Investing in Eternal Treasures

By Anne Maxson

Much can be said of the youth of today. Some talk of them being lazy, addicted to video games, and unable to socialize with others. And that may be true in some instances. However, I often see youth who inspire me with their prioritization of the things of most importance. 

With so many things striving for their attention in every direction whether from the phones they have in their hands or pressures to be great at club soccer so that you get an NIL deal, or the high admission standards for the school of your choice, or managing uncertainty and division that exists in our current society, there’s so much on their minds and so much pressure that they face. 

When I was in graduate school, I was stressed and under a lot of pressure to do well. I made it a priority to go to the temple. Even though it felt difficult to find time in my schedule, I knew that if I made time, the blessings I would receive would help me to manage the rest of my obligations. 

I knew that the sacrifice of time was well worth it. In fact, instead of a sacrifice, I considered it an investment in emotional and mental clarity. It took me until my 20s to understand the principle of sacrifice vs investment. I think some of today’s teenagers already recognize the importance of heavenly priorities.

Where I live, kids will often have a random Wednesday off from school. One thing we know about those Wednesdays is that the temple baptistry will be absolutely packed all day long. As part of their “off day,” hundreds of youth prioritize taking time out of the day for the temple. 

When I think of sacrifice, I think about giving something without the expectation of any return and, in fact, assuming that there is no return. In my mind, an investment is a time when you give something up with the expectation that you will receive the same, if not more, in return. 

In the gospel, is there ever a time that we give up something and don’t receive something more? Whether it is our time, talents, financial means, or contributions to society, in all of these things, we are blessed and ways beyond measure because we are promised in the scriptures that we will receive all that the Father has. There is no way that what we sacrifice can measure up to that amount of return. 

In his April 2012 General Conference talk, President Oaks said, “For most followers of Christ, our sacrifices involve what we can do on a day-to-day basis in our ordinary personal lives…I believe that Latter-day Saints who give unselfish service and sacrifice in worshipful imitation of our Savior adhere to eternal values to a greater extent than any other group of people. Latter-day Saints look on their sacrifices of time and means as a part of their schooling and qualifying for eternity.”

Regarding tithing, it goes beyond the idea of investment from the perspective that we are promised that the windows of heaven will be open to us. By paying our tithing, we invest in society. By paying our tithing, we invest in eternal families. By paying our tithing, we help the church have a global impact. The 2025 Caring for Those in Need Report stated that the church provided $1.58 billion worth of aid throughout the world. 

Additionally, by paying our tithing, we help build temples. Temples allow families to be sealed for time and all eternity. So by paying our tithing, not only are we allowing ourselves to be worthy of a Temple recommend and being able to enter the house of the Lord, but we also enable others to be able to have access to the temple, to make covenants with God, and to progress along the covenant path. We can look at the temples and note that not only is it the Lord‘s house, but that we have helped to bring it to be. 

Through our contributions, we can provide eternal blessings to people throughout the world. We can help others, including those youth who are striving to prioritize gospel living, to draw closer to Christ and gain a greater understanding of their purpose and perspective on life in this immortal journey.