When a Roman army arrived by ship to the island of what is now England they were met with a large army in front of them. The Roman leaders noticed that their army was looking to the sea for the possibility of escape so they had the ships burned. The only way off the island was now through the enemy in front of them. With no possibility of retreat they fought harder and won the war.
Success
The success of any endeavor is determined by the commitment of those involved. Each must put his whole heart into it. There can be no fear, no holding back. Businesses fail because the owners and managers aren't fully committed and don't obtain the hearts of their employees. On the other hand, those who give 100% become wildly successful. Walmart was going under in the early years. The leaders went for broke and asked the employees to take stocks instead of pay. Those people are all very wealthy now because together they all made the sacrifice. FedEx did roughly the same thing. There are many other examples of such successes out of the ashes of poverty and ruin. It comes to those who are fully-invested.
The success of putting your all into an endeavor may not always be what you expect. Going for broke is a risk. Just because you put everything in doesn't mean you will be protected from failure. You may actually go broke more than once, but you will learn more each time. Abraham Lincoln had multiple failures. The small group of people who wanted the British Colonies in America to be independent were willing to risk everything. We call them "The Founding Fathers" because it was their total commitment to freedom that allowed us to become a nation. The Declaration of Independence states: "We pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor..." There was no turning back. England would have them all hanged as traitors if they didn't win their independence. However, many of them actually did suffer the loss of their lives and fortunes for the cause, but even so, they did not die in vain.
Marriage
Marriage is an ultimate commitment -- to the death. When a man gets married he must "leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh." (Mark 10:7-8) He has no more options for being with his mother or father, nor can he give his heart to anyone else. "Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else." (D&C 42:22) Jesus did not give the option of divorce. Without such a commitment there is no way to achieve the unity required for Eternal Life. Jesus said, "if ye are not one ye are not mine." (D&C 38:27)
Unity is only achieved when each partner in the marriage is totally committed. If either one is holding anything back, there is no unity. A united couple no longer even thinks about themselves, every decision is based on "us" or "we," and never "you," "I," or "me."
Family
When parents aren't giving 100% to their family, they create dysfunction. A dysfunctional family doesn't serve its function to help the children become independent. When pregnancy happens, there is a real commitment. Life moves forward and not backwards. The couple must put all of their efforts into their children. They can't turn back. They can't send the child away without consequences. Children require a total commitment. You cannot be half-hearted about raising a child and have a functional family. The child must be taught how to be independent physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, and in all other ways. It is a huge undertaking, but also causes committed parents to grow in all these ways. Everyone wins when there is total commitment, and everyone loses when there isn't.
The Gospel
The Lord requires a willing heart -- all of it. There is no holding back. When Annanias and Saphira sold a property and gave the proceeds to Peter, they held back a little for themselves. Peter discerned the truth of the matter and they were struck dead. This is metaphorical for what happens to all those who hold back a little from the Lord. Baptism is a commitment to the death. We are buried in the water and come out as resurrected to a new life. We cannot hold on to any part of our old life -- all things must become new. Pure water is 100% water, anything less is not pure anymore. The law is the law, and there is no bending it. Any fraction of 1 mph over the speed limit is breaking the law. Any tiny sin we hold on to will prevent us from achieving Eternal Life. There is no compromise; nobody gets a pass because "the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." (Alma 45:16)
Abraham gave everything to the Lord, as did his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. Joseph was similarly committed to the Lord, as was Moses, and all the prophets. Many gave their lives for their testimony of Christ. These are examples of what it really takes to be a Christian. Those who choose the Lord, but look back turn into a pillar of salt. "The Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind." (D&C 64:34) Those who don't "go for broke" are not worthy of the gifts of God.
However, we can ponder upon the blessed and happy state of those who are fully-invested in the Lord. Ammon successfully helped thousands come to the Lord because of his total commitment. He said, "Let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." (Alma 26:16)
Safety nets
John Travolta was once asked how he became a successful actor and he said he didn't get a day job. He burned the ships. The way to prevent people from being successful is to provide a "safety net" so they don't have to make a complete commitment. Some are continually looking back to the ships off shore for retreat and never put their whole hearts into anything.
Parents prevent success when they provide safety nets for their children. Some parents keep a place to come home to if marriage isn't all their child hoped. Others provide money so their children never have to make a commitment to an employer or profession. The parents' desire to help only prevents the children from growing up and taking responsibility for themselves.
Governments often want to "help" citizens by providing an economic safety net. The effects of this are a dependent population and a broke government. So far, this is the outcome in every nation where it has been tried. There are many who believe that a government economic safety net could work if administered properly , but what they don't realize is that it prevents a real commitment to becoming self-sustaining. Unless a person can "go for broke" he can never really excel, either.
Churches also make this mistake when they don't require the absolute commitment of each member of their congregations. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. Those who do not make the sacrifice cannot enjoy this faith, because men are dependent upon this sacrifice in order to obtain this faith." (Lectures on Faith (1985), 69-70) The commitment of a Christian must be the same as that of Christ -- everything. The safety net that churches provide of "absolution" or "worship without sacrifice" actually prevents people from finding God.
If thou canst believe...
Success requires the whole heart. You cannot put your whole heart into something you don't believe. You must believe it with all your heart, then you can give your all and find success. One cannot be fully-invested in selfish or evil pursuits, there is always a conflict with evil. Evil is fear. Living life to the fullest requires letting go of fear, and then love takes over and life becomes fulfilling. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear" (1 John 4:18). Without fear you can find what you really love, which will then allow you to find success in the long run because you can be completely uninhibited and "go for broke."
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