Today’s Reading: 2 Nephi 28:18-32
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
I remember being a fairly new missionary, walking home after a full day of rejection and feeling discouraged. In the silence, I looked heavenward and pleaded: “Heavenly Father, I feel so inadequate! Please help me to be a perfect missionary now! You can help me say just the right thing that will pull at the heartstrings of each of thy children and bring them closer to thee. Isn’t that what you want? Maybe I’ll have it all ‘figured out’ by the end of my 18 months as a missionary, but by then it will be too late! I will have missed so many opportunities to bring others to thee because I haven’t grown to my full potential yet. If thou could make me better, I could serve thee better and I wouldn’t be wasting my time figuring out how to be an instrument in thy hands.”
I felt as though God was smiling at me–that he was pleased with my intentions. But I also sensed another kind of smile–like the smirk that comes from a wise parent when their child suggests cookies for dinner. I knew my request wasn’t righteous. I then felt the Spirit speak to me, He seemed to say: “My child, that is not my plan. My plan takes time. My plan requires agency–yours and theirs. My plan inspires growth–yours and theirs. But be assured that my plan results in happiness–yours and theirs.”
As I pondered on this, I came to terms with what I already knew–if even the Savior “received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness”[i], I and those I taught would grow, but our growth would come by small and simple steps. And I realized in a way I hadn’t before, that if I were immediately perfected, I would likely experience an intense surge of excitement, but not the lasting joy that comes with success after struggle. I then felt a deep sense of gratitude for God’s plan for growth.
Richard G. Scott summed it up beautifully:
Help from the Lord generally comes in increments. He can immediately cure serious illnesses or disabilities or even allow the dead to be raised. But the general pattern is that improvement comes in sequential steps. That plan gives us an opportunity to discover what the Lord expects us to learn. It requires our patience to recognize His timetable. It provides growth from our efforts and trust in Him and the opportunity to express gratitude for the help given [ii].
I have reflected on that simple experience many times as I’ve faced college, motherhood, and other challenges . At times I have been tempted to cry out “Heavenly Father, I feel so inadequate! Please help me to be perfect now!” But in my pleas for perfection, I need to stop and remember His process and His plan. Does he want me to be perfect? Yes, but gradually. With his eternal perspective, He sees that the journey is just as important as the destination. As I choose to make the small and simple choices to grow “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little,” I will embrace change more fully, my conversion will be fixed, my gratitude will be great, and I will know true joy!
After growing up in the bitter cold of Alberta Canada and serving a mission in the scalding heat of Tucson Arizona, I finally settled for the “moderate” climate of Utah. I met my best friend and love of my life at BYU where I received my degree in Marriage and Family Studies. I stay at home with my two little girls, teach marriage classes with my husband, and run an alumni Facebook group. I love to write, bake, travel, teach, and feast upon the words of Christ, but my favorite happy thought of all is going on weekly dates with my husband!