One Thing is Needful

I really appreciated Elder Renlund’s story he shared about his dog in the recent general conference. He related how she loved to play fetch, and one day he tried something new with her. He said, “After repeatedly throwing a ball for her to fetch, I decided to throw two balls at the same time, one blue and one yellow. Lady chased after the blue ball, picked it up, began running back to me, and then saw the yellow ball. She dropped the blue ball, dashed to the yellow ball, picked it up, and started back to me. Then she seemed to think of the blue ball, dropped the yellow ball, turned around, ran back to the blue ball, picked it up, and began returning. As she was passing the yellow ball, she stopped, dropped the blue ball, picked up the yellow ball, and resumed running back. Then she dropped the yellow ball, turned around, scampered back to the blue ball, picked it up, and began running to me. As Lady passed the yellow ball again, she came to a screeching halt. She dropped the blue ball, looked back and forth from the blue ball to the yellow ball. Then she gave up, walked to her basket, and lay down. For Lady, two balls were too many. She became confused, overwhelmed, and discouraged.” I imagine that this story resonated with many people who feel that they have too much to do and can’t handle everything thrown at them. He related it to us in these words: “In our lives, we need to deal not just with blue and yellow concerns but also with red and green, orange and purple, polka dots and stripes, and every possible combination. We may feel like Lady—overwhelmed and discouraged—and just want to crawl back into bed.” I felt like this a little this afternoon when my children bombarded me with demands that I couldn’t possibly meet at the same time: “Take me driving!” said one. “Take me to the gym!” demanded another. “Take us shopping!” begged two more. “I want to go to the park!” another insisted. I was indeed ready to give up and crawl back into bed instead!

               Elder Renlund gave us this advice on how to handle these many demands upon our time and energy: “Not all matters are of equal value, and maintaining an eternal perspective helps us prioritize the things that are of greatest value. On this Easter Sunday, let us consider why focusing on Jesus Christ and the ‘infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice’ is of greatest value and helps us no matter how many other concerns we must manage. His life, His mission, and the fruits of His Atonement bless us infinitely and daily.” In other words, the Savior should be our focus, and everything else will fall into place. Jesus put it this way in the Sermon on the Mount: “Wherefore, seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (JST Matthew 6:38). I believe that the principle is that we must learn to put His desires for us first, and the rest of life’s requirements will be put in the proper perspective. And when we feel overwhelmed, we must try to understand what He wants us to do at that time, knowing we cannot do it all.   

When Mary and Martha had Jesus in their home, Martha “was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.” Jesus gave this answer: “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:40-42). It struck me today as I thought about this story that the Savior’s answer is a key for us when we feel overwhelmed like Lady or Martha: “One thing is needful.” We can really only do one thing in a given moment, and the key is to seek to understand from the Savior what that thing is for us in any given situation. And in one case it might be to serve our family in the house like Marta was doing; in another it might be to study the word of the Lord like Mary was doing; at other times it may be to fulfill a calling or worship in the temple or spend time with a child or develop a talent. What matters most is to seek to understand through the Spirit what thing in that situation is needful. If Lady could have talked, she should have asked, “Which ball is most important for me to get?”

            Of course, that is easier said than done, and at times things may not be clear even when we seek inspiration for how to use our time. But Elder Renlund gave us this invitation: “Focusing on the Savior, His infinite Atonement, and what He has done for us will bring joy and clarity into our lives, no matter how many other concerns we have. This is why ancient and modern prophets have and always will direct us to Christ. You may remember that President Russell M. Nelson taught, ‘Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.’ And President Dallin H. Oaks, the Lord’s living prophet today, simply declared, ‘Jesus Christ is the way.’ You need not be like our little dog, Lady—confused, discouraged, and overwhelmed—when facing too many balls; you do not need to crawl back to bed and cower. Instead, keep your eye on the ball. Focus on the Savior. Seek for the ‘precious gifts His Atonement can impart.’” As we seek to remember Him always, in time life’s demands will be put in their proper perspective and we will come to understand what is needful in His eyes.