President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s BYU–Hawaii devotional in March 2026 framed the “lift where you stand” piano story as a direct call to this generation of students to step into their present, not future, discipleship.
Standing in a campus under construction, Pres. Uchtdorf compared the rubble and rebuilding around them to the spiritual and intellectual foundations students are laying now, urging them to develop a vision for how their education and faith will bless children and grandchildren yet to come. He warmly praised their choice to spend yet another Sabbath hour in a devotional as evidence that they “love Jesus Christ” and “hunger and thirst after righteousness,” affirming that their optimism and enthusiasm for the Savior are “contagious.”
Recounting the story of ward members in Darmstadt, Germany, struggling to move a grand piano until they stood close together and “lift[ed] where [they] stand,” President Uchtdorf applied the parable to the global work of the restored Church in 2026—a world marked by division, poverty, and war. He testified that members of the restored Church have a unique, priesthood-centered mission, with additional scripture, temple covenants, and covenants that reach beyond the veil, and therefore “unto whom much is given, much is required.” Students, he stressed, are not only the future but the present of the Church, and must not postpone their contribution until “after the chemistry test.”
He pled with them to trust the Lord, anchor their identity in being disciples of Christ rather than in comparison, and find joy in anonymous, covenant-keeping service. Closing with a firm witness that Jesus Christ lives, actively leads His Church, and will guide them as they “stand close together and lift where [they] stand,” he promised miracles in their personal lives and in the lives they bless.
Five great quotes
“Stand close together and lift where you stand.”
“This is your time… not where you think you will be someday, but where you stand right now.”
“Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not just one of many things you do. No—Jesus Christ is the motivating power behind everything you do.”
“You don’t have to lift the whole piano—just the part in front of you.”
“It’s not really about the piano. Heavenly Father is trying to move you.”
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J Washburn
Guest Author
