BYU–Hawaii First Lady Margaret Wheelwright was the first devotional speaker for First Term 2009, held Tuesday, July 28, at the BYU–Hawaii Cannon Activities Center. She was introduced by her husband President Steven C. Wheelwright as an eternal companion, a sweetheart, and an incredible mother.
The central message of Wheelwright's talk emphasized the importance of remembering the Lord's influence in our lives.
When asked why she selected this topic to speak on, she said, "I have always loved remembering. If we don't remember our past experiences, then they are all vain. Remembering to remember is very important for us."
She urged people to remember to pray for the gift of the Holy Ghost as their constant companion and also to ask for the Comforter to bring to their remembrance those sacred, spiritual experiences they have had in the past so they may remember clearly how it feels to know Heavenly Father is there, that he loves them and cares about them. In relating her message, Wheelwright took listeners on a stroll down memory lane by narrating four stories from her life when she felt God’s love for her.
"These four snapshots are part of a large, cherished collection of moments when I have felt God's love for me, felt it in that undeniable, burning-in-my bosom sort of way," she said. "In short, these memories remind me that Heavenly Father is there and he loves me."
Pointing out that the word "remember" appears 136 times in the Book of Mormon, Wheelwright said the Book of Mormon prophets used this word to help people today remember the Savior. She said, "Nephi, in 1 Nephi 19:18, states that he has written these things…that perhaps he might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer." After laying the foundation of her message, she asked soul-searching questions such as "How many of us have seen the Lord's hand in our lives? How many of us have at some point in the past, had a personal witness from God? Have we been blessed with peace and known that the Lord was there? Do we take advantage of the powerful nature of our spiritual memories in strengthening our faith and deepening our testimonies?"
She also showed a Mormon Messages video clip of President Henry B. Eyring's 2007 October General Conference talk, "O Remember, Remember," where President Eyring spoke of keeping a daily journal for many years of what the Lord has done for his family. President Eyring's hope was that we would "come to see the hand of God more clearly, so clearly that in time we not only remember Him, but we come to love Him and, through the power of the Atonement, become more like Him."
Wheelwright suggested that our memories needed to be recorded, and she stressed the importance of keeping journals. Using a quote from President Spencer W. Kimball, she said: "Those who keep journals are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their lives."
"The scriptures are other people's important spiritual experiences preserved for our benefit....Reading the scriptures, as well as our family histories, will build our faith as we see the Lord’s hand reaching out and touching humanity," said Wheelwright. "In addition to recording our own experiences and reading other people’s experiences as well, we can actively share our important memories with each other. This is what sharing our testimonies is all about."
She summed, "My hope and prayer for each of us is that we will search out and remember those times we have seen the hand of God reaching out to us, the times we have seen His hand in our lives. When we feel doubt or our faith waivers, when we feel overwhelmed or even abandoned, may we call back those witnesses to our minds and refocus, rekindling our faith and strengthening our testimonies through the power of remembering. By so doing, our heavenly reunions with our Loving Savior will be perfect, and we will be able to say, 'We did it!' "
--Photo by Ian Nitta
Click here to see a copy of Margaret Wheelwright's talk