The following is excerpted from the Church Newsroom. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
The location was part of the message at a worldwide devotional for young adults on Sunday, May 2, 2021.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson and his wife, Lesa, spoke from the new Pioneer Center at This Is the Place Heritage Park at the foot of the mountains to the east in Salt Lake City. As they began their message to those ages 18 to 30 from a spot that honors the earliest members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Stevenson turned the sights seen through the vaulted glass that overlooks the park’s central pioneer monument into a metaphor.
“This elevated view, coupled with our understanding of the past, expands and informs our perspective of the vision of the pioneers,” said Elder Stevenson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “It can also serve as a metaphor to help deepen our personal gospel vision and guide us as we face the decisions and challenges in our lives.”
Sister Stevenson told young adults that their vision for life should be shaped the way it was for those early Church members in Utah—namely, by what the teachings of Jesus Christ tell them about life’s purpose. “You are blessed with a gospel perspective. Your advantage is to see your mortal journey with a view that is literally heavenly,” she said.
Elder Stevenson encouraged listeners to carefully consider where they have been and where they are headed in life. He said his life as a businessman taught him the importance of adapting along the way.
“Vision needs to be adjusted regularly and routinely,” said the Apostle, whose own career began as an importer of brass giftware and later as a large provider of fitness products. “[Success in our business] required a lot of luck and adjustment to our vision in between. Abandoning and creating a new plan, reinvention and adjustment is a strength, not a weakness.”
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
