In two scriptural instances, the Lord admonishes individuals not to run faster than they have strength.
In a day when physical exhaustion and emotional "burnout" caused by the stress of occupational or other responsibilities are all too common, we might appropriately re-examine the setting, context and timeless message of these scriptural passages. What application do they have for us today? How do we square them with scriptural counsel about being diligent and being "anxiously engaged in a good cause" (see Doctrine and Covenants 58:27)? And what practical advice might we draw from them in coping with the pressures that confront us in day-to-day living?
The earliest occurrence of this counsel was from King Benjamin near the conclusion of a lengthy and doctrinally rich discourse in which he spoke of some of the attributes of sainthood, particularly imparting of one's substance to the poor:
"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order" (Mosiah 4:26-27).
The second instance in which the Lord gave this admonition was in a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith given in 1828:
"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 Covenants10:4). The Prophet received this direction not long after the harrowing fiasco involving Martin Harris' loss of 116 pages of manuscript from the Book of Mormon translation, after which Joseph was chastened to the point of despair and lost for a time the privilege and power to translate. With the gift and power now restored to him, could it be that Joseph, in his anxiety to please the Lord and make up for lost time, was pushing himself too hard?
It is noteworthy that the admonition to "be diligent" is an element in both of the above-cited scriptural passages. Clearly, in these verses, the Lord is not encouraging idleness.
And at a cursory glance, the advice not to run faster than one has strength might seem illogical: No one, after all, can function beyond the limits of his or her own native capacity. However, what the Master seems to be telling us is to avoid such a strenuous pace that we are unable to sustain it. Clearly, brief bursts of frenetic activity, necessitating long periods of idleness for recovery, are not pleasing to Him. Rather, our efforts should be rational, constant, focused and methodical, with necessary time and attention given to rest, learning, meditation, planning, prioritizing, goal setting, strategy, and keeping track of means and progress. In driving ourselves and others too fast and hard, we are prone to injury, illness and error.
With excessive zeal, one can become so task-oriented that human relationships suffer. We would do well to reflect on the attributes listed in Doctrine and Covenants 4 that qualify one not just for missionary work but for any aspect of the Lord's service: "faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence" (see verse 6).
Prophets of this dispensation have set examples in applying these qualities to a fervent enthusiasm in furthering the work of the Lord. President Spencer W. Kimball's admonition "lengthen your stride" became a catch-phrase, and President Gordon B. Hinckley constantly encourages us to do a little better than we have in the past. Yet both are well known for kindness, compassion and their readiness to bestow compliments and express gratitude to the deserving.
Immediately after counseling Joseph Smith not to exceed his own strength, the Lord said, "Pray always, that you may come off conqueror" (Doctrine and Covenants 10:5). For some of us faced with competing demands upon our time and energies, this may be the missing key to success: constant prayer, "uttered or unexpressed" (see Hymns, No. 145), that at any given moment we may have the Holy Ghost "show unto (us) all things what (we) should do" (see 2 Nephi 32:5). With the right of the constant companionship of this third member of the Godhead, we can thus be warned against immoderate and unwise expenditure of energies, even as our bodies are renewed and strengthened for the task at hand.
In all things, we can view the example of the Nephites led by Alma the Younger as chief judge, they who "did all labor, every man according to his own strength" (see Alma 1:26), not trying to exceed their capacity, but rather, blending their talents and strengths for the good of all. May we as a Church, through diligent and sensible service to the Lord and to one another, enjoy the "continual peace" that they had.