Good,Better, and Best Footballs

Good, Better, and Best Footballs: When my dad was in college he worked on the BYU equipment staff for the football team. He tells a story about HeismanTtrophy winning QB Ty Detmer. During the week leading up to Saturday's game each quarterback is able to go through a cart full of footballs and pick out which ones they want to use in the game. Many of you may be asking why do they do that? Aren't all footballs the same? In many ways they are. They are all brown, made of synthetic leather, have laces or ties, and are all....well, football shaped. But once placed in the hand of an expert quarterback, like Detmer, he sees a lot more than we do.
     My Dad tells about how Ty would feel each and every football very carefully. He would place his fingers on the laces and feel the grip of each ball. He'd even toss them in the air to see what kind of spiral they had. After carefully examining and going through each football he'd pick out the very best ones.
    My dad continues his story by saying that one week they put a little mark on a football Ty had rejected the previous week to see if he'd pass it up again. Sure enough each week, without Ty even knowing, he would reject the ball again and place it back in the bin. So is every football the same? Not in Ty Detmer's expert hands and eyes. There are good footballs, better footballs, and best footballs, and Ty only played with the best!
    Likewise we will face many decisions in our lives. At first they may appear like the pile of footballs. What difference does it make in which one I choose. It doesn't really matter is what we often times will tell ourselves. But just like the expert QB we need to get picky at times for our own benefit.

     Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a talked titled Good, Better, Best . In this talk he states "As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. Even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all.

Consider how we use our time in the choices we make in viewing television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, or reading books or magazines. Of course it is good to view wholesome entertainment or to obtain interesting information. But not everything of that sort is worth the portion of our life we give to obtain it. Some things are better, and others are best. When the Lord told us to seek learning, He said, “Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom” (D&C 88:118)"

    Just as we should look for the good, better, and bests in life God too will look for this in the end. The more we can learn to make the best choices the more likely we will find ourselves living with him when all is said and done. I promise if you will make the best decisions in life the best blessings will follow.