This is an experience my brother
Taylor Hartley went through over 10 years ago while at California Western School of Law
in San Diego, California. The image to the left is Taylor's diploma. This
diploma is particularly notable because what originally started as a failure later
became a success by means of a miracle. When I see Taylor's diploma, it is more
of a reminder to me that trusting in and relying on God -- even if it
contradicts man's wisdom -- leads to more favorable outcomes than otherwise.
Here are Taylor's own words of
the experience:
"When
in law school, I failed my first semester miserably. My grades were so poor
that the school invited me to withdraw. I was shattered. When I discussed the
idea of not withdrawing with a school administrator, she told me that because
of decades of experiences with students in my position, every one of them has
never been able to bring their grades up high enough to stay in law school. She
told me that I should withdraw now and come back in a few years. Otherwise, if
I stay in, I'll end up failing and never be allowed to come back.
Instead
of following her advice, I asked a friend for a priesthood blessing. In that
blessing, the Lord promised me I would be able to “fix” my grades. I understood
that to mean that I would not only temporarily improve my grades, but that I'd
never be in fear of being kicked out. I decided to stay and give it my best
effort.
After
struggling my hardest and by reviewing what I had learned each day during my
nightly prayers, I took my final exams. I experienced something I believe is a
miracle, based on what the school administrator had predicted. I ended up
scoring the highest out of over 70 students in the class I had failed the
worst. I scored high in one class and very high in another that I had both failed.
Even though my grades improved more than the school had ever seen, I was placed
in a remedial class for extra tutoring. There, I showed the tutoring professor
my grades. He was shocked. He had never seen a student recover like I did and
told me I didn't belong in his class.
As
a result of performing the best in the class I originally did worst in, I was
selected the following year to be a "large group tutor" for all the
new, incoming 70+ students in that class. I also tutored other students individually.
Later, I was repeatedly asked to be a notetaker in a number of classes for the
foreign and disabled students attending, so that they had written material from
the lectures to study from.
In
the remaining two years of law school, I also scored the highest out of all the
students in a class each year. I saw these series of events at law school as
another fulfillment of the promise in my patriarchal blessing. The Lord
promised, 'I bless you that your mind and intellect will be quickened so that
you will comprehend and understand those things that you read and study. That
your testimony and knowledge of the Gospel will be greatly strengthened.'
Truly,
my intellect was made alive so that I understood those things that I studied.
This miracle mirrored in some ways the first miracle I had as a teenager. I was
able to read only the Book of Mormon during a time when I lost the ability to
read due to a traumatic brain injury. In essence, my mind during that time was
quickened so that I comprehended what I was reading in that sacred scripture
(but still couldn't read any other books at that time). Both experiences
greatly strengthened my testimony of Christ's Gospel and priesthood power."
<< End of Taylor's Words
>>
I can confirm that what Taylor
wrote above is true. I saw his college transcripts and can verify the drastic
improvement in his grades, which allowed him to graduate from law school.
More details about Taylor's head
injury as a teenager and the miraculous event involving the Book of Mormon can
be found here: