The Lord Loves Effort

I went for a walk around the park this morning. As I was leaving the house, I turned on my headphones and a song list automatically started playing from my phone that I hadn't intentionally planned to listen to. It had a few catchy tunes so I left it running while I began my walk. After a few songs, Ed Sheeran's Song "Perfect" came up. As I listened to the song it took me back to a moment over a decade ago...

Jonathan and I were living in North Liberty, IA so he could attend the University of Iowa Nursing Anesthesia School. Earlier in the week he helped the Elder's Quorum with a move and while cleaning out a storage shed someone found a rusted old tricycle. One motioned to throw it away, but Jonathan doesn't work quite like that, and saw a glimmer of potential in the rusted metal scrap. He scooped it up and hauled it home.

The weekend came and Jonathan set to work reclaiming the rusted tricycle. He disassembled each piece of it and spent countless hours washing and scrubbing the pedals and wheels and scraping rust from the frame. As the days passed he would eek out a few moments here and there to work on the tricycle and prep it for the final stages of new paint and reassembly. The eventual goal being to present our two little boys a shiny new tricycle.

One particular evening of "Operation Tricycle Reclamation" came and I put the boys to bed and intended to set to work finishing up a few dishes and putting the house back together before the start of another day. I was standing in the hallway next to the door of the garage and paused, I could stay in the house and clean and tidy things up or I could walk out the garage door and be with Jonathan. I had no intention of actually helping him in any way, but just simply sit and watch him work and keep him company while he worked. I remember clearly debating what to do. I stopped everything that called to me in the house, and walked out the garage door. I sat on the stairs of the garage and we chatted and he sanded and showed off his work. Hours passed and I just sat there, occasionally offering to help, but by in large, did nothing useful but be with him.

That night has stayed with me for over a decade. As I walked around the park this morning I found myself grinning when I thought about that night we spent together in the garage. I checked nothing off my to-do list. My assistance in making the tricycle shiny was next to nil. I was just simply there.

My thoughts turned to a recent General Conference talk by Joy D. Jones where President Russel M. Nelson said this: "The Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it."

I marveled at the unique nature of each of our efforts that night. Obviously, Jonathan's weeks of effort conscientiously scrubbing, scraping, sanding and painting would bring a great reward... But I left a sink of soapy dishwater, toys on the floor, and a broom in the closet, to be still. Though it seems counterintuitive that sitting and watching someone work requires effort - when there are things undone calling to you - sitting requires great effort! But that effort, that night, has been rewarded unmeasurably. Those moments with Jonathan were hallowed. I have reflected on that night many times over the years and it has become a witness in my own soul of my desire to love the man I married. To choose him. Over and over again, to seek him out, leave undone things undone, and choose him.

I bear my witness that our efforts don't always look the same. The conscientious use of our agency to discern, decide and act, requires effort. Love requires effort. Sometimes, effort means doing less. And sometimes it requires great sacrifice.  But as was promised, this effort brings rewards that can't come without it... and this is pleasing to God. The God whom I love, and who daily exerts effort to guide me home.

Shall we not all ask within if there be but a smidge of effort we yet can give?