Hello Brothers and Sisters! My name is Michaela, and this is my husband Mario and my daughter Little Miss. We moved into the ward two weeks ago, and we live in the Watts’ basement.
I grew up all over Utah Valley, but I consider Orem to be “home.” Mario grew up in Japan, but his family is now in Kaysville. We met at the student ward at Utah State University. I just finished my Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Education. Mario came to USU on an Opera and Piano Performance scholarship, but, in his words, he “wanted a real major” and he changed his course a little to Mathematical Physics and Computational Economics.
When we met, I thought Mario was arrogant, and he thought I was an airhead; but the Lord had other plans for us, Mario accidentally proposed (don’t worry, I was expecting it eventually, he just proposed sooner than intended), and here we are today.
I’ll be honest; I wasn’t thrilled to be asked to speak this week. I get super nervous up here, especially in a new ward. There have been MANY other things I would have preferred spending my week doing, but I do want to thank the bishopric for the opportunity to study this topic, and be edified thereby.
I have been asked to speak on Proverbs 3:5 and 6—
“Trust in the Lord with all thy heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
My first thought when preparing a talk is always “what does this mean?” Elder Richard G Scott has said, “To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning. To produce fruit, your trust must be more powerful than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience.” [October 1995]
For Mario and me, this has taken on a new meaning as we’ve been in the process of moving. We knew we were supposed to move in May after our contract ended, but were directed to start looking for housing sooner. As we looked, we came across Jordan’s post on campus. It was a great opportunity for an apartment that better fit our needs, and we both felt very strongly that we should take this opportunity, even though it would mean being responsible for selling our contract—a task that didn’t seem feasible. Fortunately, we followed the promptings we had received, and the Lord was able to take care of us. We have sold our contract, and we have felt very welcome in this ward. Each time we followed the counsel of the Holy Ghost, we were blessed, and we were able to accomplish so much more in this last 2 weeks than we thought possible.
I know that our Heavenly Father and Savior are able to see the eternal perspective, and we have such a limited perspective. When we truly “trust in the Lord, and lean not to our own understanding,” he will bless us and “direct our paths.” However, there is a caveat in verse 6: “in all thy ways acknowledge Him.” The footnote for “acknowledge” says “humility,” and we must remember that humility means more than simply recognizing the Lord’s hand in our lives through gratitude, it also means recognizing His will when we do not receive the answer we want.
Although our Savior truly desired to have the cup of the Atonement pass from Him, He truly accepted the Father’s will and plead, “Let Thy will be done.” We have been taught to follow His example and conclude our most heart-felt prayers with “let Thy will be done,” a phrase that will not change our Father’s will, but it will change our reactions to His decisions when truly expressed. [E. Scott, October 1995]
I have several friends and family members close to me who have been struggling with infertility, and each has offered some of their most sincere prayers on the matter. One friend related a story of how she and her husband have struggled to accept our Father’s will. She recently received a blessing where she was told she would “receive the desire of her heart,” but she also received the distinct impression that it would not be granted yet. As she has tried to consider what she can learn from the experience, and what she may need to change, she has realized that she needs and wants to remember the wonderful blessing she has been given of a loving husband, and strengthen their marriage until the time is right in the Lord’s eyes to bless her with the child she longs for.
This story is one of great strength to me. She remembered an important truth—one that I sometimes forget—even though we are promised, “ask and ye shall receive,” we will be blessed with what we NEED, not necessarily what we WANT.
Sometimes what we need is something different than what we want, and sometimes we will be blessed with what we want, but not WHEN we want it. Elder Neal A Maxwell has said, “Faith in the Lord includes faith in His timing.” [July 2002 Ensign]
According to Elder Scott, “we are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impacts on us here in mortality.” [October 1995] The Savior has emphasized this truth in Isaiah
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts, your thoughts.”[Isaiah 55: 8-9]
Christ can see the eternal perspective; He and our Father want our eternal happiness more than we do, and They are able to see the past, present and future. They know our thoughts and our desires, and, most importantly, what we need. If we trust in Them, and pray with a sincere desire to know Their will for us, They will make Their will known, and enable us to have a more eternal perspective.
Elder David E Sorensen, a former member of the Presidency of the Seventy, recounted a story of when he was preparing for the Korean War. Rather than be drafted, he had chosen to enroll in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. Due to the draft, most young men weren’t able to serve missions; only one young man in each ward was allowed to serve, and his bishop felt that Elder Sorensen should be the missionary from their ward. Upon discussing with his parents and praying about the decision, Elder Sorensen made the choice to serve a mission, but because he left, his draft notice was delivered about a month before his mission release date, and he served as an enlisted man in the military. Even though he wasn’t able to serve as an officer like he wanted, Elder Sorenson had more positive experiences than he ever dreamed possible while in the military, and he gained the knowledge that “faith and obedience are the answers to our concerns, cares and suffering. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is truly the power that can change our lives and lead us to salvation.” [April 2005]
Through each challenge, Elder Sorensen was blessed “after the trial[s] of his faith” and the blessings included increased enlightenment. Each of us are also entitled to an increase in capacity to know and understand our Father’s will as we constantly strive to acknowledge Him and accept His will. As we read our scriptures, pray and strive to become better, Elder Scott teaches that “[we] prepare [ourselves] for an eternity of glorious life with [our] loved ones who qualify for that kingdom.” [October 1995]
We must remember that sometimes challenges arise simply because our Father thinks we are ready to grow more. It is “the testing that a wise Father in Heaven determines is needed even when you are living a worthy, righteous life and are obedient to His commandments” [October 1995]
James 1: 3-4 states
“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Eventually, through the testing and trials we receive through mortality, we may become perfected gods and goddesses, knowing everything, wanting nothing. I wish to always remember this truth even in the throes of adversity, but sometimes the best I can do is hope.
Hope is one thing we always have. A scripture that has always strengthened me when I begin to falter is Doctrine and Covenants 6:36
“Look to me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.”
We must always remember the Lord, our Savior. Through Him, we need never fear—He knows our suffering, our pains, our hardships. He knows our joys and sorrows. He knows what we need before we ask, and He loves us enough not to give us everything we want. But most importantly, He gave His life for us, that through Him, we may be perfected, and as we rely on His Redeeming Power, He will be enabled to bless us when we need it most.
Trust in the Lord, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” [2 Corinthians 5:7]
I know our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, love us infinitely. I know that They want us to be happy and return to Them.
I know that it has been through temptations and trials that Mario and I have become closer as a couple as we have relied on the Lord through these times.
As I’ve made a conscious effort to recognize the Lord’s hand in my life, I have not only seen the blessings He’s poured down upon me and my family, I have more easily recognized His Spirit leading and directing my paths and actions, and I know we can each become more capable to recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost as we give Him heed.
I know that this is the Restored Gospel in the Last Dispensation; this truly is the “dispensation of the fullness of times.” I know that as a young boy, Joseph Smith prayed and saw The Father and the Son.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
