Good, Better, Best

Among the many struggles of human life, many people are faced with the predicament of how to fill their schedules, and what to do with their lives everyday.  There are an infinite amount of things that we could do at every moment, and sometimes it's hard to choose what to do.  I have recently been faced with this challenge, and truthfully, it's difficult to figure out.  However, the words of Elder Oaks echoes in my ears; "Good, Better, Best."  In our limited amount of time on this Earth, we need to utilize every single moment, and make the best out of everything.  There's no time for anything else.  Every second we have is a gracious gift from God, and how are we using it?  It seems like the majority of our time is spent in some sort of time-waster, whether it be a video game or otherwise.

While I have been preparing my mind and my knowledge for my mission (both full-time and in my normal life), I have realized what I have missed out on.  Throughout most of late-elementary school and through middle school, I spent a lot of my time reading many books, some were good, and some were great.  I loved to read, and I would read whatever I could get my hands on.  But now, when I am faced with so many things in this life, and having so many trials of my knowledge, I regret not having utilized my time better.  I regret not learning as much as I could when I had so much free time.  In Doctrine and Covenants 88:118, it says "Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom." (emphasis added).  I realized that if I'm going to read anything, that I should be reading the best books.  The books that I learn the most from.  I realized that if I'm going to live my life, I should be living it in the best way possible.

Brothers and Sisters, we only have so long here in mortality.  We only have so many years.  I know, a year sounds like a long time, but it's really not.  How do you want to spend your time?  Do you want to change other's lives for the better?  Or do you want to spend your time doing things that avail little, if anything?  In this day and age, with so many things available to us, Satan's greatest tool is not simply getting a good man (or woman) to do something bad.  He only needs to convince a good person to do nothing.  He argues for the "good" things over the "best" things.

I know that if we will spend our times doing the "best" things, we will be greatly rewarded.  It will be hard, no one ever said it wouldn't be.  But if we keep pushing through, I promise that the blessings will greatly outweigh the price.  I have witnessed this time and time again in my own life.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.