The message I see now is Diligence and, surprisingly, Self-Esteem.
I know that I can't do much, and I'm okay with that. I don't have any big, special talents or skills. I'm not "the best" at anything. There are some things I can do. I can be helpful and friendly, nothing too impressive. Flecks, really. But if I do good things consistently, frequently, they can add up. As Elder Ballard said:
Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy...
- Elder M. Russell Ballard, "Finding Joy through Loving Service," General Conference April 2011
It doesn't matter that we are all human. We are all flawed and limited in what we can do. But we can do what we can, and that's all God ever asks of us. He asks us to put our few small flecks in the pouch, and in exchange, He promises us all that He has: an enormous treasure of blessings, including a sense of peace in this life and eternal joy in the life to come.
The young man with the gold pan may be discouraged, working under the hot sun with so little to show for it, but when we do what God asks, whatever the results may be, God will reward our efforts in His own time. We just have to be patient, have faith, and keep collecting the flecks.
1 comment:
Another message I get from it is that insights and direction from God come little bit by little bit.
It might be easy for me to say that a one-paragraph or one-sentence insight from my scripture reading is hardly worth writing down in my scripture journal. Yet I can see with my own eyes that they accumulate into pages and multiple volumes.
It might be easy for me to say some small inspiration isn't worth it if it doesn't have a large effect, but my many detours off the path require small inspirations to correct me. Over time they accumulate to significant progress in the right direction.
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