How many times have you felt that your best still wasn't good enough? How often do you strive for good things only to fall short? How many times have you set good goals, but things kept happening to prevent you from achieving them? The thought came to me tonight that maybe those goals are not the right ones and maybe I am trying to work on things without the help of an all-knowing God.
In the book "Daily Joy" by: Russell M. Nelson, a devotional is given for each day of the year. The words for March 10th hit home. The title of the page reads, "Begin with the End" then quotes Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Having goals is a good thing, but are they the best goals you could have? Dallin H. Oaks said it best, "We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ..." Back to the daily devotional, President Nelson asks what you would want said about you at your funeral. If you could have only three sentences in your eulogy, what would you want said? He said that his three sentences would be as follows, "I was able to render service of worth to my fellowmen. I had a fine family. I evidenced unshakeable faith in God and lived accordingly." God does not care how many times we go to the gym, how far we can run, how many followers we have on Instagram, or if we have designer clothes. He cares that we are choosing the best goals and putting forth our best effort, even if that varies in degree with each day. I am reminded of the story of Martha and Mary who had invited Jesus to their home. Martha was "cumbered about much serving" while her sister Mary "sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word." Martha complained about her sister not helping her serve, Jesus complimented her for her service, but taught her that "one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her (Luke 10:39-42). We will not take social media to heaven with us, nor will we take our counted steps, or our fancy clothes. What we take is our choices, our knowledge, and forgiveness offered to us through our Savior's Atonement which allows us to repent when we don't always choose the best thing.
How grateful I am for the chance to recommit to the Savior and His gospel as many times as I need to. I am thankful for the words of the prophets that work with the Spirit and touch my heart and mind to teach me where I went wrong and how to fix it. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and am relieved that I can keep trying, keep changing, and keep choosing Him.
Love,
Kenzie
