A Great Work
The youth theme announced for 2021 is A Great Work which comes from one of my favorite scriptures. It reads, “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33-34). Interestingly, Elder Cook recently gave a talk to educators encouraging them also to “be not weary in well-doing,” using the same scripture for the title of his remarks. So clearly the message of this youth theme is for all, both young and old. A letter from the Young Men and Young Women general presidencies announcing this theme states, “Parents and youth leaders are encouraged to teach principles from the theme scripture at home and at church throughout the year.” So what are these principles we should teach and understand?
·
Be not weary in well-doing: This counsel reminds us
of Alma’s words to Helaman when he said, “Teach them to never be weary of good
works, but to be meek and lowly in heart” (Alma 37:34). The Lord’s encouragement
for us is not to give up on doing what we know to be right. Sometimes the daily
pressures of life, and occasionally the monotony of them, can get to us so that
it is hard to see why we even keep doing those things the Lord has asked us.
But here He urges us to not get tired of studying the scriptures and praying
and partaking of the Sacrament and trying to live the kind of life the Savior
wants. It is just those small things that bring to pass “that which is great in
our lives” if we do not let ourselves become weary of doing them.
·
Out of small things proceedeth that which is great: This again reminds us of
something that Alma taught Helaman. He explained, “By small and simple things
are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6). We cannot lose our faith that
the Lord can do great things if we will keep doing the small things that He requests.
What we need is a vision of what can be, of where our small but consistent
actions can lead. As the writer of Proverbs put it, “Where there is no vision, the people
perish" (Proverbs 29:18). The Lord wants us to have a vision that what we
are doing by trying to live the gospel day to day will lead to something “great”
even if we cannot see it now.
·
The Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind: To me this statement
confirms that what the Lord requires of us comes from within. He does not
require certain outcomes (e.g. a missionary needing to baptize a specified
number of people) but instead He wants our heart and He will control the
outcomes. He wants us to work on focusing our heart and mind on Him and He will
do His work. This is reminiscent of the Savior’s description of Oliver Granger:
“Let him contend earnestly for the redemption of the First Presidency of my
Church, saith the Lord; and when he falls he shall rise again, for his
sacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the Lord”
(Doctrine and Covenants 117:13). The Lord recognized Oliver Granger’s heart and
his devoted efforts, and that was what counted—our sacrifice is more important
to the Lord than our increase.
·
The willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land
of Zion: Ultimately,
if we stay true to the gospel, don’t let ourselves get weary in the small
things we know are right, and willingly obey and turn to the Lord, His promises
are great. To “eat of the good of the land of Zion” likely had reference to the
literal gathering of the Saints to build up the city of New Jerusalem, but for
us it is a symbolic statement about the great blessings which the Lord has in
store for all those willing to follow Him. As He put it in another revelation: “For
since the beginning of the world have not men heard nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath any eye seen, O God, besides thee, how great things thou hast
prepared for him that waiteth for thee” (Doctrine and Covenants 133:45).
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