When I was in high school, our volleyball coach told us that we needed to run a mile five days a week for three weeks as part of our summer “conditioning.”

I despised running.

But I wanted to make my coach proud.

The first week, I ran a mile on five different days and recorded my times. ⁣

I was happy to report to my coach that I had met the goal…

But she never asked. ⁣

Darn.

The second week, I missed a day, only running 4 days.

But I still recorded my times. ⁣

I had my excuse ready to go…

But again, my coach never asked. ⁣

The third and final week, I figured she didn’t really care about us running on our own.

So I only ran one day. ⁣

She never asked.

And that was it. ⁣

Looking back, I realized my only motivation for running was the fact that my coach had asked. ⁣

But… I happened to record my mile times in a notebook that I discovered a few years later.

As I looked through my list of mile times, I discovered that I had improved my time every single time that I ran!

I had gotten faster and stronger, and yet all I cared about was what I could “get away with.”

“And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself.”(Helaman 14:30)

When we “cut the corners” on our righteous spiritual habits, we might get away with it.

But we are the ones who have to deal with the eventual temporal and eternal consequences.

“On the straight and narrow path, there are simply no corners to be cut.” – Neal A. Maxwell

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

Share:

Facebook
Pinterest
Email
Print

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

Keep Studying

Related Posts

I am the best… and the worst

Two situations happened to me recently: First: I was in a church class where everyone commiserated about how difficult it is to read their scriptures

Asking for help 

Those silly Nephites. ⁣ They were struggling for their lives. They were being slaughtered. Their peace was being destroyed. ⁣ And yet they didn’t call

Church-y Christmas Gift Guide 2024

With the holiday season upon us, are you looking to gift something that is memorable and meaningful?! I have gotten the opportunity to connect with

Team Lead 

After my first year teaching, I felt like I was drowning. ⁣ Teaching middle school was tough. I prayed that there would be some kind

Mormon refused

Mormon refused to be the military leader anymore. Not out of hatred, or disgust, or annoyance. ⁣ But out of love. ⁣ “I… had loved