Seventy Tells Students to Set a Clear Vision for Future Lives
Contributed By Marianne Holman Prescott, Church News staff writer
Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy speaks during a campus devotional at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, on December 2.
Article Highlights
- Establish a clear and strong vision for your life.
- Include family, sacrificing for family, and striving for the ideal within that family.
- Act in faith and trust in the Lord.
“Hold yourself accountable to the Lord with respect to your vision and goals in life.” —Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy
PROVO, UTAH
Dreams and vision are important, for they determine the direction, goals, and priorities individuals set in life, Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy said during a campus devotional at Brigham Young University on December 2.
Drawing from Proverbs 29:18 he said, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
“Sometimes our understanding of a principle is enhanced if we reverse the phrasing, which in this case would read: ‘Where there is a vision, the people flourish,’” he said. “I truly believe this to be true because I have witnessed it in my own life and in the lives of many others around me.”
He then asked listeners two questions: “What is your personal vision for your life?” “What are you doing to fulfill it?” An important part of a person’s vision is to experience joy and happiness—real joy and happiness—that come from a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
“My dear young friends, have you already established a clear and strong vision for your life, which includes the pillars of real happiness and joy?” he asked. “If not, I invite you to do so; if you have, I invite you to embrace your vision with all your heart. It will inspire and guide you in all the critical decisions that you are making during this wonderful season of your life.”
Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy speaks during a BYU campus devotional on December 2, 2014. Photo by Mark A. Philbrick/BYU.
Elder Erich W. Kopischke of the Seventy speaks during a BYU campus devotional on December 2, 2014. Photo by Mark A. Philbrick/BYU.
Elder Kopischke shared doctrines of the gospel that he said will help individuals reach their righteous desires and yearning for happiness more than anything else. “If clearly understood and applied, it will bring joy and tremendous security into your life, independent from any circumstances you may face. This doctrine reaches far beyond this earthly life right into eternity. I am talking about the doctrine of the family.”
Elder Kopischke taught of the importance of creating a vision that includes family, sacrificing for family, and striving for the ideal within that family. In all of those things, faith is necessary. “It requires faith to establish and act upon a vision,” he said. “But it is only when we move forward in faith that we put ourselves in a position that the Lord can bless us.”
As individuals act in faith and trust in the Lord, He will help them to do His will, in His way, according to His teachings, he said. “I have to say that His way did not mean that everything turned immediately out the way we thought it would,” he said. “Sometimes we had to be very patient, sometimes we had to put in some extra efforts, and sometimes it even was as if the Lord was testing our seriousness. However, our vision always has inspired us and has been the foundation for our most important decisions.”
It is important to look to the temple and to be serious about what matters most, the General Authority taught. He encouraged the young adults to be serious and to “not trifle with sacred things.”
“Hold yourself accountable to the Lord with respect to your vision and goals in life,” he said. “If there is something you need to repent of, don’t hesitate a second to do so. Both this life and eternal life are too important to procrastinate the day of our repentance. …
“I have every confidence that as you sincerely ponder and prayerfully consider your personal vision in the context of these doctrines and principles, you will be able to develop a vision for your life that will be pleasing to the Lord and lead to your greatest happiness.”
