On Tuesday, October 15th, Elder Takashi Wada of the Seventy gave a campus-wide devotional address titled Journey to a Land of Promise—Obtaining Charity.
Elder Wada drew heavily on the text of the Book of Mormon to show us how that text specifically is able to help us:
- “Liken the scriptures to ourselves”
- “Come to know Christ”
- “Acquire Christ-like attributes, particularly charity”
After laying out his goals for the talk, he addressed possible concerns one might have about trying to liken the scriptures to their own life: “Sometimes you might find it difficult to relate to Nephi’s journey in the wilderness with all our modern-day comforts.” Elder Wada continued to indicate that, with some effort, we can see that the principles taught by Lehi’s family are “time-tested and true.”
Throughout the address, Elder Wada used language to bring listeners into a mindset that allowed them to apply Nephi’s story to their own lives. He asked his audience to think of what their Jerusalems, their promised lands, and their wildernesses are. Though he did not ask those in attendance to think of analogs for every aspect of Nephi’s story, a careful listener might think of what the building of the ship, going to the mountain, or being bound by Laman and Lemuel is or ought to be, in his or her life.
The Seventy immediately showed how to liken the scriptures to his own life by telling what his “Jerusalem” was. Growing up in Japan, he and his family were Shinto Buddhists. When he was converted to the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, Elder Wada had to leave his beliefs, family, and religious traditions behind. Giving up beliefs and traditions that are not in line with Christ’s Church and Gospel was a very difficult task and became the cause of ridicule from close friends and family.
Elder Wada continued by describing the ways in which Nephi tried to come closer to Christ. Not only did Nephi seek to know more of Christ, but he also made the effort to teach others even when those he tried to teach were not interested in coming closer to Christ themselves.
The remainder of the address was focused on charity. Elder Wada pointed out that charity, like other attributes of Christ, can be tested, and one test of our level of charity is our own level of trust in God’s love. He illustrated this with the story of Lehi’s sons returning to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates. The question was asked why Lehi was not commanded to get the plates before leaving. One purpose, Elder Wada reasoned, is that each member of the family had to be tested in how much they trusted that the Lord loved them and the rest of the family.
After giving several more examples, Elder Wada invited those listening to follow the admonition of Mormon and pray for the gift of charity. He closed by expressing his hope that our time at BYU would be more meaningful as we come to realize that we are building our own ships, just as Nephi did with help from the Lord.
Written by: Jacob Fisher
Senior Contributor at the Cougar Chronicle
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Cover Photo Source: https://www.thechurchnews.com/2018/6/20/23221460/elder-takashi-wada-general-authority-seventy-2018/
