"Today my goal is to make you homesick. Actually, I don't want you to feel bad, instead I seek to offer a vision of hope—a confidence to relish the journey 'on the way home,' " said Phillip McArthur (pictured top), introducing his message at a weekly devotional held on May 11, 2010, at the BYU–Hawaii Cannon Activities Center.
"My brothers and sisters, the way to our destination may not always be easily discerned. But there are signposts, there are maps, there are those who have gone before us who know the way. In the storms of our lives, there is no need to panic, no need to despair, no need to lose hope or even become distracted by other things," said McArthur.
McArthur recommended four "signposts" to return to our Father in Heaven. The first was to listen to the prophets. "Prophets proclaim the meaning of what has been, what is, and what may be. They pattern the very nature of truth, as 'knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come'," said McArthur.
The second signpost was the scriptures. He said, "The world provides us with scripts to live by, that we match our lives to a variety of images, even ironically conforming to the idea of individuality itself. The scriptures (note the root word script) provide us alternatives roles to emulate, to act, think, do and be."
The third was to go to the temple and do ordinances. "The temple is not only transferring (to another place and time) but transformative with the potential to make us into different creatures, into different saints," said McArthur.
The final signpost was to embrace the teachings of the Holy Ghost. He said, "The Holy Ghost helps carry us through our sorrows, frustrations, doubts and confusion. He points us to the source of all light, even Christ himself, the beacon of our destination."
In conclusion, McArthur said, "I testify that we can arrive safely. That Jesus is the light that shines forth in the darkness of our lives and leads us home. That he calls to us, beckons us as individuals and as nations and cultures, He calls out ‘to all Israel come home.' "
—Photo by Nathan Lehano
Click here to view the full transcript of Phillip McArthur's devotional