Elder Aaron T. Hall, who was sustained as a General Authority Seventy in April 2025, spoke at a BYU-Idaho devotional on Tuesday, March 3, about the struggles and joys of becoming a child of God.
“As fallen humans, we often feel a gap between who we know we should be and who we are today,” he said.
The road to progress is difficult, but it’s a fun challenge.
“Think about it: At the heart of God’s wonderful plan of happiness is our eternal progress and the opportunity to become like Him. God sees in us an infinity beyond what we can comprehend, and He longs for us to trust in His plan.”
Elder Hall, who has years of experience as an endurance athlete, compared what it means to be to the elements of the ultimate triathlon: Ironman. Ironman is a grueling race that involves a 3.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 46.2-mile marathon, all within a 17-hour time limit.
“Swim uphill”
The elder Hall said the decision to participate in Ironman didn’t happen overnight. Years of participating in small-scale triathlons helped prepare her for the race.
Of the three sports required for triathlon: running, cycling and swimming, swimming was the most difficult for Elder Hall to master. To him, it seemed impossible.
“It felt like I was swimming uphill.”
However, with continued effort, his technique and physical strength began to improve. On race day, Elder Hall defined success for himself not as winning, but as finishing, learning and enjoying the process.
These efforts helped him take on the challenge of his dreams: the Ironman race. Elder Hall then described an unexpected challenge that arose.
The open water swimming portion was a “chaos” with thousands of swimmers flying over each other and swells of six-foot waves. Despite these challenges, Elder Hall completed the two-mile swim.
He asked students to think about “deep water” which could be a “fun challenge to be a part of.”
“How has the Savior helped you to ‘just keep swimming’?”
spiritual aid station
Next up was a 112 mile bike ride under the Florida sun. During this ride, he encountered two “fun challenges.”
First, one of his bicycle tires, designed to be specially inflated, collapsed, and the equipment he brought with him to inflate it broke. The elder Hall had no way to fix the tire.
“The athletes who were speeding by offered their sympathy, but they could no more share their supplies than a wise virgin could share the oil for a lamp.”
He decided to grab his bike and ride to the next aid station.
Then, at mile 96, my bike seat broke. Once again, Elder Hall had no choice but to take an uncomfortable ride to the finish line. He kept pedaling.
“In the midst of all the fun challenges ahead, are you experiencing those moments when a tire goes flat, a seat breaks, or it feels like a relentless headwind?
“In times like these, how has the Savior helped you keep your foot on the pedal?”
endure till the end
In the final portion of the race, Elder Hall ran a full marathon of 42.2 miles. He was overwhelmed with “convulsions, fatigue, and heat.”
The support of his wife, aid stations and other athletes kept him going.
“How has the Savior and others encouraged, uplifted, comforted, and helped you keep going in your joyful challenge to become something?”
The challenges that come with growing up “are shaping you into the person the Lord knows you can become,” Elder Hall said.
“The finish line brings joy, but the real joy is in the process of change.”
In addressing the challenge of becoming, he referenced 2 Nephi 28:30. There, the prophet Nephi says that the Lord counsels “precept upon precept, precept upon precept.”
Similarly, all learning is done one step at a time, and “The Lord is waiting to catch you when you fall.”
“As President (Dallin H.) Oaks taught recently, be patient,” Elder Hall said, emphasizing President Oaks’ call at BYU Diction on February 10 to be patient and remember that “we are all works in progress.”
Elder Hall continued, urging us to “remember that the Savior and His redemptive and cleansing power can help us accomplish the seemingly impossible.”
He concluded with the hope that after completing the Becoming challenge, “we will hear the cheers of the crowd, feel the challenges and pains of life being swallowed up by the joy of Christ, and most importantly, know that by the grace of Christ we have become who Christ wants us to be.”
