At a BYU-Idaho devotional Jan. 26, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum
of the Twelve emphatically extolled the virtues and blessings of obtaining
higher education, noting that by seeking advanced learning students not
only prepare themselves for a career but for eternity as well.
"Please be true to yourself," Elder Nelson said. "Honor — yes,
even demand — highest expectations from yourself. Pursue your
education as a priority of the highest order. Gain all the education you
can. With us as Latter-day Saints, education is a religious responsibility.
'The glory of God is intelligence' (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36). Your
personal intelligence — your personal identity — is everlasting
and divine (see Doctrine and Covenants 93:29)."According to Elder Nelson, students may experience their "own scholastic
Sacred Grove equivalent," a moment of resolution to avidly obtain and
absorb higher education. He reached back across several decades to share
with students his own epiphany, the time he made a promise to himself to
pursue a specific vocation.
"Many years ago, as an untrained teenager, I secured temporary
employment at Christmastime," he recalled. "The work was dull, repetitive
and monotonous. Each hour of the day passed slowly. I resolved then and
there that I would obtain an education that would qualify me for more
meaningful work in my life. I determined that I would become a doctor of
medicine."
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This story is provided by the LDS Church News, an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is produced weekly by the Deseret News.