“One Task at a Time,” New Era, Feb. 2015, 6–7
One Task at a Time
You don’t have to do everything all at once to be awesome.
Illustrations by Jake Parker
Your school day would fly by so much faster with one tiny tweak to the standard learning process. Namely, that all of your daily subjects be taught in a single classroom simultaneously.
Think of it! No schlepping your book bag from one side of the school to the next, no spending all day in classrooms. You’d simply sit in one spot for an hour or so while six or seven different teachers talked over each other and gave their lessons all at the same time.
Sound a bit silly? Of course it is. Try to pretend, however, that somebody actually thought this hair-brained scheme could work and you had to participate. Would you beat yourself up for not keeping up with the simultaneous lessons? You shouldn’t. Nobody can be expected to focus on so many things at once.
Our journey through mortality is the same. We can’t possibly do everything we are asked to do all at the same time. Sometimes, though, it’s easy to forget that simple truth.
And that’s when we can get discouraged.
What Matters Most … and When
Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “We need not worry if we can’t simultaneously do all of the things that the Lord has counseled us to do. … 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.”1
If we’re not careful, it can be way too easy to look at the many different things we know we should be doing and focus on the areas where we’re falling short (or where we think we’re falling short). If we slip into that practice too often and always feel like we aren’t measuring up, a dangerous mind-set can form.
“Why even try for the celestial kingdom?” we might ask ourselves in exasperation. “I know I’ll never make it!”
Despair and frustration are some of the favorite tools of the adversary. And, they’re also some of the most effective. The moment he can convince anyone to stop trying, he wins.
So don’t let him win.
The truth is, you’re probably doing better than you think.
Perfection as a Process
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, said, “God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect. Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.”2
Trying to become perfect in every area of your life at the same time is like trying to climb a steep mountain on a unicycle while learning to juggle. This problem is made worse still when we measure our own efforts against those of other people.
“We spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths,” President Uchtdorf says. “This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does.”3
So celebrate those good efforts! If you had a goal to memorize 10 new scriptures during a school year and you were able to memorize only 8 despite your best efforts, that’s still something to celebrate. You now have 8 scriptures you can call on anytime you need. It especially doesn’t detract from your success if your friend memorized 15 new scriptures. We’re not graded on a curve. Your good efforts stand on their own.
Keep on Truckin’
As Elder Scott counseled, sincere prayer can help you know which parts of your life Heavenly Father wants you to focus on at this moment. When you want to do everything right now and don’t feel like you can, ask Him to help you prioritize what’s most important for you right now. There will be time for the others in the future.
And when you make mistakes along the way, remember that you’re in the very best of company. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with.”4
Perfection takes time. A lifetime. So don’t get bogged down trying to figure it out all at once.
Just keep moving ahead and let the Lord guide your steps. One step at a time.