When I was 13, my eldest brother and his friend tried all sorts of things to trap a fox, even boiling sagebrush to hide human scent on the trap. Despite all they tried, they never caught the fox.
Twenty years later, in an elders quorum lesson, a man brought a trap and placed it on a small wooden table in front, and said, “It’s hard trapping a fox, foxes are sly. But after much trial and error, I’ve trapped foxes. Foxes don’t like to feel constrained or boxed in. If they ever feel their freedom or safety is threatened, they turn and run. First, create a path that is wide at the opening and non-restrictive, which gradually narrows where the trap is placed. Second, because foxes have heightened instincts, the trap must be camouflaged to blend into the environment and all human odor eliminated, it cannot smell like a trap.” (I guess my brother boiling sagebrush wasn’t a crazy idea.) “Third, is the bait,” he said. “It must appeal to a fox’s natural appetites and desires. Rotting meat, with a pungent odor is irresistible to a fox.”
“I put a small sampling of meat at the path’s opening, no strings attached. Each day, I put a little bait farther into the path, tempting the fox to advance to snatch it. On the final day, bait is placed directly on the trap. Done properly, the fox travels the path, takes the bait, the trap snaps shut, and I’ve outfoxed the fox. The fox is so captivated by the bait it does not recognize its choices have become limited, sense that something is wrong, and turn and run.”
Satan desires to trap us. Like trapping a fox, Satan knows it’s not easy to trap children of God. Our desire for freedom and happiness is part of our eternal DNA; we will not willingly give them up without a fight. He’s perfected his deception over thousands of years. Sin is the trap, such as pride, greed, lust, envy, anger, or laziness, and Satan’s path leads to it. Sin is a trap because it controls us and becomes our master. “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”[1]
To camouflage this trap, Satan’s path starts wide, with no rules—the illusion of freedom. He lures us with promises of pleasure, fun, or ease with seemingly no strings attached—appealing to our “natural man [which] is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.”[2]
Satan tempts us to take a small bite: “One nibble won’t hurt you, it’s no big deal.” He knows one bite leads to two, and each bite decreases our sensitivity to warnings from the Holy Ghost. He baits us to step further into his path, where his influence intensifies. Like the fox, each step into Satan’s path decreases our sense of right and wrong, as well as our ability to act for ourselves and resist temptation. Each step, we lose more freedom and power until we are trapped in sin.
God’s path is the opposite. The entrance is narrow, requiring faith, sacrifice, and obedience.
In a previous BYU-Idaho devotional, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared the following.
One of the common objections we often hear about choosing to walk as disciples of Christ goes something like, “Why would you belong to an organization that has so many rules? Why would you choose to limit your freedom in that way?”
And that is a good question.
When the world speaks of freedom today, it is often in the context of freedom from rules. “Wherever there are lists of limitations,” they say, “there is diminished freedom.” . . .
True freedom is not measured so much by what is prohibited. It is measured by our choices that lead us to who we can and will become.[3]
Choosing God’s path through faith in Christ is the path of who we can and will become. God’s path is clear, there is no intent to deceive, no camouflage, no smoke and mirrors. No guile. Rather than bait, He uses love. Each step in God’s path, through sacrifice and obedience, increases our ability to act and resist temptation. Freedom, power, and light increase, and “he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”[4]
It is the path of expansion, progress, and growth.
In April, Sister Kelly Eyring taught us that a paradox is a “statement that seems absurd at first but begins to ring true upon further examination.”[5] Paradoxes such as: Satan’s wide path with “no rules” imprisons us, and God’s narrow path of sacrifice and obedience liberates us.
Likewise, serving in the Church seems restrictive, a commitment of time we feel we do not have. However, as I have accepted callings and served others, I have found it has expanded me and helped me progress and grow. I’m truly grateful for the lasting relationships I’ve gained while serving.
While serving a mission in Ecuador, I found this wall painting. On the left, “wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein.”[6]
On the right “narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it.”[7]
Because of Christ, each day is a new day, a day “[we] are free to act for [ourselves]—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.”[8]
In the poem entitled “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost compares two paths:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.[9]
Why is God’s path less traveled? Because it requires faith, sacrifice, and obedience. It requires self-control and discipline. Freedom from rules doesn’t create freedom; sacrifice and self-discipline create freedom because they increase our ability to act and not be acted upon. “Don’t mistake telestial pleasure for celestial happiness and joy. Don’t mistake lack of self-control for freedom.”[10]
God desires for us to expand, progress, and grow—to level up, in real life (IRL). His “work and . . . glory” is our “immortality and eternal life.”[11] His path is the covenant path. It keeps us safe from Satan’s traps and expands our ability to act and not be acted upon. It’s the path of becoming our best selves: stronger, smarter, more capable—like God—one step at a time. It’s the path where we experience a mighty change of heart with “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”[12] On this path, we become true disciples of Jesus Christ, with bad habits giving way to good habits. As we let God prevail in our lives, we allow Him to help us become the next best version of ourselves. “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.”[13]
Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, . . . and pour out peace.[14]
However, Satan uses those sins most enticing to us individually to diminish and trap us. Once trapped, Satan wants to keep us trapped, saying, “You can’t break free from this. You’re not strong enough. You are too far gone. You don’t deserve God’s love. He will never love you, you are worthless.” However, Christ taught:
And when [the prodigal son] came to himself, he said . . . I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son . . . And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.[15]
Because we all sin, I love knowing our father watches us from afar, and runs to us, and embraces us when we turn to him.
Whether you are diligently moving along the covenant path, have slipped or stepped from the covenant path, . . . I plead with you to repent. Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance—of doing and being a little better each day.
When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him. When we choose to repent, we choose to become more like Jesus Christ! [16]
Christ is the way to be freed from sin. “O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation.”[17]
When you see fireworks next week on Independence Day, think of Christ conquering sin and death, which enables us freedom to expand, progress, and grow. “Because of Jesus Christ, our failures do not have to define us. They can refine us. Mistakes do not disqualify us. They are part of our progress.”[18]
As we place our faith in Christ and repent daily, even our mistakes can make us stronger. With faith in Christ, Satan stands no chance, zero. “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; . . . which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”[19]
No wonder Satan tries everything he can to distract us from Christ, especially from entering into and faithfully honoring sacred covenants, which bind us securely to the Savior.[20]
President Russell M. Nelson taught:
Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth! The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches.[21]
As life becomes increasingly turbulent, could you imagine anyone better to anchor to than Christ? He’s perfectly worthy of your trust and will never let you down. He perfectly understands and loves you. He knows your capabilities and potential, and everything you have gone through, what you are currently experiencing, and what you will go through. He knows the next step you need to progress. He gives strength, eases burdens, and performs miracles.
Every day you choose faith in Christ is a day you'll expand, progress, and grow.
We are free to choose who we’ll become, which requires its own constraints and adaptations, called sacrifices. Anything worthwhile requires the sacrifice of time, effort, and self-control.[22]
Who do you want to become? What type of friend do you want to be? What type of student? What type of spouse or parent do you want to be? What sacrifices will you make today and every day to achieve it? Picture yourself as the person you desire, joyfully and willingly making the sacrifices required to be the person you will become. When the outcome is great, the sacrifice pales in comparison.[23]
I have a BYU-Idaho colleague who says, “Embrace sacrifice as a principle of power.” Sacrifices such as taking time to go to the temple, accepting and faithfully fulfilling a church calling, sitting with a roommate who needs a listening ear, getting enough sleep to attend and perform well in your classes, turning in assignments, and studying for exams.
On this week’s devotional discussion board, here is what you said you are willing to sacrifice for and why:
- For the Lord, who gave everything for me.
- For my family because I want to be a good example and live with them forever.
- Getting my education which has given me many blessings, with many more to come.
- For the gospel and my calling in the church because I know the blessings that come from it are great.
- To follow Christ in a world with many distractions, because my life would not be the same without him.
Thank you for your contributions!
If Satan cannot trap us in sin, he tries entangling us in the thick of lesser things, to distract us from who we can become. Sometimes we must sacrifice one of these lesser things to achieve something of greater value. Like the game “Bigger or Better,” where you trade a smaller, less valuable object for one that is bigger or of greater value, often we must sacrifice something of lesser value to attain something greater. Is there something holding you back from becoming what God knows you can become? What lesser thing could you sacrifice to become the next best version of yourself? What one thing, if sacrificed today, would permit you greater faith in Christ to take another step in God’s path, allowing you to expand, progress, and grow? Whatever that one thing is, sacrifice it. Commit to do it, now.
Ultimately, what you choose to sacrifice will not only impact you, but also future generations.
On May 22, 1882, my great-grandfather, Charles Haacke, was baptized into the Church with his entire family in Germany. Shortly thereafter, due to government pressures, his parents rejected the Church. Charles refused to do so and at age 16 was kicked out of his home permanently by his father. With the help of members, he was given money for passage to New York City. His goal: join the Saints in Utah. His choice required many sacrifices. When he arrived in New York, he did not speak English; he was at the mercy of strangers. On February 8, 1885, he began his journey West with less than a dollar in his pocket, walking and hitching rides on trains where possible. Several months later, exactly 138 years ago today, on June 27, 1885, he arrived in Evanston, Wyoming. He joined a branch of the Church, receiving strength by gathering with fellow Saints, as Brother John Mackenzie spoke about in devotional last week,[24] before arriving in Salt Lake City a year later in June 1886.
His journey is a story of unimaginable sacrifices—starvation, bitterly cold winter days and nights in the elements, and complete exhaustion. It is also a story of good Samaritans who took pity on him to provide food, clothing, and shelter. Some were kind, many were not. He often faced disdain when others discovered he was a Latter-day Saint.
My favorite story is when he arrived in Green River, Wyoming, before reaching Evanston. He met a section boss and conversed with him so far as his limited knowledge of English would permit. Quoting from a short story published about my great-grandfather’s journey, the section boss said, “‘So you want to go to Utah? I suppose you know that most of the people out there are Mormons. Why do you want to go there? Are you a Mormon?’ [Charles] . . . paused for an answer. . . . [Fearing] he would be subjected to a round of bitter abuse, he replied, ‘N-n-no.’ As soon as he said it he felt . . . contemptible. [As] he walked away . . . [he] said to himself . . . ‘Charles, you know you are very small potatoes to deny your religion under any circumstances, . . . well maybe I can mend it.’” After having walked a distance, he returned to find the section boss. “When he found him he asked, ‘Say boss, what kind of people are the Mormons? Are they pretty bad?’ ‘No, they are good people.’ ‘Well, I told you I wasn’t a Mormon and I felt [so] ashamed . . . that I came back to say, I am a Mormon.’” That evening the section boss took Charles to his hut, fed him, and treated him with hospitality and kindness and became an important contact from that point forward.[25]
When contemplating my great-grandfather’s journey, I wonder why at any point he didn’t just throw up his hands and say, “I’m done. The sacrifice isn’t worth it.”
I’m sure he had moments of doubt; however, he completed his journey, joined the saints in Utah, found a girl to marry (also a convert from Germany), and had 10 sons. My grandfather was a twin, the last two sons born to Charles and Hedwig Haacke. Charles’ choice of faith in Christ each day has made all the difference to thousands of us, his descendants, who enjoy the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Likewise, your good choices of sacrifice, self-control, and obedience will not only bless you but also your future posterity. Every day you choose faith in Christ is a day you'll expand, progress, and grow.
Look around. We, your teachers, administrators, staff, President Henry J. Eyring, and executives, support and cheer for you. You can and will succeed at BYU-Idaho. We all have experienced, as have you, the expanding, increased light of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our own lives. Wherever you are in life’s journey, we beckon you to enter and take your next step in God’s covenant path. Envision yourself overcoming obstacles, one at a time, through faith in Christ.
You are a child of God with infinite potential. Embrace sacrifice as a principle of power and choose each day to enter and progress on God’s covenant path through faith in Christ. Faith that keeping His commandments will bless you and those around you. Faith that through Christ your sins will be forgiven, and you can start fresh. Faith that you can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you.[26] Faith, that because of Christ there’s always hope. “He will deepen [your] joys, expand [your] vision, quicken [your] mind, strengthen [your] muscles, lift [your] spirits, multiply [your] blessings, increase [your] opportunities, [and] comfort [your] souls.”[27]
Yesterday is gone, today is the day to choose God’s covenant path—of increasing freedom, capacity, and opportunity, through faith in Jesus Christ. It makes all the difference. Every day you choose faith in Christ is a day you'll expand, progress, and growinto the person God knows you can and will become. I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] John 8:34.
[2] Mosiah 3:19.
[3] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Freedom to Become,” BYU-Idaho Devotional, March 3, 2020, https://www.byui.edu/devotionals/elder-and-sister-dieter-f-uchtdorf.
[4] Doctrine and Covenants 50:24.
[5] Kelly C. Eyring, “Experiencing More This Semester,” BYU-Idaho Devotional, Apr. 18, 2023, https://www.byui.edu/devotionals/sister-eyring-spring-2023.
[6] 3 Nephi 27:33.
[7] Ibid.
[8] 2 Nephi 10:23.
[9] Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken,” The Atlantic Monthly (August 1915).
[10] Glenn L. Pace, “‘They’re Not Really Happy,’” Nov. 1987, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1987/11/theyre-not-really-happy.
[11] Moses 1:39.
[12] Mosiah 5:2.
[13] Ezra Taft Benson, “The Great Commandment—Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1988/05/the-great-commandment-love-the-lord.
[14] Ezra Taft Benson, “Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations,” BYU Speeches, Dec. 10, 1974,
[15] Luke 15: 17–20, emphasis added.
[16] Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better,” Ensign, May 2019, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2019/05/36nelson.
[17] 2 Nephi 9:45.
[18] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “God among Us,” Liahona, May 2021, https://site.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/05/12uchtdorf.
[19] Helaman 5:12, emphasis added.
[20] Russell M. Nelson, “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2021/11/47nelson.
[21] Russell M. Nelson, “Overcome the World and Find Rest,” Liahona, Nov. 2022, https://site.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2022/11/47nelson.
[22] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Freedom to Become.”
[23] Ibid.
[24] John Mackenzie, “Strength through Gathering,” BYU-Idaho Devotional, June 20, 2023.
[25] “Charles A. Haacke Family 1865–1965,” 1965.
[26] Philippians 4:13.
[27] Ezra Taft Benson, “Jesus Christ—Gifts and Expectations.”