Elder Tad R. Callister of the Seventy recently spoke at BYUHawaii's devotional.Elder Callister, who was joined by his wife
Kathryn, is a native of Los Angeles, California. He recently served as
President of the Canada Toronto East Mission (2005-2008), and he and
his wife are currently based out of New Zealand.
Drawing on the scriptures as well as his life experiences, Callister
offered advice to students about marriage and the career path to
pursue, focusing on seven principles that would "increase the
revelation we receive...and [that we would] recognize it when it comes."
In the matter of choosing a spouse, he shared the counsel he gave as
a mission president to missionaries returning home. These, he noted,
were not a set of checklists, but a list of "principles that could help
expedite the revelation process."
- Does this person appeal to me physically and emotionally?
- Do I feel comfortable in his or her presence and at the same time does he or she inspire me to rise to the best within me?
- Is this the person I would want to be the father or mother of my children?
- Will this person teach our children faith in Jesus Christ, a love
for the scriptures and the power of fervent prayer or does this person
give priority to worldly things?Am I the type of person I am searching for?
Since revelation does not always come, even after we have done our
best, Callister shared the importance of acting on our best judgment
when inquiring with the Lord: "He oft times requires us to do things on
our own before He dispenses revelation."Through this process of doing,
we grow more than we would under expectant waiting.
He spoke of another challenge that comes as we seek revelation — the
conflict between reason and revelation. The solution he suggested was
to choose revelation over reason, but he also cautioned — "There is a
price tag for revelation.... Certain activities and attributes invite
revelation and others repel it."He continued by stating that if we
asked with intensity, are worthy, and have spiritual integrity, we
would then have paid the price.
To all these thoughts, Callister taught: "There are certain distinct
feelings of the Spirit which Satan cannot counterfeit."One of these
feelings, peace, is a "feeling of the heart and impressions of the mind
that come only from heaven" — only from the Lord. The best part of
revelation, then, is that even Satan, the great counterfeiter, cannot
duplicate what "may not only be a potential in our lives but a reality."