Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (deceased) shared from his book, “Finding Peace in Our Lives:”
“Inscribed beneath Robert E. Lee’s bust in the hall of fame are his words: “Duty is the sublimest words in the English language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.”
Most of us don’t mind doing what we ought to do when it doesn’t interfere with what we want to do, but it takes discipline and maturity to do what we ought to do whether we want to or not. Duty is too often what one expects from others and not what one does. What people think and believe and plan are all very important, but what they do is the thing that counts most. It is a call to throw out our selfishness and to think of the common good of all.
The Prophet Joseph Smith was told in an impressive revelation: “Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty and to act in the office to which he is appointed, in all diligence. He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty ans shows himself not approved shall not be counted worthy to stand.”(Doctrine & Covenants 107:99-100.)
We must always remember that duty reminds us we are stewards of all that our Creator has entrusted to us. When we accept duties willingly and faithfully, we find happiness. Those who make happiness the chief objective of life are bound to fail, for happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself. Happiness comes from doing one’s duty and knowing that his/her life is in harmony with God and his commandments.
. . . . great men all had the agency to choose. They might have chosen to follow a path easier than the one where duty led. But they did not. Certainly their duty did not always lead to personal comfort or casual convenience. Their duty frequently meant great sacrifice and personal hardship. Nevertheless, duty they chose, and duty they performed.
. . . .The Lord has told us, “Be not weary in well doing.” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33.) Being true to one’s duty is the mark of a true disciple of the Lord and a child of God. May we be valiant in our duty, stay in step, and not fail in our most important task: keeping our second estate. Being true to our duty will bring us to God.
