Piercing Turbulence in Wisdom and Order

Probably my favorite verse of the whole King Benjamin address right now is Mosiah 4:27:

And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.

I particularly like that the Come, Follow Me manual asks: "How can you apply verse 27 to your efforts to be Christlike?"

So far, I have not been doing things in wisdom and in order. Instead, I've been trying to run as fast as I reasonably can. I thought I was pacing myself. I thought I could keep up a light jog. In fact, I felt like a slacker for not sprinting.

I was a fool. I probably still am, if I'm being completely honest, but I hope to be a little less of a fool going forward. And today in particular, I hope to be a little less of a fool about how I go forward.

Lately, I've been experiencing burnout. I haven't been myself lately. In fact, depending on who you ask and how you're measuring it, I haven't been myself in quite some time. I want to change that, and I think I know how, but I'm afraid of being (and being accused of being) a slacker.

I think I need to slow down. President Uchtdorf, back when he was still "President Uchtdorf," gave a talk in which he spoke of turbulence and how planes often reduce their speed to the "optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence." I think I should do the same.

Of course, this speed reduction shouldn't be permanent, only until I get through this turbulence and/or my legs get stronger. And this temporary speed reduction doesn't change my direction or destination. I'm still going to the same place, and it's still going to take me an eternity to get there; it's just that now I'm willing to acknowledge and accept how long it's going to take instead of insisting I try to get there as soon as possible and burning myself out to the point where it looks like I'm not going to get there at all.

Remember: eternal progression. And remember that Distance = Speed  x Time. Given the distance I need to travel, one might think that I should try to move quickly so I can cover the distance in a halfway reasonable amount of time. But I have an infinite amount of time. I can travel at a sustainable rate and still cover the distance. It'll just take me longer than most people. As long as I'm willing to accept that, I think I'll be okay. Those who hike across the country probably don't try to jog the whole way, yet they still go the distance, and so will I.

I'll still run as fast as I have strength, but I'm realizing that that strength is limited, and I shouldn't burn it out. I need to be careful not to hurt myself or anyone else. Of course, I also need to be careful that I don't completely slack off, and that's the problem. It's difficult to find the right balance. It's going to be tough to find my "optimum turbulence penetration speed," but it's important that I do so before I burn myself out and give up on this whole thing.

President Uchtdorf said "it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions." I am experiencing adverse conditions. I think I need to slow down.