The Lord will call us to certain tasks in this life, certain roles we are asked to fill, certain places we should be to do His work. These places won't be comfortable, they won't be easy, that doesn't make them less doable, if perhaps more intimidating. Heavenly Father has asked us to be a peculiar people, that means we do what He asks when He asks, whether it immediately makes sense or if we obey simply because the request came from Him.
So last week a beautiful opportunity came into my life and this week I actually faced what that opportunity meant in the day to day. As we learned last week there doesn't have to be shoe droppage, but that doesn't mean life isn't painful. I feel like there is a myth that when we are on the right path all the bumps are magically smoothed out of the way and that things are bright, beautiful and cheerful. We think because we heeded the Spirit life will now be perfect. But that's not how discipleship works. Once we prove faithful to initial revelation, then the testing comes. Yes we can have peace and joy because we know that we are following our Father's plan for us and we know that eventually we will make it where we need to be and will have become marvelous in the process, we can take comfort because we know we are not walking alone, however we will also be tested to see if we will hold to the further light and knowledge that Heavenly Father promised to give to us.
This week I read something on Facebook to the effect of "Don't you wish that Heavenly Father would just come into your bedroom, sit on your bed and say "okay this is how this is going to go'?"I think that Heavenly Father does in actuality do this for us quite often, it's us who perhaps fear the message He sends, or fear crowds out the message. We start on the journey He placed our feet upon and we find ourselves thinking "this is painful, this is overwhelming, what in the world is going on?" We seek for ways out, a turn off a head, or we choose to look back because what we had seems so much better than what is before us. Perhaps we want to go back because our plan would be easier or seemed so simple or because what is before us simply doesn't make sense. Yet we have felt that Spirit and know we are on the right path, so as Joseph Smith said "...I knew that God knew it and how could I deny it".
Heavenly Father has mysteries of the kingdom to show us, He has a world that we can barely imagine just waiting for us around the corner, but we have to show we are ready for that kingdom. The gate is narrow, the path straight to the kingdom of God. Heavenly Father wants to bless His children with worlds without number, but with those blessings comes certain preparations and we must be tried to prove that we will be faithful at all costs, we will chose Heavenly Father even in pain and frustration. This week was painful for two reasons, one a new adventure I am constantly reminding myself I have the tools I need to be successful, because Heavenly Father always prepares us for new adventures and two because my much loved spouse is having a very painful time and I have reached the point where there is nothing I can do, but be there. It is a painful realization that all the faith in the world can't change anyone else, it can only change yourself, so you seek to trust bigger and fear less. Sometimes in this life we face things to stretch us, we face things that soften us, sometimes we face things that provide a trust and testimony we cannot gain in any other way, a testimony that can change the world, but we have to submit and trust because life happens moving forward not looking back.
We are on a journey to see how far we will seek Christ. As a sister shared in my sacrament meeting today, Christ really lived, he ate with sinners, he got to know individuals, he made friends and as I learned today, He still wants to do all of those things, He wants to call us friends, He wants to walk a path with Him that refines us and prepares us to hear His word, not through prophets, not through intermediaries, but from Him. He wants to be a friend and guide, so that one day He will say to us, "well done my good and faithful servant, you have been faithful in a few things, now I'd like you to meet my Father and receive so many more." Really all our Father asks of us is to trust, do we trust Him above anyone else, do we trust where He leads? Worlds await, but trust is required.
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