God doesn’t care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and, with His help, where you are willing to go.
Discipleship
LDS Quotes on Discipleship
“God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability!”
| Ensign, July 1975, p. 7
I am a little pencil in God’s hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more.
| The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living
“Most of us think that the price of discipleship is too costly and too burdensome. For many it involves the giving up of too much. But the cross is not as heavy as it appears to be because we acquire through obedience a much greater strength to carry it:
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30).
| “The Price of Discipleship,” Ensign, April 1999
“In the physical eye, an astigmatism occurs when light fails to converge or focus on a single point. No wonder some, unfocused, are forever ‘looking beyond the mark.'”
“Disciples, like diamonds, are developed in a process of time and heavy pressures, and both the disciple and the diamond reflect and magnify the light that comes through them.”
| Wherefore, Ye Must Press Forward, p. 125
“The blessings of discipleship are readily available to all who are willing to pay the price. Discipleship brings purpose to our lives so that rather than wandering aimlessly, we walk steadily on that straight and narrow way that leads us back to our Heavenly Father. Discipleship brings us comfort in times of sorrow, peace of conscience, and joy in service – all of which help us to be more like Jesus.”
| “Discipleship,” Ensign, November 2006, p. 22
“. . . we must be careful, as we seek to become more and more godlike, that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible. The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant. . . . But we must be cautious as we discuss these remarkable examples. Though they are real and powerful, they are the exception more than the rule. For every Paul, for every Enos, and for every King Lamoni, there are hundreds and thousands of people who find the process of repentance much more subtle, much more imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life. They live quiet lives of goodness, service, and commitment. They are like the Lamanites, who the Lord said “were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.” (3 Ne. 9:20)
| “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, October 1989, p. 2
“In times of anxiety we tend to focus pretty much on the ‘Latter-day’ part of our Church’s name. Here I issue a call to you to concentrate on the ‘Saint’ portion of that phrase. That is the element in our Church title that should be demanding our attention. Think of the blessings we enjoy. Think of the remarkable age in which we live. Think of the economic and educational, scientific, and spiritual blessings we have that no other era or people in the history of the world have ever had, and then consider the responsibility we have to live worthily in our moment in time.”
“Let me emphasize that the noblest aim in life is to strive to live to make lives better and happier. The most worthy calling in life is that in which man can serve best his fellowman.”
| Conference Report, April 1961, p. 131