Worn Out in the Service of God

About 6 months ago I bought a new pair of shoes.  I was doing everything I could to hold off on buying them because I really liked my old pair.  But they were getting pretty worn out and the members where I was serving would ask me every time they saw me if I had invested in a new pair of shoes yet.  When a big chunk of the sole of my left shoe fell off I decided I should probably buckle down and buy a new pair.

It was exciting to have a new pair of shoes to walk around in.  I no longer had to worry about my feet getting soaked when it was raining outside because for some reason holes in the bottom of your shoes have a way of letting water in.  And I found that the new pair of shoes was much better on my back.

One day my companion and I probably walked 4 or 5 miles.  Usually that isn't that big of a deal but my feet were killing me because my new shoes hadn't been fully broken in yet.  Every step was painful.  Suddenly all I wanted was to wear my old pair of shoes.  I ended up with some pretty good blisters on my feet by the end of that day.

As I was walking around that day I came up with a parable or an analogy of sorts involving my new pair of shoes.  I decided that embracing the gospel and making it a part of your life is kind of like getting a new pair of shoes.  At first you are so excited and you can see some immediate differences in your life because of it.

But you quickly get a reality check.  Living the gospel of Jesus Christ requires a lot of us.  In fact, it requires our all.  We have been taught through the Prophet Joseph Smith that as we "embark in the service of God" we must "serve him with ALL your heart, might, mind strength."  (see D&C 4:2)  Whether my all is as much as your all, it doesn't matter.  There's a great equality in what is asked of every single disciple of Christ, and that is their all.

Giving our all is difficult.  It initially may be a little painful for us, just like blisters from a new pair of shoes is painful.  But over time, as we consistently live the gospel we will find that we are much stronger.  Figuratively we have broken our shoes in and have callouses instead of blisters. 

Even though we have hills to climb, and at times our shoes get muddy, or we trip and fall, we know that it is only through a life of true discipleship that we can return to our Heavenly Father because our Savior is the one helping us up that hill, who cleans our shoes when they get muddy, and who picks us up when we fall.  We continue down the gospel path because we know that Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6)

I love this story told by President Thomas S. Monson about President Spencer W. Kimball:

"One day I was sitting in the temple near President Kimball. As I looked down, I noticed that he had a large hole in his shoe. And I mean large! His stocking showed through. After the meeting I said to Arthur Haycock, President Kimball’s secretary, 'Arthur, you can’t let the President wear those shoes.'

"Arthur responded, “Has he got that pair out again? He has many pairs of shoes, and I frequently hide that pair, but he searches and finds that particular pair most of the time.”

"President Kimball was known for his statement showing his humility: 'My life is like my shoes—to be worn out in service.^'"

We learn from the scriptures that when we serve others we are also serving God. (see Mosiah 2:17)  Our shoes can figuratively be "worn out in the service of God" as we live the gospel with complete dedication and devotion.