Come, Follow Me Insights by Gogo Goff Doctrine and Covenants 10-11

I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come, Follow Me for Doctrine and Covenants 10-11. If you missed last week’s insight, Doctrine and Covenants 6-9 click here for it. Please share this with your friends or use this picture to save this pin to read later.

Enduring to the End.

“Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end.”
Doctrine and Covenants 10:4

In this verse the Lord gives Joseph advice on how to endure to the end, he is counseled to pace himself. I love the comparison of the gospel with running a marathon. For me personally, running is a huge part of my life, as it was on my mission when I weighed 300 lbs that I started running to get in shape, and it is actually while I run that I listen to so many talks and articles on the gospel library app, now I am here 8 years later, 60 lbs less, and over 3000 conference talks and dozens of other articles/books. So whenever I hear a running analogy it makes me happy. And this verse is an amazing one about pacing yourself.

See, in running, elite sprinters can run at their “max” speed for 8-10 seconds. The secret to running a Marathon is to find a pace that allows you to run as fast as their strength will allow for the distance required. If they attempted to sprint at their max speed they will burn out and never finish the race. And if they slowed down to a comfortable walk they would never win a race. This same advice applies to us, to pace ourselves we need to have some real introspection on how much “Strength” and “Means” we have. Combine that with prioritizing what we do, it will allow us to set a pace in life that will allow us to follow the advice of Paul.

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” 1st Cor 9:24 (That being said, remember we are not racing against each other but Satan.) When we pace ourselves in life we can avoid the extremes of overload or complacency just as the runner can avoid burnout, or being too slow. We are not expected to sprint the marathon of life, but we are expected to endure to the end.

The Rock.

“Build upon my rock, which is my gospel”
Doctrine and Covenants 11:24

One of my favorite titles of Christ is the Rock. I love this title because it shows up where we can build for safety. As the world deteriorates into conditions required before the second coming it is comforting to know there is a sure foundation that we can build on.

But it was not until I was living in South Carolina that I gained a different perspective for the title the Rock. I was in Gospel Doctrine when Sister Taylor shared an update about her daughter on a mission in South America, her daughter’s letter referred to helping people who’ve hit rock bottom realize, that Christ is the Rock at rock bottom. This concept shattered my understanding of Christ being the Rock. Not only was He the Rock who is able to provide the sure foundation for us to build an eternal life, but He is also the Rock that we fall on when we crash and burn with sin, mistakes, or stupidity.

Some of us find the Rock and make it our foundation early, and some of us make other things our foundation. Only when built upon the Rock will we be able to withstand the storms of life. Each one of us will have times that will try out faith, and when you hit rock bottom, remember Christ is the Rock.