You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory | Sheri L. Dew

When we have the power of God with us, we truly can do all things�including everything we were born to do. Read and download her full talk at BYU Speeches website: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/sheri-l-dew_born-lead-born-glory/ https://speeches.byu.edu/speakers/sheri-l-dew/ Sheri L. Dew was president and CEO of Deseret Book Company when this devotional address was given on 9 December 2003. � Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. "You were born to lead as mothers and fathers, because nowhere is righteous leadership more crucial than in the family. You were born to lead as priesthood and auxiliary leaders; as heads of communities, companies, and even nations. You were born to lead as men and women willing �to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places,� because that�s what a true leader does (Mosiah 18:9; emphasis added). You were born to lead, and, in the words of Isaiah, you were born for glory (see Isaiah 62:2�3). Now the glorious but sobering truth is that, in spite of your aeons of premortal preparation, the days ahead will at times �wrench your very heart strings,� as the Prophet Joseph told the Twelve (in John Taylor, JD 24:197). If you�ve hoped to passively, comfortably live out your lives, let me burst that little bubble once and for all. Now, please, do not misunderstand me: This is a magnificent time to live! It is a time, said President Spencer W. Kimball, when our influence �can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times� (�Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters,� Ensign, November 1978, 103). The strongest runner wants to run the last leg of the relay. But the last days are not for the faint of heart or the spiritually out of shape. There will be days when you feel defeated, exhausted, and plain old beat-up by life�s whiplash. People you love will disappoint you�and you will disappoint them. You�ll probably struggle with some kind of mortal appetite. Some days it will feel as though the veil between heaven and earth is made of reinforced concrete. And you may even face a crisis of faith. In fact, you can count on trials that test your testimony and your faith. Aren�t you glad I came bearing such optimistic news? Actually, I am nothing if not optimistic about you, for everything about your lives is an indicator of our Father�s remarkable respect for you. He recommended you for now, when the stakes are so high. Now is the day when His kingdom is being established once and for all, never again to be taken from the earth. This is the last leg of the relay. This is when He needs His strongest runners. The simple fact is that our Father did not recommend Eve or Moses or Nephi or countless other magnificent exemplars for this dispensation�He recommended you and me. Do you think God would have left the last days to chance by sending men and women He couldn�t count on? A common theme of patriarchal blessings given to men and women your age is that you were sent now because our Father�s most trustworthy children would be needed in the final, decisive battle for righteousness. That is who you are, and it is who you have always been. So how will you live up to our Father�s recommendation? Happily, though we must each walk through life on our own, we don�t have to do it alone. Four principles explain why: First, God wants a powerful people. Second, He gives His power to those who are faithful. Third, we have a sacred obligation to seek after the power of God and then to use that power as He directs. Fourth, when we have the power of God with us, nothing is impossible. I repeat, God wants a powerful people. Ammon taught that �a man may have great power given him from God� (Mosiah 8:16; emphasis added), and Nephi prophesied that we of the latter days would be �armed with . . . the power of God in great glory.� - Sheri Dew