Sister Beck's BYU Hawaii Commencement Speech

I just read this in the Church News (week ending January 16, 2010), and I wanted to record my favorite parts:

Sister Beck listed four things she thought the graduates ought to take with them as they leave college:

(1) The Lord has a plan for you.
(2) You have responsibilities which you have already been taught.
(3) The Atonement of Christ will help you overcome.
(4) The Spirit will guide you.

"As you seek, receive, and act on personal promptings of the Holy Ghost, you will be guided and directed, and you don't ever need to feel alone or make any decision alone. You can have a member of the Godhead as your companion, your senior companion, every day."

Sister Beck also tells about her life--how her parents wanted her to graduate from college, but her scores weren't very high (she'd moved around a lot and had been ill a lot as a child). It took her a long time to get through school (she worked to help her husband finish and then became a mother), but she did it. About the experience, she said,

"I learned many things. I learned how to discipline myself, how to set goals and achieve them, how to study and think better, how to manage my time better, how to set priorities, and how to take tests. I also learned the importance of receiving help when I needed it, working on a goal with others, not giving up, and celebrating small achievements. My husband and I learned to work together in amazing ways. We learned to counsel together better and pray together better. We improved our ability to seek the Lord's help and listen to what He was telling us to do. We knew this was a goal the Lord approved of so we kept going.

"I learned many things that helped prepare me for my current responsibilities. The Lord was preparing me. It didn't really matter what I chose to study. It was the process that taught us so much."


I just loved this. I have felt this in my life--the Lord teaching me through processes. He is wonderful, and I love Him.