Back in my golfing days my prized clubs included a gold-plated putter with my initials. As my playing partners were hunched over a critical putt, I would maneuver the gold plating to flash the sun in their eyes. It made for good comedy and a lot of bogeys and do-overs.
Some years ago we held a garage sale in which I placed my clubs too close to the articles up for bid. When I was in the house showing a table for sale, my wife was outside “accidentally” selling my clubs to an eager buyer. He paid a whopping ten dollars. Who says garage sales aren’t gold mines?
With amused reflection I have come to realize that giving up golf for weightier matters is not something I had been willing to consider. With my clubs gone for good, I re-evaluated my priorities. Perhaps my wife knew exactly how much my clubs were really worth.
What must we sell?
When Christ invited the rich, righteous young man to sell all he possessed and follow Him, it was not an invitation to a monastic life; it was a test. Instructively, the young man “went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:22).
All disciples must pass through a similar test by examining their commitment to Jesus. Our “garage sale” is customized to our individual hearts. While some need to dispose of selfishness and pride, others may need to give up the blame-game or pick-and-choose worship.
For Christians, the cost of discipleship is “the heart and a willing mind” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:34). Willingness to acquire what we yet lack in exchange for our character flaws brings “a mighty change of heart” (Alma 5:14).
This mighty change results in faith demonstrated by action, not words. For example, a scribe once told Jesus: “I will follow thee withersoever thou goest” (Matt 8:19-20; Luke 9:57-58). Upon learning that Jesus had not where to lay His head, the young man’s enthusiasm was “soon spent” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, Deseret Book, September, 1915, 421).
Ultimately, we must be willing to offer “our whole souls to Christ” (Omni 1:26).
What will we choose?
Our most precious possession is our right to choose. Through the gift agency, the Lord will never demand our choice, but everything else is fair game if it polishes our character to become more like Jesus.
Though my golden putter glittered in the sun, its shine was fool’s gold compared to the small, relative cost of discipleship, which is indeed the “pearl of great price” (Matthew 13:46).
