"Jacob was thinking partly of sins of omission when he uttered the solemn words:
"'But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!' (2 Ne 9:27, italics added.)
"Waste is unjustified, and especially the waste of time—limited as that commodity is in our days of probation. One must live, not only exist; he must do, not merely be; he must grow, not just vegetate. John the Revelator recorded for us significantly:
"'Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the [eternal] city.' (Rev. 22:14, italics added.) ...
"To be passive is deadening; to stop doing is to die. Here then is a close parallel with physical life. If one fails to eat and drink, his body becomes emaciated and dies. Likewise if he fails to nourish his spirit and mind, his spirit shrivels and his mind darkens."
- Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 92-93
Even though President Kimball had a weak and raspy voice in his later years (after dealing with throat cancer), his talks and his writing were so expressive and, at times, almost poetic. I loved how he would choose words that were so descriptive and vivid. This is a great example, as he discusses the importance of using time wisely, taking care not to "[waste] the days of [our] probation":
When we become passive, we lose so much: "to stop doing is to die." Just as our physical body needs nutrients, our spirit and mind must also be nourished in the right ways in order to retain their vitality. And so we must use our precious time carefully and wisely!
(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)
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