Wednesday, October 31, 2012

A Sincere Desire

I have felt a subtle change in my life that hasn't always been there.  I can honestly say that throughout my life I have wanted to be a good person who wants to choose the right in everything that I do.  Lately I have felt an urging and a desire to take it one step further and always try to do the very best thing that I can.
We are children of a Heavenly Father and we carry within us characteristic traits of Him.  He wants us to be happy and to experience the joys that come from doing what is right.
I listened to a General Conference talk given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  He spoke of being a good and honest man. 
I believe that the best effort we can give is sufficient. 
I have always believed that to do my best is ultimately easier on my life than to settle for mediocrity.
Let me share a tiny example that can apply to life.  I once worked with a man who was a goodly man but his work ethic wasn't the greatest.  Building aircraft parts seems like a pretty important job and building them correctly seems absolutely necessary.  I watched as this man did average work and didn't seem to care about good workmanship.  One day I approached him about his work.  I asked him if he wanted to board the airplane that had been poorly constructed but was still going to fly at thirty-five thousand feet.  He told me that he didn't like to fly.  I asked if he had family members that did fly.  His answer was 'yes'.  He thought about that for a few moments and then promised that from that day on he would make the necessary changes to do better.  He did.  I was grateful for his willingness to change and  a desire to do better.
We have an obligation to do better. 
Life is so wonderful and doing the right thing contributes to a better way of living.