Commitment

A big difference I have noticed between "successful" and"unsuccessful" people is their levels of commitment. People who want something, but don't set their mind to getting it, won't. We have to believe in our own abilities, take a little bit of wise risk, and trust in the power of the Lord to reach those things that we want. But if we don't commit to doing something 100%, we often will fall short, when we could have reached the end if only we had had a better mindset. I have a tendency to not finish things that seem hard or take too long (I think we all do, and very few people really overcome this weakness). Some examples are in that I say to myself, "I wish I were good at ___________ (basketball, soccer, the french horn, piano, singing with vibrato, studying for a test, etc.)," and then I try a few times to be good, but don't commit to becoming good. This results in me giving up at the first signs of opposition and difficulty. An example of what is better to do is when I tell myself "I am going to get an 'A' in this class," and then I pay attention and take good notes in class, do all of the homework, ask for help when I get lost or fall behind, and study on a regular basis (not just cram for a test). The difference is that I commit to getting the good grade, whereas I would just like to acquire the skill without doing my part.

The Lord wants us to be good at many things, and will help us, if we do our part. One of my favorite scriptures is James 2:17, which says: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." This helps me to realize that I can't just hope for things which I don't have at the present, but have to work for them. This applies both to personal attributes as well as to testimonies. If we want to strengthen our testimonies of something, we have to work for it: study it, apply it, pray about it, teach it, testify of it. We have to take risks.

Commitment is a synonym of Covenant. When we make a covenant, or promise with the Lord, we have to make it with all the intentions of  keeping it. The Lord knows our hearts and also our weaknesses. He knows if we don't intend on following through, but he also understands that we will make mistakes and fall short in many ways. But we have to live the Gospel every day, recommitting ourselves to be obedient, and to live up to the promises we've made. As we make this daily commitment, we will find more strength in making decisions between right and wrong. Likewise, as we daily commit to personal goals, such as exercise, we will find added strength to get up and do it. If we don't commit to it, any and every little distraction or excuse will take precedence. This also applies to repentance: if we commit to overcoming our weaknesses and our faults, we will DO things to change and improve. But if we just think it might be a good idea, or something we SHOULD do, we'll never seem to get around to doing it.


Commitment is also great because it stretches our potential. If on a hike, we are feeling tired, and we tell ourselves, "OK, I can at least make it to that next hill," we will go further than if we just decide to sit down. We can break down our commitments into smaller pieces to make them seem more manageable. Work on one thing at a time that needs improvement, and soon we will be much better than we ever expected. The Lord can help us reach new potentials as well. I taught the Gospel to a couple in Arrecifes, Argentina that was looking at separating, but didn't want to because they had small children they wanted to be there for. They committed to reading the scriptures and praying every day. Within a month, they decided to get married, rather than separating, because as they committed to keep some of the commandments, the Lord helped them to change and to grow, in many ways.

We can't let others pull us from our commitments, especially our covenants. It's true, life isn't fair, and things usually don't work out like we want them to or hope they will, but that need not change our personal promise to do what we say we will. It is in these hard times that we make a little more effort to keep our word that we really grow the most. The most important is that we commit to do what is right, and don't change that goal even if everyone we know rejects us for doing so.

I know that if we commit to do many small things, that we will accomplish many great things. Also, as we fall short of our goals and covenants, we can repent and be forgiven through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Through the Atonement we can also be enabled to do things that we wouldn't be able to do otherwise. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to learn from our mistakes. If we commit to follow him, we will find more joy than we knew was possible.

Small and Simple

The Gospel is very simple, though not always easy to live. A few scriptures that help illustrate the simplicity of the Gospel are as follows:

Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.  And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls (Alma 37:6-7).

and

For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have (2 Nephi 28:30).

In the Old Testament there is a story of a captain named Naaman. He has leprosy, a contagious disease where the skin falls off, and wants to be healed, so it is arranged for the prophet, Elisha, to heal him. When Naaman went to the house of Elisha to be healed, a messenger of Elisha came and told Namaan "Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean (2 Kings 5:10). When Naaman received this instruction he was first insulted since the prophet wouldn't come talk to him directly, and secondly because of the simplicity of the task. But the his servants said unto him:


...My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean (2 Kings 5:13)?

Once he humbled himself and followed the directions of Elisha, he was healed.

In another Old Testament story, the house of Israel is in the wilderness, led by Moses, and the people are complaining that Moses took them from Egypt because they now had no bread, nor water, and they were sick of the manna that fell from heaven to feed them every day. Because of their complaints, the Lord sent fiery (or poisonous) serpents to bite them. The cure to being bitten was to look at a brass serpent that Moses had put on a pole. One simply had to look to be saved. But many wouldn't:

And [the Lord] did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished (1 Nephi 17:41).

This is a type, or a simile to the Savior. The simpleness to the cure of sin is to look to the Savior and be healed.

It is truly by the simple things in life that we keep ourselves on the right path for salvation. The three simplest things that we need to do with a sincere heart are: 1 Pray morning and night; 2 Study the Scriptures; 3 Attend church meetings and participate. As we do these three things, we are placing the Armor of God upon ourselves:

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17).

I have noticed a very strong correlation in the last few months. Every time my life seems to get hard, and I start to get down, it is when my prayers have become insincere, my scripture study has decreased to a few verses, if anything, and my church attendance has turned into a time to criticize others in their weaknesses rather than listen to the teachings of the Spirit. But as I commit myself to really study to learn, to pray for others, and to actively participate in church meetings, my life seems to run much more smoothly.

As we study in the church, we can't expect to learn everything all at once, or even gain a testimony of key doctrines from one day to the next. But we can expect to learn here a little, and there a little. There are little lessons to be learned in every day of life. A lot of these lessons come through "tender mercies."

But behold, I Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance (1 Nephi 1:20).

If we keep the commandments, we shall have eternal life. It's that simple. But what makes it easy is when we daily put on the Armor of God by praying and studying the scriptures. Being obedient, firm, steadfast, and immovable keeps us in the fight for our eternal happiness. I know that as we do this, we will have the Sword of the Spirit to attack the temptations that are constantly invading our personal lives, trying to tear us apart. If we have the Spirit and heed its counsel, we will be able to withstand the battles that we face in our lives.