Wisdom and Order

One of the recent Daily Messages was from Elder Richard G. Scott's talk For Peace at Home. He said:

We need not worry if we can’t simultaneously do all of the things that the Lord has counseled us to do. He has spoken of a time and a season for all things. In response to our sincere prayers for guidance, He will direct us in what should be emphasized at each phase of our life. We can learn, grow, and become like Him one consistent step at a time.

This is comforting news to many of us, especially those of us who are acutely aware of how far we have to go toward our goal of becoming like God. God did not gain all His attributes overnight, and we don't have to, either. We can work on developing those traits one at a time. Of course, there is a question of priorities. God sometimes has an opinion on which Christlike attribute we should develop next. But like King Benjamin said, "all these things are [to be] done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. [Instead], it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order" (Mosiah 4:27).

God doesn't expect us to become perfect right away, and He doesn't want us to try to work on everything at once. Some things are more immediately necessary than others, and which traits should be developed first may well depend on the individual. Perhaps I need to work on diligence right now, while you may need to work on charity. Or maybe I need to work on obedience, while you need to work on faith. Only God knows what we each need to work on at any particular moment, but we can each learn what we need to work on now, if we ask Him.

I know it sound dangerous to ask God which Christlike attribute you most need to work on, but God's not going to give us more homework than we can handle. He won't overwhelm us by telling us that we need to work on everything. Rather, He is far more likely to give you one or two Christlike attributes to focus on. Once you've developed those, God may direct you to work on others. Becoming like God is an ongoing process, and only God Himself can tell us with certainty what our next step should be. Thankfully, though, we only have to take those steps one at a time.