Growth is Essential

"And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life-- Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?" (Mosiah 18:8-10) 

Tonight we had the missionaries over for dinner, and this scripture was given in their lesson. I've been reading Preach My Gospel a lot lately in preparation of my mission (9 days!!).

This scripture is obviously written for baptism but I had a revelation while listening to the elders read it again. It is the qualities of someone who is ready or baptism, but are they not also qualities of those who are also ready for more progress in the gospel, such as serving a mission, going to the temple, getting married, and so on. The gospel of Christ is the gospel of progression: always growing and developing. Stagnation is inpossible, you are either progressing towards Christ, or moving backwards.

I bear my testimony to you that growth is essential to being close to God. As we grow, we become more an more like our Heavenly Father. That's the goal, isn't it?i leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Trusting God When Plans Change

To say this summer didn't go according to plan would be a major understatement. This was mostly fine, in fact it was wonderful. As everyone knows though, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A lot of what happened this summer I thought I could leave behind and just focus on mission prep, I was WRONG. Haha. It's not a bad thing, it just wasn't according to plan. I am very blessed because it didn't go according to plan. I began learning to "play by ear" with the Spirit. That was so cool. But it was on a day to day basis, I wasn't necessarily looking forward in time much. 

Fast forward in time: I am home and I have 33 days till I fly out to the MTC. Everything is great except I have to make some big decisions within the next couple of years, as in as soon as I get back from my mission. I have officially sent an email to SVU with questions regarding another deferment for my enrollment and scholarship to 2018 instead of 2017.

In the last month I've been trying to include something like "please let everything happen according to thy plan" or "thy will be done". It's so hard and sometimes scary! I tend to like my plans. They tend to look the best before things happen. But I know that God knows what he's doing a lot better than I do. We do have agency which allows us to choose our own path, but He knows what is best for us and so it's best to trust Him. 

I testify to you that God knows and loves each of us. He has a plan for us. Sometimes it's hard, but it's always worth it. I leave these things with ou in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.