In July 2003, a friend convinced me to participate in the Burley Spudman Triathlon—a race consisting of a 1-mile swim, 25-mile bike ride, and 6-mile run. At the time, I had been running regularly and biked occasionally but did not swim well. When I expressed concerns, I was told the swim would be easy as it would take place in the Snake River. All I needed to do was stay in the current and the river would do most of the work. Convinced, I agreed to the race and diligently trained for the bike and run. However, I did not focus on my swimming.
The day of the race arrived and after getting in the water, I worked my way to the edge to be out of the way of the stronger swimmers. Unfortunately, I also managed to move myself out of the strongest current and I did not realize this until well into the race. Because I had not prepared myself for swimming, it was more difficult than expected, and I became exhausted to the point I feared drowning. Eventually—and thankfully—I was able to finish the swim leg of the race.
What would have made the difference for me in this experience? Being “all in” the strongest current would have helped. Also, had I been all in with my preparation before the race ever started, my success would not have been dependent on the current alone. On several levels, I was not all in.
What does it mean to be “all in?” Merriam-Webster defines it as being “fully committed to or involved in something.”[1] There are many situations where being all in can be applied, including school, employment, church and community service, or developing talents and skills. In truth, we should try to give our best efforts toward every good thing we do. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated:
If we want to find balance in life, and if we want the Savior to lift us heavenward, then our commitment to Him and His gospel can’t be casual or occasional.[2]
A few words listed as antonyms to casual and occasional are deliberate, premeditated, constant, steady, and frequent. So, to rephrase Elder Uchtdorf’s comment would be to say our commitment to the Savior and His gospel must be deliberate, premeditated, constant, steady, and frequent. In other words, we need to be “all in.”
I was not deliberate, constant, or frequent in my swimming preparation for the triathlon or the outcome might have been different. To apply this to spiritual matters, there are things that—if neglected—will impact the overall results of our mortal journey. If our ultimate desire is to attain exaltation, we need to strive to be “all in” with the spiritual aspects of our race.
In the past week’s devotional discussion board, participants were invited to share a gospel principle where they felt being “all in” is essential. These inspired responses included ideas like tithing, repentance, following the prophet, prayer, and more. The opportunities to be all in for the Savior are vast and varied. However, today I want to focus on three: learn to receive revelation, stay on the covenant path, love one another.
Learn to Receive Revelation
First, be “all in” and learn to receive revelation. When I realized my danger midway through the triathlon swim, the time for preparation was past. It was too late to strengthen my swimming skills, and I was left to my own doggy-paddling devices.
Similarly, the time to learn how to recognize spiritual promptings is not when adversity hits. We do not know what the future will bring, but President Russell M. Nelson has challenged us to prepare now by honing our skills to “intentionally hear, hearken, and heed.”[3] We can face the future with more confidence when we are “all in” and able to fully utilize the Holy Ghost.
Ancient prophets foretold “perilous times” and it is not difficult to see that prophesied time is now. President Nelson has also counseled:
In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.[4]
As Moses led the children of Israel from Egypt and they reached the Red Sea, the Egyptians were close behind. We read in Doctrine and Covenants 8:3 that revelation was “the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.”[5] The time for Moses to discover how the Spirit spoke to him was not in that critical moment.
Nephi was inspired to get the brass plates “not knowing beforehand the things which he should do.”[6] Nephi may not have been successful in his efforts had he not previously prepared to receive spiritual promptings. In 1 Nephi 10:17, we read “I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him.”[7] Those “who diligently seek him”[8] are “all in.”
After joining the Church, my great-grandfather, Ole Hansen, emigrated from Norway and settled in Menan, Idaho. In 1925, he obtained employment hauling sand from the Menan Little Butte quarry. As work progressed, workers would drive trucks or teams under a rock overhang to get a new load.
One morning, Grandpa Ole received a strong spiritual prompting: “This hill is going to tip over today.” His first thought was the hill could not possibly collapse, but he eventually investigated the top of the rock ledge. He was alarmed to discover a large crack along the ridge and knew he had to act. Though other workers were skeptical, Grandpa Ole finally convinced all to evacuate. Less than five minutes later, several tons of sand and rock fell where the evacuated men had just been working. Grandpa Ole’s ability to receive and respond to spiritual promptings saved more than 25 men that day.
Like Moses, Nephi, and my great-grandfather, we need to be ready to receive revelation when it comes. How might we increase our ability to recognize the Spirit’s voice?
Sister Rebecca L. Craven stated, “If you want to know anything, you will have to do something.”[9] We know what that “something” might include. For example, prayer is key and we need to remember it is two-way communication. For revelation to work, listening is an important step. This requires practice and patience.
Scripture study is also essential. Plan time for pondering the scriptures you read each day. As you do, you will begin to recognize new insights about what you are reading and often be given direction regarding current challenges you face.
Have you noticed the words “record your impressions” are at the beginning of every “Come Follow Me” lesson? When promptings come through prayer, scripture study, or other means, take time to write them down. As you do this, doors will open to further inspiration. Sister Sheri L. Dew called such efforts “sheer spiritual labor,” and noted:
Our ability to hear spiritually is linked to our willingness to work at it. President Hinckley has often said that the only way he knows to get anything done is to get on his knees and plead for help and then get on his feet and go to work. That combination of faith and hard work is the consummate curriculum for learning the language of the Spirit. . . . Worshiping in the temple, repenting to become increasingly pure, forgiving and seeking forgiveness, and earnest fasting and prayer all increase our receptivity to the Spirit. Spiritual work works and is the key to learning to hear the voice of the Lord.[10]
Another way to finetune your spiritual ears is to remove things that may drown out His voice. Elder David A. Bednar provided this counsel:
The standard is clear. If something we think, see, hear, or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing, hearing, or doing that thing. If that which is intended to entertain, for example, alienates us from the Holy Spirit, then certainly that type of entertainment is not for us. Because the Spirit cannot abide that which is vulgar, crude, or immodest, then clearly such things are not for us. Because we estrange the Spirit of the Lord when we engage in activities we know we should shun, then such things definitely are not for us.[11]
As we deliberately, constantly, and frequently strive to do the spiritual work necessary to receive promptings as well as eliminate things that might limit this capacity, we will be “all in” with our preparation to hear the Spirit and better face the challenging days ahead.
Stay on the Covenant Path
Another area of focus for being “all in” relates to staying firmly on the covenant path.
In my triathlon swim, I was not “all in” the river’s strong current. This inadvertently cost me energy and time and could have cost me my life. Likewise, being all in—or perhaps all on—the covenant path is essential as we navigate life’s journey.
Each of us are at different places on our personal covenant path. Whether you have recently been baptized or have already started your eternal family, to be “all in,” you must keep the covenants you have previously made and endure to the end.
In his first message as president of the Church, President Nelson counseled:
To each member of the Church I say, keep on the covenant path. Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping those covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available.[12]
What are some of the spiritual blessings and privileges you would like to receive? Whatever is on my list is within my reach if I am “all in” with keeping my covenants. Casual or occasional covenant-keeping will not lead to temporal blessings I desire in this life or celestial rewards I hope for in eternity.
If we are casual in our covenant keeping, we are opening the door to “the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.”[13] Satan, who is an expert at distraction, discouragement, and deception, wants us to rationalize taking a step or two away from the covenant path, and his methods are sneaky and subtle.
Alternately, President Nelson counseled:
Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God.[14]
To access God’s power and stay safe and centered on the covenant path, attend Sunday meetings every week. Partake of the sacrament to renew baptismal covenants to keep the commandments, remember the Savior, and be a disciple of Christ. Prepare to go to the temple, keep your recommend current, and attend as often as you can. Elder M. Russell Ballard said:
Sometimes we are tempted to let our lives be governed more by convenience than by covenant . . . but there is no spiritual power in living by convenience. The power comes as we keep our covenants.[15]
Resolve now to be “all in” with your covenant keeping and stay safely in the center of the covenant path.
Love One Another
Finally, endeavor to be all in with the love you share with others.
One of the things I always enjoyed when participating in races like the triathlon was the camaraderie felt from other racers and spectators. Family members, friends, and race volunteers cheer from the sidelines for everyone—whether they know them or not. Further, racers often encourage each other as they cross paths along the trail. Can you imagine how difficult or discouraging a race might be if those participants who were faster and stronger belittled or mocked those they passed?
We are all at different places on our spiritual journey and each of us moves at a different speed. We do not know the stories of others, why they might be struggling, questioning, or faltering. What may seem easy to us could be exceptionally difficult to someone else. The Lord is truly the only one who knows each heart and because of this, He has asked us not to judge, but to simply “love one another.”[16] In last week’s devotional address, Sister Jacquel Fluckiger stated:
We can, and should, seek to help others who may be struggling with their own pains and sufferings. Service to them will remind us of the fact that we can be like Him, even in some small way. . . . Whatever road we are on is exactly the one we [need] to be traveling, if only for the fact that we are given the opportunity to meet someone on the same road that [needs] us to lift them up or them to lift us.[17]
President Henry B. Eyring also shared this advice from a wise Church leader:
When you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.[18]
Determine now to lift and encourage everyone you meet, especially those who are facing particularly hard stretches of their race. Society seems to grow increasingly cynical, sarcastic, and judgmental. From comments on social media to political bashing to rioting, we often see a lack of tolerance, civility, and love. Occasionally, even members of the Church respond in anger, sometimes in the name of defending our beliefs. But this is not the Savior’s way. Instead, He invites us to cultivate charity for all. President Gordon B. Hinckley stated:
Desist from making cutting remarks one to another. Rather, cultivate the art of complimenting, of strengthening, of encouraging. . . . It is a responsibility divinely laid upon each of us to bear one another's burdens, strengthen one another, to encourage one another, to lift one another, to look for the good in one another and to emphasize that good. There is not a man or woman in this vast assembly who cannot be depressed on the one hand or lifted on the other by the remarks of his or her associates.[19]
We read in Moroni 7:47 that, “Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”[20] I have always loved Elder Marvin J. Ashton’s view on charity:
We often equate charity with visiting the sick, taking in casseroles to those in need, or sharing our excess with those who are less fortunate. But really, true charity is much, much more. Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again. . . . Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.[21]
Commit to be charitable and loving to all you may encounter on the path of your race.
Now, some may find the concept of being “all in” overwhelming and discouraging. Being all in may even seem impossible.
Interestingly, there is a second definition from Merriam-Webster for “all in.” It is to be “tired or exhausted.”[22] This definition may be more your reality than the one I have been focusing my comments on today. More often than not, I more easily relate to this meaning myself. However, please keep in mind that we are all works in progress. It is impossible to give our 100 percent best to everything we do every minute of every day. Some days will be better than others. Remember that while “it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do,”[23] the scriptures also say, “it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength,”[24] but that we “should be diligent to win the prize.”[25]
While some racers participate with the intent to win, most join with a personal goal in mind. Whether it is finishing within an allotted time or simply just to finish, the competition is not with others so much as with themselves. This is how we should each approach our individual life’s race. We should not compare ourselves against the faster swimmers, runners, or bikers as we move toward the finish line. Remember this race is personal and we each have our own strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Our speed or how often we might need a rest is not indicative of our overall progress. If we are facing the right direction and giving our best effort in each moment, the prize will be ours.
President Nelson has said, “The Lord loves effort,”[26] and Elder Dale G. Renlund stated, “God cares a lot more about who we are and who we are becoming than about who we once were. He cares that we keep on trying.”[27] So, if you feel your efforts are only 50 percent of what you think 100 percent should look like, take heart. The Savior’s grace will make up the difference. I love the promise in Doctrine and Covenants 123:17:
Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.[28]
In the frantic moments of my swim that day in 2003, one of the pervading thoughts that kept me going was that my mother had come to cheer me on, and she was waiting to encourage me where the swim leg ended. Knowing she was expecting me to emerge from that river was a strong motivator that was almost as powerful as my desire not to die. Though I was one of the last ones out of the water, she never indicated disappointment or judgment—only love, support, and encouragement.
We can know with certainty the Savior is not just cheering for us from the shore. Rather, when we are despairing, doubting, or even drowning, He will walk across the water to meet us where we are and rescue us if—and when—we fall short. We can be confident the Savior is now, always has been, and always will be “all in” for us. His hopeful hand is eternally extended.
As you continue forward in life’s race, I invite you to strive to be “all in” with your efforts to receive revelation, stay on the covenant path, and love others. As you do so, you will move ever closer to returning to live with our Heavenly Father and Savior, who hope to see all of Their children all in the celestial kingdom together with Them. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] “All-in,” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all-in.
[2] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Our Heartfelt All,” Liahona, May 2022.
[3] Russell M. Nelson, “Hear Him,” Ensign, May 2020.
[4] Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign, May 2018.
[5] Doctrine & Covenants 8:3.
[6] 1 Nephi 4:6.
[7] 1 Nephi 10:17.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Rebecca L. Craven, “Do What Mattereth Most,” Liahona, May 2022.
[10] Sheri L. Dew, “We Are Not Alone,” Ensign, Nov. 1998.
[11] David A. Bednar, “That We May Always Have His Spirit to Be with Us,” Ensign, May 2006.
[12] Russell M. Nelson, “As We Go Forward Together,” Liahona, Apr. 2018.
[13] 1 Nephi 12:17.
[14] Russell M. Nelson, “Spiritual Treasures,” Ensign, Nov. 2019.
[15] M. Russell Ballard, “Like a Flame Unquenchable,” Ensign, May 1999.
[16] John 13:35.
[17] Jacquel Fluckiger, “The Lord’s Timing,” BYU-I Devotional, Jul. 5, 2022.
[18] Henry B. Eyring, “The Reward of Enduring Well,” Ensign, Jul. 2017.
[19] Gordon B. Hinckley, “Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled,” BYU Devotional, Oct. 29, 1974.
[20] Moroni 7:47.
[21] Marvin J. Ashton, “The Tongue Can Be a Sharp Sword,” Ensign, May 1992.
[22] “All-in,” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/all-in.
[23] 2 Nephi 25:23.
[24] Mosiah 4:27.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Joy D. Jones, “An Especially Noble Calling,” Ensign, May 2020.
[27] Dale G. Renlund, “Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying,” Ensign, May 2015.
[28] Doctrine & Covenants 123:17.