This past Byu-Idaho devotional was particularly powerful and really had an impact on me. Brother Llewellyn spoke on many points that I think many college students (and many people in life) struggle with. Such as who to marry, what degree to pursue, whether we should serve a mission or not, what goals to set, and discovering who we are.
I would highly recommend listening to his talk here: https://byui-media.ldscdn.org/byui_ft/devo_audio/16_01_2018_Devo.mp3
Through young adulthood (and maybe most of our lives), humans are filled with questions of who they are and what they should be doing in this life. All of the choices we have to make daily can become overwhelming at times. There are so many paths that we can take, how do we know what to choose? I know for me personally, I struggle with making decisions due to the fear of making the wrong ones. Because I’m scared that if I make one mistake or choose a decision that isn’t the #1 best thing for me, then that’s it. Game over, I ruined my life. And that’s not how it works at all.
We have a loving Father in Heaven who knows each of us personally. He wants us to be happy and He has a plan. That doesn’t mean that we have to be perfect and always make the best choices. The Lord just asks us to do our best and continual work to become better.
If we allow Heavenly Father to guide us, we have no need to fear. He knows us and loves us and has a plan. Wouldn’t whatever path He helps us to take be what is best for us, even if we can’t see it at first? Don’t you think He knew that we’d make mistakes and need to learn and grow? I mean, that is one of the main reasons we are on this earth, to learn and grow through the experiences that we have.
So, while following Heavenly Father’s plan for us to the best of our ability is definitely the best route to happiness, it isn’t an end all be all path. We have agency, which means that we can decide for ourselves what paths to take and even make mistakes sometimes. This doesn’t mean that Heavenly Father doesn’t love us. It’s quite the opposite. Because He loves us so much, the Lord wants us to have the freedom to choose for ourselves and to learn from our choices. He wants us to depend on Him, but also learn to make decisions for ourselves. It is only through learning how to make our own choices that we will one day become even as He is.
The hardest revelation for me to receive is the one where Heavenly Father trusts you to make your own decision and hands you the reins. I feel honored that someone so great and all knowing believes in me, but wow is that such a scary feeling, to not have His definite answer to guide you. Often when we feel like this, the Lord wants us to make a decision and act on it before He steps in.
The hardest revelation for me to receive is the one where Heavenly Father trusts you to make your own decision and hands you the reins. I feel honored that someone so great and all knowing believes in me, but wow is that such a scary feeling, to not have His definite answer to guide you. Often when we feel like this, the Lord wants us to make a decision and act on it before He steps in.
That is not how He answers our prayers all of the time (it is important to constantly seek the Lord’s will for you when it comes to important and hard decisions) but sometimes He wants you to learn for yourself and He trusts you to remember what He has taught you and to do your best.
The decisions we make determine our destiny, how can we make good decisions? Like I mentioned above, sometimes it is only through making mistakes and learning for ourselves that we can make better decisions. But that doesn’t mean we are alone, it just means that the Lord knows you are ready to grow more.
Often, we have to first make a decision, work hard, and then bring it to the Lord. Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives if we let Him. He will not let us go too far down the wrong path if we rely on Him in all things (not just during our trials).
Heavenly Father desires for us to become like Him, and little by little, He helps us to do that. He helps, teaches, and guides us. Then, when He knows we are ready, He tests us. Our Father in Heaven knows what we need to learn and the best way to help us fulfill our divine potential, we just have to trust Him.
Harold B Lee shares a great quote that goes along with this. He says, “the trouble with you is that you want to see the end from the beginning. You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you.”
Our fuel in life is faith, it’s how we get to where we want to go. If we don’t trust in Heavenly Father or believe in ourselves, we won’t get very far. Because life isn’t one big map where you can see the end from the beginning. Where there is point A and point B and one straight path to get there. Our lives are full of twists and turns, potholes, and changing destinations. We often can’t see more than a few feet in front of us. And that is when we rely on faith. Faith in God. Faith in yourself.
Faith is an action verb. You can’t just sit still and hope that everything works out, that is not faith. Faith is in our actions and attitude. And it requires a lot of hard work on our part. As James 2:17 puts it, “faith without works is dead.” Having faith will get us nowhere if we aren’t willing to act on it!
This means acting even when we don’t have all of the answers and taking one step after another even when we can’t see. It has been proven time and time again in the scriptures that “ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6). We wouldn’t grow and reach out potential if Heavenly Father just handed us everything. We have to do our part.
The brother of Jared in The Book of Mormon displays this well. The Lord instructed him and his family to build barges. Heavenly Father had the power to just give them the barges, but He wanted them to learn how to do it and to work hard themselves.
When the brother of Jared inquired of Him how they would have light on their journey, the Lord didn’t solve the problem for him. He asked the brother of Jared what he would have Him do. Heavenly Father was with the brother of Jared and did help him, but he also asked him to work hard and come up with his own solutions.
When the brother of Jared inquired of Him how they would have light on their journey, the Lord didn’t solve the problem for him. He asked the brother of Jared what he would have Him do. Heavenly Father was with the brother of Jared and did help him, but he also asked him to work hard and come up with his own solutions.
Another good example of this are the Israelites in the Old Testament. To escape, they were told that they must cross the Red Sea. The sea did not part before them while they stood on land and waited. They had to act on faith. The Lord did not show forth His power by parting the sea until after they had started walking into the water. The Israelites had to show their faith before the Lord came in.
So how to we upkeep and strengthen our faith? How do we continue to progress spiritually and fulfill our potential? How do we feel peace amidst the storms of mortal life? The answer is simple: you stay close to the Lord and strive to live righteously.
The lives we live depend on the decisions we make. Grand decisions,yes, but also by the small and simple choices we make everyday. The most important (and impactful) things in our lives are those that we do (or don’t do) every day. Our spirits are strengthened little by little as we follow the commandments of the Lord and actively strive to draw closer to Him every day.
Personal prayer and scripture study are our spiritual lifelines. They will keep us afloat in the most troubling of times. If we make the effort to stay close to our Father in Heaven, He will do the same for us. And as we act on the faith that we have, He will continue to open the way before us and strengthen us.
What choices will you make? What life will you create for yourself? Who will you become? I’m going to end this post with a quote from our recently departed prophet:
“The future is in your hands. The outcome is up to you.”
-Thomas S Monson
