Our Heartfelt All
Our Heartfelt All
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Takeaways:
The sacrifices and offerings we make are measured not by the effect they have on the Church or others, but by the effect they have on our own hearts. “Jesus taught that our offering may be large or it may be small, but either way, it must be our heartfelt all.” This may feel overwhelming when we are already stretched so thin. “How can we balance the many demands of life with our desires to offer our whole souls to the Lord?”
Balance: instead of viewing balance as dividing time evenly among competing interests, which would result in viewing our commitment to Christ as one of many things to fit into a busy schedule, view it like riding a bike. Focus on your destination, not your feet. “Staying balanced is all about moving forward.” Our common, overall objective is to follow Christ. “This objective must remain constant and consistent, whoever we are and whatever else is happening in our lives.”
Lift: aircraft fly when air moves over their wings. You get enough air moving over the wings through forward thrust. “The airplane gains no altitude sitting on the runway. Even on a windy day, enough lift isn’t created unless the airplane is moving forward, with enough thrust to counteract the forces holding it back.” So, “if we want to find balance in life, and if we want the Savior to lift us heavenward, then our commitment to Him and His gospel can’t be casual or occasional.” We must offer our whole heart and soul.
This requires sacrifice and consecration; “letting some things go and letting other things grow.” Sacrifice means “to give something up in favor of something more valuable.” When we consecrate something, “we put it to use in the Lord’s service.”
“As we seek to purify our lives and look unto Christ in every thought, everything else begins to align. Life no longer feels like a long list of separate efforts held in tenuous balance. Over time, it all becomes one work.” “When we look at our lives and see a hundred things to do, we feel overwhelmed. When we see one thing—loving and serving God and His children, in a hundred different ways—then we can work on those things with joy.”
“This is how we offer our whole souls—by sacrificing anything that’s holding us back and consecrating the rest to the Lord and His purposes.”
Questions to Ponder:
Evaluate your attitude toward service and dedication to the words of Christ and the gospel teachings. Do you serve, sacrifice, consecrate, and participate with your heartfelt all?
Do you feel stretched thin with all your obligations in life? Does it help to think of yourself as having only one task—to love God’s children in a multitude of different ways?
Ponder the difference between sacrifice and consecration. What sacrifices have you made to the Lord? What things have you consecrated to the Lord’s work? Are there other things in your life that should be sacrificed or consecrated?