Thank heaven for those who keep trying

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Morning Session of the April 1985 Conference.

When we worship in the temple, there's a point where we're promised blessings "if we've been faithful in keeping our covenants." I always worry, when I hear that, that I haven't been faithful enough in keeping my covenants—just because there are always so many things I could do to keep them BETTER! There's so much more I could do to love others, to minister to those in need, to obey God more exactly, to remember Jesus Christ more often, to invite His spirit more constantly, and so on. So even though that promise and those blessings are meant to be comforting and wonderful, I often just find myself worrying that I'm not really meeting the conditions to receive those blessings. But it occurred to me, the other day, that being true to the principles of the gospel and keeping our covenants INCLUDES constant repentance. In fact, repentance is one of the first principles of the gospel! There's nothing in the covenants about "being good enough so you don't NEED to repent." Instead, we promise to repent—and keep repenting—over and over. It was a comforting thought for me, to realize that repenting from not keeping my covenants perfectly WAS—in fact—a way of keeping my covenants! If that makes sense.

Then, something Elder H. Burke Peterson said in his conference talk for this week's reading seemed to reinforce that thought:

In the day-to-day process of living, with all of its trials, challenges, and discouragements, we often underestimate our own God-given attributes and abilities which make it possible for each of us to pattern his or her life after that of the Savior and, in fact, do some of the things he did as he lived here among men. We may never personally experience the miracle of raising the dead, or be one to turn water into wine. We may not be one of thousands who may be fed from a few loaves and fishes, or be a part of the miraculous experience of walking on a stormy sea. But for each one of us, there are a number of Christlike patterns of living we can be a part of in our mortal sojourn. 

For instance, with us here today there are more than a few who display unquestioning obedience to whatever is asked of them—as did he. There are those who are complete in their forgiveness of the offenses of others—as was he. Some among us are scrupulously honest, even when it isn’t convenient—as was he. The list of Christlike attributes and patterns of living goes on and on, as does the list of those who will continue to strive to be obedient, however difficult it may be. Thank heaven for those who keep trying! They cannot fail.

I like the idea that we can be like Jesus in the small little patterns of our lives—even though it's incompletely and temporarily. And I like even more the idea that when we "continue to strive to be obedient" (implying that we FAIL in that quest from time to time), we are STILL being Christlike as soon as we decide to "keep trying."

It gets discouraging sometimes to work on something (patience, say) and to be trying so hard to react in a patient, calm way when stresses come—and then to always have your efforts end in failure. That happens to me all the time. I will manage to be patient and give a "soft answer" the first ten times one of the kids interrupts me or starts an argument, and I feel pretty good about those small victories—but then it seems like inevitably, the eleventh time proves too much for me and I end up snapping at someone and then regretting it. And I feel like, "what was the point of those little successes, then, if I always end up failing in the end anyway?" But it's reassuring to consider that by continuing to try, by continuing to resolve to do better, as Elder Peterson said, "we cannot fail." We just keep repenting and trying, and that IS how we keep our covenants day by day.