The Lord Loves Effort

Have you ever had ongoing struggles with something, despite your efforts, and you’re like, am I just not PRAYING hard enough?!

I wonder if Nephi had similar thoughts as he walked to his home, “much cast down.”

He’d tried and tried to get people to listen without much success. Did he think, maybe I'm just not a good missionary anymore? Where are the angels, the hundreds of converts? It happened before, so where is it now? Maybe I've just lost it! Am I doing something wrong?

Or maybe he was doing everything right, and the Lord’s definition of success is different than ours.

During Nephi’s pondering, God tells him, “Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word... thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments" Hel. 10:4

“I have beheld”! I SEE YOU. I SEE what you've done. I SEE that you're trying! I KNOW YOU. You’re doing just what I’ve asked of you! You’re doing great!

Sometimes I feel like I'm not making any difference in the world. That I’m barely enough for my own family, let alone for others. I have to believe God SEES ME in my efforts. I might not be as “unwearying” as Nephi... I’m actually “weary” a lot... but I’m doing the best I can.

And if there’s any indication of how the Lord feels about Nephi, he entrusts him with the sealing power! And assures him he will be made “mighty.”

And without even going home, Nephi goes back to preaching, armed with the ultimate pep talk and power of God.

Interestingly, NOTHING CHANGES. They STILL don’t listen to him, and seek to harm him. He’s protected, and KEEPS GOING, from “multitude to multitude,” where people, you guessed it, “would not hearken.”

But, as Pres. Nelson says, THE LORD LOVES EFFORT! Things may not play out how we envisioned. IT’S OK! He believes in us, sees us, is with us. KEEP GOING.

“The great thing about the gospel is we get credit for trying, even if we don’t always succeed...

“So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever." -Holland