Individuals must be the change they wish to see in order to be on the move with God, faculty member Chad Ford told the audience at Thursday's devotional.
"Everywhere I turn, even in the midst of so much man-made destruction and chaos, I see God, working through individuals, feeding the hungry, taking in strangers, clothing the naked, healing the sick," Ford said. "The question is ... are we going to be on the move with him?"
Ford, a BYU-Hawaii alumnus, is currently the director of BYU-Hawaii's David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding. After completing his undergraduate work, Ford spent time working in a variety of locations, such as Israel, Palestine, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and the Balkans. While in those places, he studied conflict. "In my travels I’ve seen violence, hatred, anger, greed, poverty and hopelessness. Most of all I’ve been overwhelmed by the intense suffering that so many people, regardless of where I go, seem to be carrying," he said.
While these topics of study might, at first glance, seem depressing, Ford said he was encouraged by other things he witnessed. "But I’m also struck by another reality – less reported but equally true. In the midst of these dangerous times … there is a lot of good that is going on around us," he said.
Ford suggested the good going on is because God is on the move, and that there are three things followers can do to be on the move with Him. First, Ford said, "We must be the change. Peace starts with us. We can’t go about telling our neighbor to clean his yard, when our yard is still in disarray."
Second, he said, "Learn theories and practice skills that not only benefit our bottom line, but can bless the lives of others. God commanded Noah to build an ark before the flood. But had Noah not taken the time to actually learn how to build a sturdy boat, Noah and his family may have had to swim."
Third, Ford stated, "Have the courage to act… we all hope for a better world. But we have to do more than hope if we are going to get the world we look for."
The Savior's life and teachings of peace became Ford's focus of example for the audience to emulate. "I appreciate how he compared our mission, as peacemakers, to that of the Savior. I thought that was a good comparison because it gives us another motivation of how to be like the Savior," said Devin Northrup, a sophomore majoring in international business management.
Ford concluded his message by stating that striving for peace yield results that may not come immediately, but, nevertheless, will happen.
"I testify that those who seek peace do not do so in vain. I testify that we do not need to fear our enemies. We only need to love them because history is the story of the fact that righteousness is stronger than evil."
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