Spiritual Momentum

 

The Powerful, Virtuous Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ

By Elder Dale G. Renlund

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

By consistently paddling the kayak, I maintained momentum and forward progress, mitigating the effect of waves hitting me from the side. The same principle applies in our spiritual lives. We become vulnerable when we slow down and especially when we stop. If we maintain spiritual momentum by continually “rowing” toward the Savior, we are safer and more secure because our eternal life depends on our faith in Him.

Spiritual momentum is created “over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ.”...

Repeatedly means that we experience the elements of the doctrine of Christ over and over throughout our lives. Iteratively means that we build on and improve with each repetition. Even though we repeat the elements, we are not just spinning in circles without a forward trajectory. Instead, we draw closer to Jesus Christ each time through the cycle....

Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be nourished daily. It is nourished as we pray daily, study the scriptures daily, reflect on the goodness of God daily, repent daily, and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost daily. Just as it is not healthy to defer eating all our food until Sunday and then binge our weekly allotment of nutrition, it is not spiritually healthy to restrict our testimony-nourishing behavior to one day in the week.

When we assume responsibility for our own testimonies, we gain spiritual momentum and gradually develop bedrock faith in Jesus Christ, and the doctrine of Christ becomes central to the purpose of life. Momentum likewise builds as we strive to obey the laws of God and repent....

As the Holy Ghost exerts a greater influence in our lives, we progressively and iteratively develop Christlike attributes. Our hearts change. Our disposition to do evil diminishes. Our inclination to do good increases until we only want “to do good continually.” And we thereby access the heavenly power needed to endure to the end. Our faith has increased, and we are ready to repeat the powerful, virtuous cycle again....

To be clear, baptismal and temple covenants are not, in and of themselves, the source of power. The source of power is the Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Making and keeping covenants create a conduit for Their power in our lives....

As we minister to others, we do not need to ask unhelpful questions or state the obvious. Most people who are struggling know that they are struggling. We should not be judgmental; our judgment is neither helpful nor welcome, and it is most often ill-informed.

Comparing ourselves to others can lead us to make pernicious errors, especially if we conclude that we are more righteous than those who are struggling. Such a comparison is like drowning hopelessly in three meters of water, seeing someone else drowning in four meters of water, judging him a greater sinner, and feeling good about yourself. After all, we are all struggling in our own way. None of us earns salvation. We never can. ...

We all need the Savior’s infinite Atonement, not just part of it.

We do need all our compassion, empathy, and love as we interact with those around us....

As we minister, we encourage others frequently and offer help. Even if someone is not receptive, we continue to minister as they allow....

The Savior’s job is to heal. Our job is to love—to love and minister in such a way that others are drawn to Jesus Christ. ...

I invite you to live the doctrine of Christ repeatedly, iteratively, and intentionally and help others on their way.

The Savior Can Make Our Imperfect Offering Perfect

 

The Imperfect Harvest

By Elder Vern P. Stanfill

Of the Seventy

We must remember that whatever our best-but-imperfect offering is, the Savior can make it perfect. No matter how insignificant our efforts may seem, we must never underestimate the Savior’s power. A simple word of kindness, a brief but sincere ministering visit, or a Primary lesson lovingly taught can, with the Savior’s help, provide comfort, soften hearts, and change eternal lives. Our clumsy efforts can lead to miracles, and in the process, we can participate in a perfect harvest...

When we compare ourselves to others, there can be only two results. Either we will see ourselves as better than others and become judgmental and critical of them, or we will see ourselves as less than others and become anxious, self-critical, and discouraged. Comparing ourselves to others is rarely productive, not uplifting, and sometimes downright depressing. In fact, these comparisons can be spiritually destructive, preventing us from receiving the spiritual help we need. On the other hand, emulating those we respect who demonstrate Christlike attributes can be instructive and uplifting and can help us become better disciples of Jesus Christ....

Regardless of how insignificant our efforts may seem, if we are sincere, the Savior will use us to accomplish His work. If we simply do the best we can and trust Him to make up the difference, we can become part of the miracles that surround us.

Becoming Better Without Becoming Bitter

 "Our loving Father knew that our difficult days would refine us and cause us to turn to Him for divine correction, direction, and connection..."

"The reason why there is peace on the covenant path is that this strait and narrow path leads directly to the Prince of Peace."

"The pressures and challenges in our day can feel extraordinary and suffocating. Unless balanced with faith, stress and worry can narrow our perspective to focus on ourselves - a focus that is self-absorbed, fearful, and despairing, leaving us feeling even more overwhelmed, anxious, and depressed.

"We may also be tempted to compare our circumstances with those of others who appear to be trouble-free. But this kind of comparison robs us of joy, while gratitude enhances it...."

"We must recognize and remember the good in our lives. Countless studies have shown the power of gratitude for our hearts and minds, from improving mood and optimism to reducing anxiety and aches and pains. Gratitude allows celebration of the present, blocks toxic emotions, and strengthens social connections..."

"Both Nephi and the brother of Jared relied on the resources that we "prepared of the Lord". From fruit, seeds, trees, and wild honey to ore and 16 stones, God provided resources for His people to use when they experienced challenges in their journeys. What resources has God provided for you to lighten the load in your journey?..."

"Heavenly Father has promised that if we will not harden our hearts against Him during our trials, we will be both converted and healed." 

David Schramm, "Becoming Better without Becoming Bitter," Liahona, February 2022, pg 3, 17-18. 

Satan Incites Comparison

United in Accomplishing God’s Work

By Jean B. Bingham

Relief Society General President

Satan incites comparison as a tool to create feelings of being superior or inferior,

Power to Overcome the Adversary

Power to Overcome the Adversary
BY ELDER PETER M. JOHNSON Of the Seventy

Let us be careful and not casual in our use of technology. Continually seek for ways that technology can draw us closer to the Savior and allow us to accomplish His work as we prepare for His Second Coming....

My dear friends, please do not let anyone steal your happiness. Do not compare yourself to others....

First, remember that the first and great commandment is to love God with our heart, might, mind, and strength. All that we do should be motivated by our love for Him and for His Son. As we develop our love for Them by keeping Their commandments, our capacity to love ourselves and to love others will increase. We will begin to serve family, friends, and neighbors because we will see them as the Savior sees them—as sons and daughters of God....

Elder David A. Bednar taught: “The ordinance of the sacrament is a holy and repeated invitation to repent sincerely and to be renewed spiritually. The act of partaking of the sacrament, in and of itself, does not remit sins. But as we prepare conscientiously and participate in this holy ordinance with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then the promise is that we may always have the Spirit of the Lord to be with us.”...

My friends, I promise that as we strive to love God with all our heart, pray in the name of Jesus Christ, study the Book of Mormon, and prayerfully partake of the sacrament, we will have the ability, with the strength of the Lord, to overcome the deceptive practices of the adversary, to minimize distractions that limit our divine potential, and to resist the discouragement that diminishes our capacity to feel the love of our Heavenly Father and His Son. We will come to fully understand who we are as sons and daughters of God.

Celebrate the Beauty of our Differences

It takes courage and faith to celebrate and appreciate the beauty of our differences, to give others space to discover their own paths, and to trust that God will help us just as He helps those around us. This may include celebrating the wedding of a friend when you have no marriage prospects on the horizon. It may include being excited for someone who just got into the graduate school of their dreams even though you didn’t. I know what it is like to feel forgotten or insecure when others get the things I hoped for, but if we can learn to celebrate and appreciate differences, I believe our hearts will be more open to what God has in store for us.

At BYU Women’s Conference in 2015, Elder M. Russell Ballard counseled:

Each of you must come to know what the Lord wants for you individually, given the choices before you. . . .

Once you know the Lord’s will, you can then move forward in faith to fulfill your individual purpose. One sister may be inspired to continue her education and attend medical school, allowing her to have significant impact on her patients and to advance medical research. For another sister, inspiration may lead her to forgo a scholarship to a prestigious institution and instead begin a family much earlier than has become common in this generation, allowing her to make a significant and eternal impact on her children now.

Then he posed this question: “Is it possible for two similarly faithful women to receive such different responses to the same basic questions?” He emphatically responded:

Absolutely! What’s right for one woman may not be right for another. That’s why it is so important that we should not question each other’s choices or the inspiration behind them.⁷

With this understanding we can encourage each other, celebrate and appreciate our differences, and move forward in a partnership with the Lord. We need not judge or criticize. Our encouragement and love amid our differences will enhance our capacity to celebrate together. It will also enhance our capacity to understand God’s plan for us as we create that plan with Him.

Erin Kramer Holmes, "On Loss and Waiting, BYU Magzine, Winter 2018, 28. 

Opinions of Others

“We torture ourselves needlessly by competing and comparing. We falsely judge our self-worth by the things we do or don’t have and by the opinions of others. If we must compare, let us compare how we were in the past to how we are today—and even to how we want to be in the future.”

J. Devn Cornish, “Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It?” Ensign, Nov. 2016, 33.

Am I Good Enough? Will I Make It?

186th Semiannual General Conference

Q&A with Elder Ballard

Questions and Answers

M. RUSSELL BALLARDof the Quorum of the Twelve ApostlesNov. 14, 2017 • BYU Devotional

Question: How do we differentiate between ­debilitating perfectionism and Christ’s invitation to become perfect like Him?

We live in a world of comparison. Social media has made this worse as we go online and compare our seemingly less exciting lives with the “fake lives” we see online. Many of those fake lives are edited, boastful, and unreal. Some may have unrealistic expectations that they should be happy all the time, and if they are not, they feel like something is wrong with them.6

We should not compare ourselves with others. Please remember that the Savior is interested only in our personal growth. Even He “continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness.”

Question: If I have family or friends who are less active, how far do I go in my attempts to bring them back?

My answer is please do not preach to them! Your family members or friends already know the Church’s teachings. They don’t need another lecture! What they need—what we all need—is love and understanding, not judging. Share your positive experiences of living the gospel. The most powerful thing you can do is share your spiritual experiences with family and friends. Also, be genuinely interested in their lives, their successes, and their challenges. Always be warm, gentle, loving, and kind.

...I close with three suggestions about seeking answers to gospel questions.

First, while searching, studying, and praying for answers, please remember that you have to be living right to get the answers you seek. As one well-known historian wrote:

Guilt clouds the mind. If you are knowingly sinning, you will subconsciously want to separate yourself from God and find reasons for denying his power.18

Second, my dear young friends, please take time to “be still, and know that I am God.”19 Most all of our concerns in life are answered in the quiet times of thinking, praying, and reaching out to Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for guidance, peace, and joy as we strive to live the gospel.

What were you born to do?

Wendy Watson Nelson

"My dear brothers and sisters, it's time to stop comparing ourselves with others. It's time to put away those erroneous views of ourselves and others. The truth is that we are not as hopelessly flawed as we may think, and others are not are perfect as they may appear- all except, of course, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The only think that really matters is that you and I are doing exactly what we committed- even covenanted- premortally with our Heavenly Father we would do while we are here on earth. 

So, let me ask you are question: What were you born to do?"

Look Up Not Sideways

Look Up

By Elder Carl B. Cook

Of the Seventy

Jan 2012 Ensign

As a young man I was called to serve a mission in Hamburg, Germany. At the Language Training Mission—the predecessor to today’s missionary training center—I struggled to learn the language. As the first and then the second week passed, I noticed that the others in my district were progressing much faster than I was. While they were advancing to complex concepts, my dies, ders, and dases were a disaster.

I started to become concerned—and discouraged. How could I serve a successful mission if I couldn’t communicate with the people I was called to teach?

I prayed for help and sought a priesthood blessing, which provided some reassurance. But I continued to search and struggle, and one day I felt more uptight and worried than ever. As my companion and I walked down the hallway, I stopped at a small janitor’s closet. I asked my companion to wait for me for a moment. I slipped into that tiny room and knelt down on a mop. I began to plead with Heavenly Father for some relief.

The Lord answered that prayer. I felt this thought come into my mind: “I never called you to master the German language. I just called you to serve with all of your heart, mind, and strength.”

I immediately thought, “I can do that. I can serve with all of my heart, mind, and strength. If that’s what the Lord has called me to do, I can do that.” I stood up feeling tremendously relieved.

From that point on, my measuring stick changed. I no longer gauged my progress and success against that of my companion or other members of my district. Instead, I focused on how the Lord felt I was doing. Instead of looking to the side to compare myself to others, I began to look up, so to speak, to know what He thought of my efforts....

Whenever I have been asked to do something where the expectations seem greater than what I have the capacity to do, I remember that experience and say to myself, “Wait. Who called you? Who are you serving? Who are you trying to please?”...

We might base our sense of self-worth on how many friends are writing on our wall on social networking sites....

It’s easy to get caught up in trying to please others, but we can’t trust such external measurements; the world can be too quick both to praise and to criticize.

I think the challenge for all of us—but perhaps particularly for young adults—is to try not to look sideways to see how others are viewing our lives but to look up to see how Heavenly Father sees us....

 Make good choices using your best judgment and move forward with your life. We’re blessed as we make choices. Don’t be afraid to make choices because you are afraid of making mistakes. Don’t be afraid to try new things....

Avoid Comparisons

“When you begin to compare yourself, one with another, it either leads to discouragement or it leads to pride. … Blessings come in the near-term. Blessings come in the long-term. Sometimes blessings are in store for us, I believe, after we pass through the veil. … Ultimately, we can be assured that the promise of eternal life is for everyone.”

—Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Cupcake eating Pigs and Holland

Find the Joy Heavenly Father Wants for You

By Elder Alan C. Batt

Of the Seventy, Idaho Area

From a devotional address, “Is This What You Want Your Life to Be?” given at Brigham Young University–Idaho on November 1, 2016. For the full address, visit web.byui.edu/devotionalsandspeeches.

One of my childhood friends had a pigpen behind his house. Sometimes we would sit on the fence and watch the pigs. This might seem like odd behavior, but it wasn’t really much different from watching reality TV today.

One day my friend’s father pulled into the yard with his pickup truck overflowing with doughnuts, bread, and cupcakes that had passed their expiration date. He backed up to the pigpen and shoveled his cargo into the muck. The pigs began to devour the food, wrappers and all. Each mouthful was filled with cupcakes and doughnuts, their plastic wrappers smeared with mud and manure. It was disgusting.

Each time we watched this happen over the next few weeks, it became less repulsive and more entertaining. One day I told my friend that if we could figure out a way to get some doughnuts and cupcakes out of the pigpen without the pigs attacking us, we could have free treats. We took a rake and pulled a large blob of mud, manure, and cupcakes from under the fence. We washed off the wrappers, climbed up on the fence, and ate away with the pigs.

Isn’t this exactly how Satan works? He serves up something that is dirty and disgusting, and over time we start to accept it as entertaining, desirable, and good. The next time you think of doing something foolish, imagine yourself sitting on a fence eating cupcakes with the pigs.

Another story ....

Emily Kingsley wrote an essay that compares her unexpected challenge, having a child with Down syndrome, to getting on a plane for a vacation to Italy, only to have the plane land in Holland. She has the following imaginary conversation:

“Holland? What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

The flight attendant replies: “But there’s been a change in the flight plan. You’ve landed in Holland, and there you must stay.”

But then you meet others who are going to and coming from Italy. “And they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, ‘Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.’”

“But,” Kingsley concludes, “if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.”1