Being a disciple of Christ doesn’t need to be complicated, and it doesn’t come with a list of prerequisites.
In his October 2015 general conference talk, “It Works Wonderfully!,” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf emphasizes the Savior’s grace in the journey of discipleship. He asks us to consider whether we are overcomplicating our discipleship, and he encourages us to recognize that our imperfections don’t have to keep us from being disciples of Christ. As a young woman who often feels guilty about not doing enough—whether in school, at home, or in church—I find comfort in President Uchtdorf’s counsel, “We don’t need to be ‘more’ of anything to start to become the person God intended us to become.”
Being a disciple of Christ is not dependent on where we are in life; rather, it is about our divine potential as sons and daughters of our loving Heavenly Father. We are each destined to be great, but we need not wait to seek the kingdom of God until we feel great. When we are feeling beat down and less than, we can remember President Uchtdorf’s message: “Our Heavenly Father sees us as who we truly are and who we can become. He sees us as His sons and daughters, as beings of eternal light with everlasting potential and with a divine destiny.”
Our divine potential shines through our shortcomings when we seek to be disciples of Christ. We can push past feelings of inadequacy to serve others even when our efforts are imperfect, to share our testimonies in whatever stage they may be in, or to get back on the covenant path after we have strayed. As President Uchtdorf teaches, “Exaltation is our goal; discipleship is our journey.” We must start where we are and seek to be a disciple of Christ now, because his grace is sufficient to make up for our imperfections.
To learn more about being a disciple of Christ, read more of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s general conference address, “It Works Wonderfully!”
Source: General Conference
—Kiana Locke, Latter-day Saint Insights
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Find more insights
Read more about being purposeful with imperfection in Abby Christensen’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Finding Growth Through Failure.”
Take a look at Elder and Sister Holland’s devotional “A Future Filled With Hope” to learn more about finding joy in simplicity.