Recently I heard a snippet of a talk by John
Bytheway. I don’t even know what the
name of the talk was, but he was speaking about a talk he gave to a group of
men in prison. This topic, however,
fully applies to each of us.
As we start this New Year and are making goals and
resolutions, one of the things worth pondering about is not necessarily where we
are, but rather what direction we are facing.
Kudos to you if by and large you are doing the things you
should be doing….reading your scriptures, praying daily, attending the temple,
etc. But are you continuing to progress
toward a closer relationship with your Savior, or are you becoming
complacent? Are you continuing to
strive, or are you letting little things slip now and then (I’m too tired to
read my scriptures tonight, it’s ok if I don't keep the Sabbath now and then, this
movie really isn’t THAT bad)?
On the flip side, if you realize that, like most of us,
you are far from perfect, which direction are you facing? Do you feel like you are never quite good
enough, yet you are continually making a conscious effort to improve and to
overcome your weaknesses? Then you ARE
facing the right direction!! The Lord
does not tell us to be perfect RIGHT NOW…he tells us to BECOME perfect. That implies that this path we are on will be
a lifelong (and then some) endeavor. The
trick is to be headed the right direction on that path.
So as this year begins, take a minute to evaluate that
path and where it is taking you. And
while you are at it, also evaluate the improvements you have made this last
year and give yourself a “hug!”
