Finding Perspective in Doing "All that You Can Do"

By Anne Maxson

2 Nephi 25:23 states, “For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” For me, sometimes the idea of “all we can do” can feel a bit overwhelming. During my mission, there were times that I wondered if I was doing all I could do. I had to make sure to find balance in not getting down on myself for not having talked to everyone that we passed but yet pushing myself to seek inspiration in pushing myself to do all I felt inspired to do. 

I recently watched a movie that focused on the life of Sir Nicholas Winton. (Some of his story was shared in the 2023 Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert.) Nicholas Winton is renowned for his courageous efforts to rescue Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust.

In 1938, he visited Prague and was alarmed by the plight of Jewish families facing persecution under the looming threat of the Nazis. In a remarkable act of bravery and compassion, he organized the Kindertransport operation. Through this, he facilitated the evacuation of 669 children from Czechoslovakia to safety in Britain.

Winton's efforts were largely unknown until his wife discovered a scrapbook in their attic in 1988. It included lists of children's names and other information related to the rescue mission. 

His story was shared on a BBC television program which included the emotional reunion of Winton with many of the children he saved.

He remained humble about his heroic deeds, emphasizing the importance of taking action in the face of injustice. There are many thousands of people across the world who are alive today because of Nicholas Winton’s efforts to help rescue Jewish children at risk of being murdered by Nazis during the Holocaust. His legacy serves as a testament to the profound impact one individual's compassion and determination can have in the darkest of times.

In the movie, it explained that the 9th and last train was stopped by invading Nazis. The train had 250 children and was the largest of the transports to that point. (Only 2 of those children survived the war.) The movie implies that Winton felt much regret over the loss of those children and his colleagues. However, as he has the reunion with many of the grown children, he is able to recognize all of the amazing good that he did. 

Those days in my mission where I didn’t talk to every person we passed on the street were still successful and made an impact. As we strive to do all that the Lord asks us to do, it is important to focus on what we have been able to accomplish with His help, instead of focusing on our inadequacies. At the choir concert, Nicholas Winton’s son said, “Each one of us changes the world every single day.”

Whether it is sharing the gospel with others or setting goals for temple attendance, scripture study, or other righteous pursuits, it is imperative to make sure that we are striving to do “all that we can do” with the help of the Savior and also to recognize the grace and love associated when “all that we can do” is not the equivalent of doing “everything.”