'ACT UPON THIS LAND as for Years'

Dennis C. Gaunt wrote an interesting article for this month's Ensign....it has impressed me enough to sit down and add it to my blog. I won't of course copy the whole article, but I hope that if you are reading this you will go find the article in the August 2014 Ensign. ( LDS.org) The article is called 'ACT UPON THIS LAND as for Years'.

It began with the following paragraph.......

 "Like many children, I dreamed of

what I would be when I grew

up. In my case, I was convinced

I would become a firefighter on the

moon. In my five-year-old mind, there

wasn’t any other way my life could

possibly turn out. I suspect most of

us had childhood dreams about what

our life would be like when we grew

up. I also suspect that most of us

have, at one point, looked back at our

lives and exclaimed, “This isn’t what I

thought would happen!”

That caught my eye and I couldn't stop reading. I was feeling discouraged this morning. Very much caught in a mind thought of, what is this whole life supposed to be for me? I thought by the age of sixty-three that I would have figured it all out...but no my friends, I'm still trying to figure it out. 

The author of the article then gave two very good scriptures...just for me. He said...Two scriptures help us keep our lives in perspective. 

First:“For my thoughts are not your

thoughts, neither are your ways my

ways, saith the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than

the earth, so are my ways higher than

your ways, and my thoughts than your

thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).

Second: “[God] doeth not anything

save it be for the benefit of the world;for he loveth the world” (2 Nephi 26:24).

These scriptures teach us that

everything Heavenly Father does is

ultimately for our benefit, even if we

cannot understand why. And since

God’s thoughts and ways are higher

than ours, we need to elevate our

lives to be more in harmony with His

plan for us. 

As I'm teaching the Old Testament at church the following then got highlighted:

Consider which was harder for the

camp of Israel to endure: spending a

year in an unpleasant place or leaving

a nice place after two days? I think both scenarios tested their faith.

So it is with us. We may not be

satisfied with our circumstances and

thus spend time wondering when

things will change. Or we may experience

an unanticipated change to

our pleasant routine. How we choose

to respond to these experiences

determines, in a large part, our happiness.

And if we spend our lives

wondering while we wander, we may

miss out on wonderful opportunities

for spiritual growth.

There is so much more in this article, but I want you to go and find it...make that choice.

One other favorite part was a statement by...Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “When we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God’s timing, we really are suggesting that we know what is best. Strange, isn’t it—we who wear wristwatches seek to counsel Him who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars.” 

"Of course life isn’t always easy, and I don’t know of anyone—myself included—who would say that life has turned out exactly the way they imagined. But I also know many people who would say that despite it all, they are happy with their life now—even if they didn’t grow up to be a firefighter on the moon!

That positive perspective comes when we faithfully follow the Lord with optimism through our own wildernesses. As we do, we will one day discover that our wilderness experience wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought. We may even admit that it was totally worth it. To each of us the Lord says:

“Continue in patience until ye are perfected.

“Let not your minds turn back; and when ye are worthy, in mine own due time, ye shall see and know” (D&C 67:13-14)"

I ( Jackie writing here) am grateful for how prayers ( mine) are heard and answered. I want to testify here to anyone who reads this, that God, our Heavenly Father, knows each of us individually and loves us. He sees the big plan and He wants us to find it. That's what this life is all about. ( find and follow the plan...it's a great map)

I am also grateful for my elder brother, Jesus Christ who is my advocate with the Father, and the Messiah, anointed to this great plan. I am also deeply thankful that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to this earth, and that we once again have living prophets to guide us to the pathways of  God. I will be trying to wonder/wander less, and instead appreciate all the opportunities that I have been given.

Have an extra special day.

PS.. this article connects wonderfully to a talk from our last General Conference

To learn how to be grateful regardless of your circumstances, see President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s April general conference talk “Grateful in Any Circumstances” in the May issue or at conference.lds.org.