Sacrifices More Sacred Than Increases

"Therefore, let him contend earnestly... and when he falls he shall rise again, for his sacrifice shall be more sacred unto me than his increase, saith the Lord." (D&C 117:13). Look, sometimes we knock it out of the park and sometimes we take a line drive to the face and stagger off to take our base. Whether we succeed with flying colors or scrape past by the skin of our teeth is not as important to the Lord as the fact that we are contending earnestly and pouring our whole might, mind, strength and soul into the task at hand. Just like the shepherd rejoices more in the one who lost was found than in the ninety and nine who were nailing it, God takes greater pleasure in seeing us willingly sacrifice all that we have to overcome a seemingly impossible trial than when we pull off spectacular success. God created everything in the universe so He's less interested in the results than He is in our personal journeys. If all we can do is try to keep getting back up when we fall, it is enough for our Father in Heaven. He doesn't need us to always perfectly execute every task He gives us, He just needs us to lay at the altar of sacrifice our pride and our resentment and our perfectionism and recognize that things may get ugly but our sacrifices will be more sacred and powerful then our successes.