheerleader.”

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Those who call upon the Lord and learn to rely on Him day by day get to know Him better. But those who think they’re totally independent and don’t need anybody else forgo an opportunity to come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, Elder Christofferson said.

“The Lord wants to help you,” he assured. “You are doing what He has asked. You are doing what He is counseled you to do through the Prophet.”

The devotional also included a video featuring several young adults sharing their different educational goals and paths.

Elder Christofferson noted that young adults in the video pursued a variety of paths in furthering their education. Some will enter the military, some will pursue the arts, others will pursue trades or professional training. “All of those are excellent choices,” Elder Christofferson said.

Latter-day Saints must remember that they are preparing themselves for future service. “[Education] is not just for our own edification, our own income. Those things matter, but really we want to be of service in society, in the Church,” Elder Christofferson said.

Take part in institute classes, he encouraged listeners. “Remember, lifelong learning needs to involve lifelong spiritual learning.”

He also reminded the young adults that in the Utah Area there are stake education specialists and ward education mentors called to help individuals explore options and find ways to pursue education goals.

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Elder Christofferson briefly directed his remarks to the men: “We need to be men that women can trust, that children can trust, that the Lord can trust in this point of the Lord’s rolling out of the last dispensation and preparations for His return. We can’t have men who are drifting, who are undisciplined. We have got to be the leaders that the Lord needs and intends us to be. Learning is part of it.”

In conclusion, Elder Christofferson invited the young adults to commit to themselves and to the Lord to prepare to receive the temple endowment and to be lifelong learners.

He blessed them to “have answers to your prayers, that you will have the help you need when you need it, that you will have guidance and that hard work will produce positive outcomes, and you can move forward in life, making a real contribution to His work, to those around you, to those you love most.”

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