One-Way Street

Imagine yourself driving down the road and approaching a stoplight. You don’t know whether to turn left or right in order to reach your destination.  When you get to the stoplight you see a sign that says“one-way street”. A one-way street is defined as a street on which vehicular traffic is allowed to move in only one direction. It makes your decision as clear and simple as possible. You turn the way the traffic is moving or else you’re in big trouble!

Some decisions we must make aren't quite that simple and we have to use our own intelligence and the reasoning powers God had given us. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said that “personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances where they pray for guidance and don't receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances where the choices are trivial or where either choice is acceptable” (“Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall,” Ensign, October 1994). Some decisions however are just as simple as having a “one-way street” sign in front of us.


God wants us to know how we can return and live with Him again someday. He wants us to live in His presence along with our families together forever. This is God’s purpose, “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”. (Moses 1:39) He doesn't want us to be confused nor will we be unless we decide to confuse ourselves. It is as clear as possible how we are to receive Eternal Life. “There shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ,the Lord Omnipotent.” (Mosiah 3:17) Only through the gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ can we be cleansed from sin and held guiltless before the Father. Christ stands between justice and mercy.The gift of grace or mercy is received as a believer repents, enters into the specified covenants, receives the Holy Ghost, and endures the end. This is called the gospel. Only by living the gospel can we inherit Eternal Life, which is living forever in God’s presence. We will all be resurrected, we will all receive the gift of immortality, but receiving the gift of Eternal Life is conditional upon our submission to the will of the Lord and the desires of our hearts.


“We must cast aside the philosophies of men and the wisdom of the wise and hearken to that Spirit which is given to us to guide us into all truth.” (“The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” April 1985 General Conference) There is only one way. We must turn onto the path that leads to Eternal Life and never waver off course.

Growing up as an avid golfer, I always wanted to shoot a great score and win! What golfer doesn't want to do that? This mentality made me give a great deal of thought towards the result or the end score. Preferably, a good golfer wouldn't want to have more than 70 shots over the course of a round that lasts 18 holes. Even though 18 holes might sound like a lot of golf, the first shot is no less important than the last. Unfortunately, I would sometimes lose focus on the shot at hand because of this mentality. When I was playing well, I would wish that the round was over so I wouldn't have time to mess up. When I was playing poorly, I would wish I could just restart the round. After nearly every round I would find myself thinking, "If only I had made that one putt the result of my round would have been completely different!" Or "If I would have hit that one drive in the fairway I could have won the tournament. I'm so stupid!" This turned into disappointments and even regrets. 

My dear friends, these are destructive thoughts. We simply cannot think like that!  I lost sight of the beautiful golf course I was playing on, the great weather, and even the great blessing of being able to be an athlete. This applies in all that we do, whether we're on the golf course or not. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk about regrets and resolutions in the October 2012 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

"Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey. I don’t go cycling with my wife because I’m excited about finishing. I go because the experience of being with her is sweet and enjoyable.

Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition.

Do we say our prayers with only the “amen” or the end in mind? Of course not. We pray to be close to our Heavenly Father, to receive His Spirit and feel His love.

We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. “This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms 118:24)

No matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it."

Let's all resolve to enjoy the journey a little more. Make the decision to be the best you can be right now and don't let anything or anyone stop you :) Make every shot count!