Today’s Reading: Mosiah 15:4-22
7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.
I once had an important decision to make and the consequences of that decision would affect the rest of my life. I wanted, I needed, a clear answer as to what I should do. I prayed. I fasted. I attended the temple. I received a priesthood blessing. I wanted a direct answer from the Lord so there would be no doubts in my mind. I labored over this decision until the answer came and the Spirit quietly whispered to my heart what I should do. It was an easy answer to understand but it wasn’t an easy answer to accept. It didn’t align with what I thought was best. I was faced with “choosing the harder right, instead of the easier wrong.” Choices, Thomas S. Monson
I could accept the answer I got and do what the Lord wanted me to do, or I could ignore that answer and do what I thought was best for my life. What the Lord wanted was for me to continue on the path I was already on and to trust in His plan for my life and where He was leading me. He didn’t want me to make big changes or do anything drastic. He wanted me to be faithful and to listen to Him. He wanted me to do His will. It was different than my will at the time so I struggled with it. In my prideful heart, I felt that the Lord wanted things to be hard for me. It took a lot of humbling on my part to accept His answer. At that point in my life, I felt that He was asking me to make some significant sacrifices in order to do that.
As I continued praying over this answer I had received, thoughts of the Savior came to my mind. He willingly and lovingly, with no thought for Himself or His own suffering, did what was asked of Him by His Father. He did incredibly hard things and suffered unimaginable pain. He endured loneliness and heartbreak. He suffered physical and emotional pain. He gave His life – for me. He did it all out of love and obedience to the will of His father. I was humbled as these thoughts touched my mind and my heart. I could do what the Lord was asking me to do because I love Him. I made the choice long ago to follow Him and to do His will, no matter what that would require. Peace flooded my heart and I knew I was doing the right thing. I knew that even though it was going to be hard, I could do it with help from the Lord because He would bless me in my effort to do His will.
There have been times where I have found myself having to choose over and over again to let my will be “swallowed up” in the “will of the Father.” It isn’t always easy. I have to continually put my pride aside and humble myself, but I have learned that doing what the Lord asks of me is always the right choice and it always brings happiness. When I align my will with His and trust in Him – even if that requires me to do hard things – it brings peace to my spirit, my mind, and my heart and I am blessed with the assurance that I am doing what’s right. There is no greater peace than that.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said,
“Only by aligning our wills with God’s, is full happiness to be found. As one’s will is increasingly submissive to the will of God, he can receive inspiration and revelation so much needed to help meet the trials of life … the more one’s will is thus “swallowed up,” the more his afflictions, rather than necessarily being removed, will be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ” (Alma 31:38) … the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give.” Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father
I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. I served a Spanish-speaking mission in Toronto, Canada. I attended BYU and taught at the MTC. I am a wife and a mother and I love being a stay at home dance/basketball/football/soccer mom. I love the beach, anything chocolate, Santa Fe sunsets, and all things Jane Austen. I’m a thyroid cancer survivor, a big fan of BYU Soccer, and I love teaching the gospel. Over the last twenty years, I’ve lived in San Francisco, California; New Haven, Connecticut; Miami, Florida; Kalispell, Montana; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Utah. I have loved each place I’ve lived and I’ve been blessed with amazing friends and all kinds of experiences along the way! My motto has become: “Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace.” 💜