‘We Get to Choose’ Eternal Destiny, BYU President Worthen Testifies to Students

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By Rachel Sterzer Gibson, Church News

In his opening devotional for the fall semester, Brigham Young University President Kevin J Worthen drew his message from “an extraordinary event” he attended in May when President Russell M. Nelson — the Prophet of the Lord — invited young adults throughout the world to a special meeting.

Young adults filled the 20,000-seat Conference Center and the overflow areas on Temple Square, and hundreds of thousands more viewed the broadcast online, President Worthen recalled.

“President Nelson’s message was powerful and profound,” said President Worthen. Still, it wasn’t until after he had read and studied the talk several times that President Worthen noticed the title: “Choices for Eternity.”

“As I read those three words, the thought forcefully hit me that President Nelson had not only provided prophetic counsel on fundamental truths and inspired direction on individual topics of immediate relevance to young adults, he had also given an overarching sermon — some would call it a meta-narrative — on choices and decisions,” President Worthen told students gathered Tuesday, September 6, in the Marriott Center on the Provo, Utah, campus.

In his May address, President Nelson stated that his purpose was “to make sure that your eyes are wide open to the truth that this life really is the time when you get to decide what kind of life you want to live forever.”

President Nelson then asserted, “During this life, we get to choose which laws we are willing to obey ... and, therefore, in which kingdom of glory we will live forever.”

There it is in plain terms, President Worthen said. “We get to decide — we get to choose — the most important thing in our existence — our eternal destiny. God will leave that up to us.”

 
That does not mean that individuals can simply check a box on an eternal menu and say, “I choose this kingdom,” President Worthen explained. “Our eternal destiny is not determined solely by a single act, but through a lifetime of actions and decisions. Those actions and decisions prepare us to live in accordance with eternal laws. Which laws we are prepared to live, in turn, determine our ultimate destiny.”
 

True Desire

One’s destiny is ultimately determined by one’s deepest desires, President Worthen continued. True desire is shaped by one’s actions while one’s actions are also shaped by one’s desires. Desires and actions can ultimately merge into “one harmonious whole” where there is no gap between the desire to do something and its actual accomplishment.

“There is no gap between desire and action in a celestial being,” President Worthen said. “... Those abiding by a celestial law abide that law not because it is a requirement, but because that is what they desire to do — that is who they have become.”

For example, people abiding by a celestial law serve not because they are commanded to do so. They do it because of who they have become. “They are people like President Thomas S. Monson, who, when he had free time — when he could choose for himself what to do in a spare moment — sought to serve others. That is what brought him joy, and that is what brings God joy.”

With a smile, President Worthen said when he gets as much joy out of serving as he does from watching BYU win in an athletic contest, he will know that he is beginning to develop a true desire to abide by celestial law.

  
True Identity

Another example of President Nelson’s emphasis on choices and decisions was his discussion about the importance of knowing the truth of “who we are,” President Worthen said.

During the young adult devotional, President Nelson spoke of the importance of understanding and prioritizing one’s true identity as children of God, children of the covenant and disciples of Jesus Christ. The Prophet then described the devastating consequences of misplacing those priorities: spiritual suffocation, stymied progress, thwarted eternal progression.

President Worthen pointed out that the Prophet tied this lesson back into the title of his talk, with this observation: “The way you think about who you really are affects almost every decision you will ever make.”

“What would happen if when making decisions such as what to do when someone is rude to you either in person or online, what to do on a Friday evening when you feel left out, or even what music you listen to or movies you watch — if, when making such decisions, you took into account your true identity as a child of God, a child of the covenant and disciple of Jesus Christ?” President Worthen asked. “It could make a profound difference in your daily lives — and your eternal destiny.”

When listening to President Nelson’s address live, President Worthen said he was struck by the inclusion of “children of the covenant.” Upon further research, he learned that “when we realize that we are children of the covenant, we know who we are and what God expects of us” (President Nelson, October 2011 general conference).

“Covenants bind us to the Lord and allow us to draw on His strength as we draw closer to — and become more like — Him,” President Worthen noted. “But again, choice comes into play.”

As President Nelson explained in his young adult devotional, “If you choose to make covenants with God and are faithful to those covenants, you have the promise of ‘glory added upon [your head] for ever and ever.’”

President Worthen invited listeners to ask themselves as they make decisions in the coming year: “Is this choice helping me make and keep sacred covenants? Is it consistent with my identity as a child of the covenant — as an heir to the promises made to Abraham?”

 
Observation, Admonition, Invitation, Promise

President Worthen concluded his address with an observation, an admonition, an invitation and a promise.

His observation was an insight about the central role of agency in the plan of salvation that he gleaned from President Nelson’s talk.

The second and third of individuals’ three primary identities — children of the covenant and disciples of Jesus Christ — are identities they choose for themselves. “We become children of the covenant by becoming members of the Church, and we become disciples of Christ by keeping His commandments.”

However, the first of the primary identities — child of God — is not dependent on choice. It is fact.

“We are His children, even if we choose not to recognize that fact. And because we are His children, He will love us, even if we choose not to love Him,” President Worthen said.

Literature is full of stories of unrequited love, President Worthen said. “My heartfelt admonition to you is don’t be part of what would surely be the most tragic of all stories of unrequited love by refusing to feel the transformative, soul-changing love that God and Christ offer you if you will just choose to accept it.”

“Nothing, nothing, nothing,” he repeated, “but your own will can separate you from the love of God. No sin, no harm inflicted by others, no failure, no mistake can alter God’s love for you. Please, let Him love you.”

President Worthen issued a simple invitation to read, or reread, President Nelson’s address. “Consider how the counsel he gives can help you in making the many decisions you will face in the coming year.”

He then echoed the promise given by President Nelson at the end of his devotional. “As you do so, I promise that you will experience spiritual growth, freedom from fear, and a confidence that you can scarcely imagine now. You will have the strength to have a positive influence far beyond your natural capacity. And I promise that your future will be more exhilarating than anything you can presently believe.”

“This is a prophetic promise on which you can rely,” President Worthen testified.

 
Seemingly Unjust Circumstances

In her remarks, Sister Peggy S. Worthen spoke of how all people will experience what could be viewed as unjust results or undeserved maladies. However, she said that with an eternal perspective these experiences are not without purpose.

“Viewed from an eternal perspective, opposition, challenge and trials are essential and inevitable elements of this life. Knowing this, the question becomes how should we respond when we are faced with these inevitabilities? To me, it’s comforting to know that we have a choice,” she said.

Quoting the same talk by President Nelson as her husband, Sister Worthen noted that President Nelson pleaded, not merely suggested, that individuals “take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth.”

President Nelson also assured listeners, “As you make your testimony your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life.”

One of those miracles, Sister Worthen said, “is that you will gain an eternal perspective, which will lead to greater understanding of, and appreciation for, the opposition and challenges you face in this life. This eternal perspective can be transforming, as we gain greater understanding of God’s purposes.”

At times, it may seem that individuals are not receiving a just reward. “But in those instances, if you understand God’s purposes, you will ‘know the greatness of God,’ you can rest assured that ‘he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain’ (2 Nephi 2:2). Although you may feel devastated in the moment, your faith in our Savior can, and will, carry you through — until the day when you realize how that seemingly merciless outcome helped you transform into the best, divinely appointed, version of yourself,” Sister Worthen said.

 
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