The Sunny Side of Life: Not my Will, But Thine be Done

Mesa Temple Lights

Something I have learned this transfer is the importance of trusting in the Lord's plan. Fortunately for us this often means that things don't go according to our plan. Sometimes it's hard, sometimes we think it's exactly what we don't need and sometimes we kind of just shake our fist and yell "why" at our loving Heavenly Father (we are kind of rebellious that way). Yet, often as we look back on those moments we see that it is exactly what we needed.

Sister Neahusen and I saw this so many times this transfer. We saw it as many of our investigators didn't come to church but new investigators did. We saw it as we got transfer calls last night and found out (to our great surprise) that she was getting transferred.

I kept having the lines "This is not what I want. This is not what I planned. And I just got to say - I do not understand" (please reference High School Musical if you are unfamiliar with the song) run through my head.

But then I thought about it some more and it hit me....of course it's not what I want or planned! IT'S GOD'S WORK. WE ARE OPERATING UNDER HIS PLAN. How selfish and prideful of me to think that I know better than my Heavenly Father who knows me PERFECTLY.

I thought back to when Christ was suffering for us - in Gethsamane and on the cross. The pain was unbearable. His body bled from every pore as He refused to succumb to the mortal defenses of death or unconsciousness. The cup was so very bitter yet Christ, our Savior, did not hesitate to do the Fathers will. He said, in a moment of indescribable anguish, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done". (Matthew 26:42)

What humility is in those words. What love is in that act.

I am so far from my Savior. The more I learn of Him the greater the distance seems to become. But I am so grateful for His obedience to the Father's plan. Without His obedience, humility and love that space would be inconquerable BUT because of the atonement His grace is sufficient and His loving arms able to span that distance.

So after reflecting on that, I was definitely humbled. I have LOVED being companions with Sister Neahusen. She is a fireball missionary and a great example to me. Yet I know that God has greater things in store for us than we could possibly know.

I love this work. I love that it is guided by the hand of the Lord. I love the plan of salvation and the opportunity to share it with the world. I know that as we humble ourselves sufficiently to accept the will of the Lord, we will be shaped into the people He knows we can be. A lot of the time that growth is painful and hard but I know that the atonement was the hardest thing ever wrought and it brought to pass the greatest thing ever known - our salvation.

To the Moon and Back!
Hermana Showalter