Scenario A: Someone asks me to do 1000 pushups for $10. There's not a snowball's chance in h*ll that I'm going to do 1000 pushups for $10.
Scenario B: Someone asks me to do 1000 pushups for $10 million. I start figuring out how to do 1000 pushups.
So what changed? The task remained the same, 1000 pushups, but the reward increased. My desire to fulfill the requirement came only when I saw the higher reward.
If you have a good enough why, you can bear any how.
My application for graduation got approved yesterday. The next 6 months are going to be pretty brutal. I have a lot of work to make up from missing so much school and I'm taking a lot of intense classes next semester. But knowing that I'll graduate makes whatever it takes worth it. All of the long days and late nights will fade away once I have that pretty little diploma in my hands. Right now I have a pretty good why, so I'm willing to do whatever how it takes to get there.
Our relationship with God involves a similar principle.
When we don't understand the reasons behind them, the commandments of God can seem like burdens and limitations.
But when we learn what God promises in return for keeping those commandments, we do our best to do what He has asked of us.
We are willing to keep God's commandments only when we learn how high the rewards are in relation to what God asks of us.
What God has promised us is worth a whole lot more than 10 million dollars. He has promised us that our families can be together forever. That we can be exalted and live in His presence. Those are the most incredible whys which means they're going to require some hard, but oh-so-worth-it hows.