Give It Your All

OK, so I found this scripture, Mosiah 4:27, and I really liked it a lot. In fact, I wrote like a mini talk on it, and I thought I would share it with you. I titled it, "Give it Your All". (so in the Gospel Library app I can put in bold and italicized words, but they won't show on here). Let me know what you think! Share it with people as you will. London also should have it.


Scripture: Mosiah 4:27

"27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."

I like this a lot (I say that a lot when I write something about a scripture). So, what does this mean to me? Well, let us start with what it is talking about. Running.

I am a runner, and I love running, and running loves me 😉 . It is just something that I find great joy in doing. So it says here that "...it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength...". Cool. So, the Lord is not going to burn us out over the things he asks us to do. Easy enough right?

To me, it also shows that the Father knows our limits, and he won't cross them because He knows that it would not do us any good to cross those lines. However, if we keep reading, it says, "it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize...". Since God knows our limits, and He won't cross them, He will push us right up to those limits. We cannot slack off. By being pushed to our limits, we can actually improve ourselves, and even be able to push those limits farther and be able to do more. It says in Ether 12:27, "...I will make weak things become strong unto them." That is how he does it right there, by pushing us to our limits.

Also, another thing on diligence and not slacking off. It is something stated in the scriptures a lot, and is in fact, one of the things that we teach as missionaries to our investigators. It is called endure to the end. We cannot just give up halfway. You know what happens in a race if you do that? You are disqualified and then have absolutely no chance to finish the race. That is not a good feeling to have to just give up and end it there. Yes, the pain of the race is gone. Yes, you can go back to the tent and get some water. Yes, you can finally rest. But, you did not finish the race. You have given up the opportunity to win the prize. It's gone, and you cannot claim it ever again.

Well, little did you know, that the prize to be won, the one you believed you had no shot at because the race was too much for you, was given to EVERYONE WHO CROSSED THE FINISH LINE! You could have finished dead last, gasping for breath and basically crawling across the finish line, and everyone there would have cheered for you, helped you up, given you that water you desperately needed, and you too, would have gotten that prize. Do you know why? You pushed yourself to your limit, and then kept going because you knew what that prize was, and nothing in the world was going to stop you from obtaining it.

Well, let me tell you something. This race that we are talking about is real. That race is life. The prize at the end, eternal life. Everyone that finishes the race will receive eternal life. Now, I am not saying that this race of life is going to be easy. We will stumble. We will fall. We will get a little dirty, maybe even a little bloody. But that prize, eternal life is worth all of the pain we will go through on this race of life.

You know, I have witnessed someone who is running this race, both of life and on the track, who probably knows more on this than I ever will. Her name is London Jensen, my dear, beloved sister. She has exercise induced asthma, so if she gets herself worked up too much, she has an asthma attack and can't breath. You know what though? I have never seen her give up. She will be screaming, with basically no air in her lungs, but she will be sprinting toward the line, eyes set on the goal alone. Then, when she crosses, she collapses, and everyone can see that the pain is excruciating. But she finished the race! Not one second of her time was wasted in thinking about how bad she felt, and how she wished it would be over. SHE NEVER QUIT!!!! And after all was said and done, her team would come to her aid, bear her up, and get her the help she needed. She was diligent, and she won the prize.

I see this in her everyday life as well. London has one of the strongest testimonies that I know of, and she is not afraid to share it. She is kind and loving to her family, and is always trying to help out. She also has her stumbling blocks. She does get angry. We do fight sometimes. Tears are shed. Injuries happen. But I know that every time bad things happen, London will bounce back, every single time. I love her so much for the example that she shows me, and I want her to know, that I wish I could be as strong as her. She is being diligent, and enduring to the end, and I know for a fact, that she will win the prize of eternal life. There is no doubt in my mind on that.

Well, this note looks almost exactly like a talk, so I guess it is fitting that I should bare my testimony now. I know that God lives. I know that He loves each and every one of us. He only wants what is best for us, and will try as hard as we can to help us get there, but I know that we must choose for ourselves if we want His help. He will never infringe not our agency. I know that through Jesus Christ, we can return to our Father in Heaven, and WIN THE PRIZE! And I know that we only need to ask, and Christ will help us in whatever we are going through, for he has that perfect knowledge of everything that we have gone through, are going through, and will go through. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Jensen