A Latter-day Saint Keeps on Trying

By Elder Dale G. Renlund

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

From an April 2015 general conference address.

In His mercy, God promises forgiveness when we repent and turn from wickedness—so much so that our sins will not even be mentioned to us. For us, because of the Atonement of Christ and our repentance, we can look at our past deeds and say, “That’s who I was. But that past wicked self is no longer who I am.”

President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) has taught, “One of God’s greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final.”¹ Even if we’ve been a conscious, deliberate sinner or have repeatedly faced failure and disappointment, the moment we decide to try again, the Atonement of Christ can help us. And we need to remember that it is not the Holy Ghost that tells us we’re so far gone that we might as well give up.

God’s desire that Latter-day Saints keep on trying also extends beyond overcoming sin. Whether we suffer because of troubled relationships, economic challenges, or illnesses or as a consequence of someone else’s sins, the Savior’s infinite Atonement can heal even—and perhaps especially—those who have innocently suffered. He understands perfectly what it is like to suffer innocently as a consequence of another’s transgression. As prophesied, the Savior will “bind up the brokenhearted, … give … beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, [and] the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isaiah 61:1–3; see also Luke 4:16–21). No matter what, with His help, God expects Latter-day Saints to keep on trying.

My invitation to all of us is to evaluate our lives, repent, and keep on trying. If we don’t try, we’re just latter-day sinners; if we don’t persevere, we’re latter-day quitters; and if we don’t allow others to try, we’re just latter-day hypocrites. As we try, persevere, and help others to do the same, we are true Latter-day Saints. As we change, we will find that God indeed cares a lot more about who we are and about who we are becoming than about who we once were.

Elder Dale G. Renlund

Born on November 13, 1952, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Married Ruth Lybbert in the Salt Lake Temple in 1977.
Spent his career as a cardiologist specializing in heart failure and heart transplantation.
About his call to be an Apostle, he said, “I think President Monson sensed that my bones had dissolved.”
Sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 3, 2015.
Became the 100th person called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the latter days.
Has one daughter, Ashley.
Received BA and MD degrees from the University of Utah.
His first language was Swedish.
Served a full-time mission in Sweden.
Was a professor of medicine at the University of Utah.
At age 12, while attending church in a remodeled home, he and a friend lit a firecracker in the chapel’s adjacent overflow area.
Reading the Christmas story in Luke 2 was a family Christmas tradition.
As a doctor, he learned from his patients that heartache can become joy through the gospel.
Received a witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon when he was 11.
Was called to serve as bishop in his third year of medical residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland, USA.