More Important Than What You Do

Life is busy. There are so many different things that go along with it. As a missionary the list of things to do seems endless. Everyday I worry about what I should study, what I should say, who i should see, where I should go, etc. I'm sure everyone at some point has felt a little worn down by an infinite to do list. I know that with all the things I do it is easy for me to overwhelmed. With the list of to do's being so great I find myself asking: what should I focus on? I have learned an invaluable lesson lately about what is most important in life.

I'm grateful I have Jesus Christ to look to. He answered my question about what I need to do. He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do." (3 Nephi 27:21) However, I'm sure the Savior didnt have to worry about fixing the vacuum, conducting a Zone meeting, changing the oil in the car, write a blog, avoid eating anything with gluten in it... I could list tons of things the Savior didnt do that I absolutely have to do. I think Christ's counsel to follow his example goes deeper than the to do lists that we have. Christ wants us to look inwardly. He asked a more important question than "what should I put emphasis on in my to do list." His question was: "what manner of men ought ye to be?" His answer: "Verily I say unto you, even as I am." (3 Nephi 27:27)

I think too often in life my focus has been too much on the things I need to do, instead of the person I need to be. It is for this reason that I get overwhelmed. The to do list is too long! That is why life is extremely busy. The way that we do the things Christ has done is to become like him. Who we are determines what we will do. Elder Robbins taught at the last General Conference that "To be and to do are inseparable. As interdependent doctrines they reinforce and promote each other." I know that this is true. He goes on to say. "Christlike to be’s cannot be seen, but they are the motivating force behind what we do, which can be seen."

As I have placed my focus on what I need to be my life has changed drastically. What I am going to do has already been determined. I act in a way that will allign my will with my Heavenly Father's. If we focus on who we need to be our days will be full of joy. The activities that we choose to engage ourselves in will be more meaningful. We will have greater love for everyone. Most importantly we will become more like our Savior. Our to do's are geared towards our to be. We begin to see the real reason behind why we must do them.

My prayer is that we all strive to be more Christlike and to reach out in love to everyone who is around us. I know that this will inspire others to change. They will desire to do even as our Savior has done.

To find out more about how this principle applies to parenting read the entire talk by Elder Robbins

"What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be?"

To read about what the Savior asks us to do you can read the Book of Mormon online or order a free one from our church website.