When on a life-long trek towards an abundant life, one thing could surely stand in the way, said Sister Cheryl A. Esplin, second counselor in the LDS General Primary Presidency Tuesday at the BYU Devotional.
Sand.
Sand, she said, in shoes can grind blisters into feet, can irritate constantly and can make every step toward progression agony.
“In our journey of life we are too troubled with sand in our shoes—sand in the form of change, challenges, trials, and temptations,” Esplin said, “We can either let these things stop us short of our goal or we can find ways to dump the sand from our shoes and continue in our journey.”
Esplin outlined three ways to remove the “grains of sand” in order to reach our eternal potential and live a more happy, abundant life:
- Seek light, enlightenment and truth
- See with an eternal perspective
- Feel and express gratitude
“Everything the Savior did and said was for the benefit of humankind,” Esplin said, “Everything was to help us not only have a more abundant life on earth but also to attain the most abundant life of all—even an eternal life.”
Seek light, enlightenment and truth
“The search for knowledge, light and truth is one of the reasons we are on earth,” Esplin said.
The Savior blesses those who seek enlightenment, and BYU is the perfect place to do just that.
Esplin quoted President Worthen’s inaugural address where he reaffirmed BYU’s mission statement: "'to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life' by providing 'a period of intensive learning' that includes not just 'the arts, letters, and sciences' but also 'the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.'"
Feel and express gratitude
We all come across moments where everthing lines up just perfectly. The reason for these seemingly coincidental moments is gratitude, Esplin said. When gratitude is given to the Lord, blessings become more recognizable. It then seems that gratitude precedes the blessing instead of the blessing preceding the gratitude.
“It’s interesting how gratitude works. We think we are giving back to the Lord by being grateful, but instead the Lord blesses us still more—for being grateful,” Esplin said.
See with an eternal perspective
When seeing with an eternal perspective, one can understand that all the lessons learned and the mistakes made in this life only lead us to a deeper understanding of our Savior's plan for us. Discouragement from small things will only keep us from eternal progression.
“In this journey, it is important for us to understand God’s plan. Change, challenges, trials, and temptations are temporary and prepare us for eternal life,” Esplin said.
Esplin encouraged every person to achieve their highest potential by continually striving for an abundant life. Do not miss opportunities to gain truth and light, do not forget that the Savior wants you to succeed, and do not leave the sand in your shoes, she said.
“Wherever we are on our journey, the Savior has made it possible through His redeeming and enabling power for us to dump the sand from our shoes,” Esplin said. “This is your world. The future is in your hands. The outcome is up to you.”
Writer: Jenna Randle
