In a recent Come, Follow Me video, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shares his thoughts on the early Saints’ struggle to establish Zion in 1831. “They were excited to go there and get to work,” he says. “But I don’t think they anticipated just how much work it would take or how much opposition they would face.”
To reassure and encourage the Saints, the Lord gave Joseph a revelation, now known as Doctrine and Covenants 64, in which He says, “Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.”
Elder Renlund acknowledges that, like the early Saints, our own challenges and insecurities may overwhelm us as we continue to build Zion today. He shares three suggestions for what to do when we become “weary in well-doing.”
1. Do What Is Necessary and in Accordance with God
Elder Renlund first suggests making sure we are doing what God has asked of us and “not something extra that we impose on ourselves.”
Referencing Doctrine and Covenants 3:1, he says, “If what we’re doing is frustrating, perhaps it’s not God’s necessary work, or we’re going about it in the wrong way.”
2. Don’t Worry about Perfection
Second, Elder Renlund counsels, “Don’t succumb to the temptation that God expects perfect performance. He doesn’t. Nor does he require that we run faster than we have strength.”
He clarifies that all God asks of us is our commitment and a willingness to do what’s right.
3. Don’t Compare
Lastly, Elder Renlund states, “Comparing your performance to that of others is a perfect recipe for becoming more weary in well-doing.”
Reflecting on his first few months as a new member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Renlund recalls feeling insecure: “I’d been called to the Twelve at the same time as Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Elder Gary E. Stevenson. They had much more experience in Church governance than I had and were doing so extraordinarily well in everything they did.”
Upon hearing of Elder Renlund’s concerns, Elder Quentin L. Cook took the time to encourage him, then offered some counsel: “Stop comparing yourself to others. The Lord knows your heart.”
Watch the full message in the player below.
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