The Straight-A Missionary

Imagine for a second that the Washington DC South Mission is a top-notch university, one that's been highly rated and known to be challenging. You've worked your entire life to accomplish what is needed to enter its doors and are elated when you receive your acceptance letter, stating that "you have been recommended as one worthy to represent the Lord as a minister of the restored gospel". Before you start your first day, you do everything you can to prepare yourself for the curriculum that awaits you.

You find out that you have an excellent and experienced professor, President Matthew L. Riggs. A syllabus known as the Missionary Handbook is provided to help you know how to succeed and achieve desired grades. You receive two textbooks, Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon, to be your guides in this spiritual exploration. Lastly, you're given a structured class schedule that will increase your productivity and spiritual sensitivity as you follow it exactly.

Now that you're feeling more ready to finally begin your education, you try to figure out how you can obtain the highest GPA possible. Lucky for you, your professor has made a ironclad promise to all of his students - to receive straight A's, you MUST be obedient to the rigorous morning schedule:
1) Rise up early
2) Exercise
3) Effective studies

What are the benefits to starting your morning off as established by President Riggs or, more importantly, the Lord? Not only will there be physical effects (more energy and less stress), but the spiritual blessings from God are innumerable! Elder Russell M. Nelson said in the April 2014 General Conference, "Keeping divine commandments brings blessings every time. Breaking divine commandments brings a loss of blessings every time." There is no question that when we choose to follow the schedule that's been set, we will prosper.

Take this moment to grade yourself: are YOU a straight-A missionary?

"I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise" (D&C 82:10). When we willfully obey what the Lord would have us do, He is BOUND to bless our efforts. No matter what obstacles are thrown at us in our schooling, we will ALWAYS succeed simply because we have followed that morning schedule. It is important to remember that: "When obedience ceases to become an irritant and becomes our quest - at that moment God shall endow us with power" (President Ezra Taft Benson).

And though it seems that some difficult challenges may still arise, President Riggs assures us, "If you're a straight-A missionary, then it's not about working harder, but working smarter; not doing more, but getting more." As we couple our exact obedience with a reliance on the Spirit in our daily work, we will find increased success. Let us call down the powers of a heaven to discover where God truly wants us placed!

Consider what kind of missionary your mom thinks you are - a straight-A missionary! As we live worthily of the Lord's guidance by keeping His commandments, we will never have to worry if our best is enough.