Mosiah - Chapter 9

I am interested in the notion of over-zealousness.  Clearly, in hindsight Zeniff, thought better of his zeal.  I wonder what he could have done to recognize his error as a matter of foresight.  I suspect it may be a matter of being led rather than driven.  I've noticed on the book shelves a popular book called the Purpose Driven Life.  I've even considered reading it.  Somehow, though, my heart rejects the notion of being driven.  I relate it to sheep herding as opposed to shepherding.  I read today on Meridian Magazine about S. Michael Wilcox's retirement.  In the interview, he called himself driven.  Considering the kind of person he is and also considering the quality of his work, I might be unwise to be critical of the driven life.  Still, I find myself prefering to follow a leading Lord to being driven by some purpose of my own, however righteous it seems.

Now, clearly, God supported Zeniff in his zeal, much like God supported Joseph Smith is his quest for treasure in Salem, Massachusetts (See D&C 111), but if they had simply sought the will of the Lord they each might have saved themselves a lot of grief.

I think we do the same kind of thing when we over prepare a Gospel Doctrine lesson or when it requires a U-Haul trailer to deliver visual aids to a Relief Society lesson.  When I was Stake Mission President I was driven.  I was driven by production goals.  I achieved those goals.  Then, when evaluating things at the end of my mission I found that while the results looked good on paper, they were rather hollow in terms of real, fruit bearing results.  If I had not been over zealous, Heavenly Father might have made better use of my time and ambition.