For many of our daily activities, we can be successful by simply doing two things:
- Showing up (“going”)
- Participating (“doing”)
It sounds simple enough, but how easy is it to avoid attending the activity, going where the action is? And even when we do make it there, how easy is it to be passive and disengaged, not fully present?
When Lehi gave his son Nephi a dangerous assignment, he had already discussed this assignment with Nephi’s older brothers. They had reacted badly, murmuring and saying it was a “hard thing” (1 Nephi 3:5). But Lehi assured Nephi that the assignment was from the Lord and that the Lord would bless him as he fulfilled it without murmuring. Nephi’s responded with unflinching commitment and with an expression of faith in God:
I go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no unto the children of men, save he shall a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them (1 Nephi 3:7).
Nephi followed through on his commitment. He traveled with his brothers to Jerusalem. Once there, he maintained his focus, generating new ideas when they encountered roadblocks and pushing forward when his brothers wanted to give up (1 Nephi 3:15, 1 Nephi 4:1-3).
TodayI will “go and do.” I will be where I need to be throughout the day: in a critical meeting, with my employees, or at my desk in front of the email that I’d rather not deal with. Once I am where I should be, I will engage fully in the activity, trusting that the Lord will help me achieve success.
Great post Paul. On the “do” thought, it really is about being actively engaged and going not just to consume but to contribute.
In your 1 Nephi 3:7 reference, you omitted an “a” article before “way” and it prompted me to think if the missing article was “a” or “the”. I’m glad to be reminded that the Lord has multiple (a) ways to deliver/bless us and that the right answer is often not a single (the) path. His ability to bless us in a myriad of ways increases my hope and confidence in Him!
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Great thoughts! I agree that participation means contributing not just consuming. I’m also grateful that the Lord has many ways to help us. And I just added the missing “a.” Thanks!
As I’m going and doing, I must remember that my vision of success may not look like the Lord’s. The more I learn of Him the more I learn to redefine “success.”
That’s a good point. Submitting our will to His is a fundamental part of discipleship, which means that success may look different than we had anticipated. Thanks for the comment!