When I was a young missionary, our mission leader President Sydney F. Sager encouraged us near the end of our mission to have a “fiery finish.” He did not mean for us to burn out, but he wanted us to work as hard as we did at the beginning of our mission.

Not long ago, I talked to two missionaries who were serving as assistants to the mission president. I asked them what advice they would give to help missionaries have a successful mission. They said “Serve others.” One of them cautioned that missionaries who have a “countdown calendar” where they are counting down the days until the end of their mission seemed to struggle the most.

In the prison where I worked, men could often be released early for good behavior. For example, if they had a 10-year sentence, they could be released in 8 years. That required obedience to all prison rules and cooperation with all prison guards and staff. If they did not cooperate or obey the rules, then they lost some or all of that 2-year incentive, also known as “good time.” This incentive helped them keep focused on making good decisions over the long term.

Sometimes enduring to the end means long-suffering. We may have challenges or difficulties or problems that last a long time. The scriptures provide many examples of enduring to the end. How about Joseph in Egypt? How about Jacob laboring for years to marry Rachel? How about Moses leading the people of Israel for 40 years before entering the promised land? How about the early saints moving from place to place, enduring hardships and persecution until finally finding refuge in the Salt Lake Valley?

When we are baptized, we covenant with God to “endure to the end” in living the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Nephi 31:20).

Our past prophet President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk entitled “Believe, Obey, and Endure (General Conference, April 2012).  He said:

“… may you endure. What does it mean to endure? I love this definition: to withstand with courage. Courage may be necessary for you to believe; it will at times be necessary as you obey. It will most certainly be required as you endure until that day when you will leave this mortal existence.

I have spoken over the years with many individuals who have told me, “I have so many problems, such real concerns. I’m overwhelmed with the challenges of life. What can I do?” I have offered to them, and I now offer to you, this specific suggestion: seek heavenly guidance one day at a time. Life by the yard is hard; by the inch it’s a cinch. Each of us can be true for just one day—and then one more and then one more after that—until we’ve lived a lifetime guided by the Spirit, a lifetime close to the Lord, a lifetime of good deeds and righteousness. The Savior promised, “Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.”

For this purpose have you come into mortality, my young friends. There is nothing more important than the goal you strive to attain—even eternal life in the kingdom of your Father.”

May the Lord bless us to be obedient (keep our “good time”), have a “fiery finish”, and to endure “day by day” until we have completed this mortal journey.