By Robyn Young

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." (Alma 37:6)

The laws we’ve discussed so far are all rooted in principles of thought and mindset. But the Law of Cause and Effect is different—it’s a principle of action. Specific actions lead to specific outcomes. If there’s a particular result you’re after, then you need to understand what action will actually produce it. We often call these outcomes the consequences of our actions, but really, they’re just the natural results—the effects—of a cause we’ve set in motion.

The world around us operates in patterns. When something disturbs that pattern, it triggers a new result. That disruption is the cause. The result is the effect.

This law shows up across cultures and teachings under different names. My first introduction to it was through the Law of the Harvest—or, as the Bible puts it: “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Often, we assume the action needed to create change has to be significant. Monumental, even. And sometimes that’s true. But when your mindset is aligned, the action required is often much smaller than you’d expect.

Have you heard of the butterfly effect? Take a look at what science says about minute interruptions to patterns.

Fascinating, right?

But what does that have to do with pursuing a goal?

Plenty.

First, working on mindset is that tiny shift that can dramatically change the outcome.
Second, the action required might look completely different than you'd expect. It might seem counterintuitive—or even a little crazy. But even small actions can lead to big results.

Story:

Early in our marriage, my husband was accepted to Oregon State University to pursue his master’s degree. At the time, we lived in Utah.

We owned a small home we’d bought a few years earlier through a first-time homebuyer’s program. One of the conditions of that program was that the home had to remain our primary residence. That meant we couldn’t leave it vacant or rent it out while we were gone, even if we planned to return. If we did, we’d be in legal trouble. We had to sell.

This was in the year 2000, when homes in our area typically took about four months to sell. Not bad—but we only had two months from the time we got his acceptance letter to the start of the semester. A quick sale was possible, but the clock was ticking.

We decided to hire a real estate agent. Honestly, that was hard for me. I knew an agent had better tools than I did, but I also knew I wouldn’t be their only client. How could I be sure our home would be their priority? The truth was—I couldn’t. And letting go of that control was difficult for me.

Right when I was feeling powerless, I felt the Spirit gently remind me that there were still things I could do to influence the outcome.

Of course, we were already praying. But I could lean into that more sincerely. I could be more intentional about studying my scriptures, fulfilling my church callings, going to the temple, and fasting (my husband fasted since I was pregnant at the time). These weren’t directly connected to selling the house, but they were small, meaningful ways to act in faith. They were my way of saying, “I trust You, and I’ll keep moving forward.”

And that made all the difference.

Four weeks later, we said goodbye to our little house and spent a few weeks with family before moving to Oregon. That experience taught me something powerful: small, seemingly unrelated actions can shape outcomes in phenomenal ways.

Every accomplishment is made up of small steps. Goals aren’t usually achieved in one grand leap—they’re built through simple, consistent actions repeated over time. The hardest part is often getting ourselves to do those simple things, especially when we don’t feel like it.

But taken one step at a time, no goal is impossible.

Success, however, is impossible without action—without taking that first step.

Scripture Story:

The Book of Alma in the Book of Mormon is one of my favorites. I love the courage of the military leaders, their faith, and the creative ways they overcame enormous challenges.

In the later chapters, the Nephites are deep in a war with the Lamanites, who have taken several cities. The Nephites want those cities back—but they’re outnumbered. You’d think the obvious strategy would be to rally troops and fight. And yes, there were battles.

But three different times, the Nephites retook cities without losing a single life.
How?
By taking action—but not the kind of action you might expect.

 Chapter 55--Retaking the city Gid

After discovering where the Nephite prisoners were kept in the city Gid, the captain of the Nephite army, Moroni, finds among his soldiers one who is a Lamanite by birth, but has joined the Nephite cause. He sends with this man a small group to act as defectors who bring with them wine from the Nephites.  They offer it to the Lamanite guards, who drink it happily.  When the guards are drunk and sleeping, the Nephite army casts weapons into the city for their imprisoned people.  When the Lamanite guards awaken, they find themselves surrounded by the Nephite army, and confronted with armed prisoners.  They decide it is better to surrender than to fight, and the city of Gid is retaken without the shedding of blood.

 Chapter 58--Retaking the city Manti

The Nephite army near Manti is severely outnumbered, but they are determined to retake the city. They make camp outside the city walls.  The Lamanites within the city are afraid that the Nephites might cut off their expected supplies, so they decide to go to battle.  It appears it will be an easy one, because of the small number of Nephites.  Before the Lamanites come to battle, Helaman (the captain of this particular army) sends a portion of the army to hide in the wilderness, while he takes the remainder to march away from the city.  When they see the Nephites retreating, the Lamanites march after them, anxious to engage them in battle.  But they took the whole army, leaving only a few guards.  When Helaman's men and the pursuing army were a safe distance away, the hidden soldiers took the city from the few remaining guards.  At nightfall, the Lamanite army made camp, preparing to overtake Helaman's men the next day.  But Helaman's men marched all night, back to the city of Manti, and rejoined the rest of their men.  When the Lamanites awoke, they discovered that they had lost the city of Manti.

 Chapter 62--Retaking the city Nephihah

Moroni is determined to retake this stronghold, but he cannot get the Lamanites within the city to come out to battle.  So he discovers where the Lamanite guards are stationed, and in the still of night, takes his army to a different part of the city.  They make cords and ladders to get into the city.  In the morning, the Lamanites find the Nephite army ready to battle within the city walls, and they run out of the city.  Moroni has taken the city without losing a single one of his men.

What struck me about these stories was that while action was absolutely necessary to retake the cities, it wasn’t the kind of action we might expect. If the Nephite military leaders had been set on fighting—if they had believed that battle was the only way forward—the outcome might have been very different.

A key part of knowing what action to take was their commitment to the small and simple things: daily acts of worship like prayer that kept them in tune with God’s Spirit. They were determined to obey with exactness—both the commandments of God and the instructions of their leaders.

By focusing on these small things, they were building a foundation for their success.

Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 64:33
“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.”

As a person of faith, it’s natural for me to turn first to spiritual practices as my “small and simple things.” But any goal, when you’re in harmonious vibration with it, will inspire the actions needed to bring it to pass.

Sometimes those actions are exactly what you’d expect—like daily exercise for a health goal or hiring an agent to sell your home. But other times, the necessary action might not seem directly related at all—like releasing a grudge, setting a boundary, or healing a relationship.

When we raise our vibration to align with the life we seek, the lower, “stuck” vibrations have no choice but to shift. That transformation isn’t just part of achieving the goal—it’s essential to keeping the result once it’s achieved.

The Law of Cause and Effect isn’t only about taking the obvious action—it’s about becoming the kind of person who naturally lives in harmony with the result.

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