“What brought you to St. Johns?” or “How did you end up here?” are both questions that I hear on a regular basis. Growing up in a village (yes, that’s officially what it is) in the Midwest, I never thought I would end up here either. I also while growing up never thought I’d choose the career I’m in, but here I am.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s not difficult to see all the little things that have led you to where you are now, but when you’re in the moment, things can seem uncertain or even frightening. The writer of Proverbs said, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” He knows the end from the beginning, and He can and will guide us if we seek his guidance.
The Maori of New Zealand have a saying, “Ka mura, ka muri.” It means we all walk backwards into the future. We can clearly see the past behind us, but the direction we travel is still unknown. Nephi said, “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” There are so many things in life beyond our control, but one thing we have is our ability to choose for ourselves what we will do. That includes the opportunity, scary as it may be, to let the Lord lead our course. We can strive to follow the Savior’s example by saying, “Thy will, not mine, be done.”
That’s hard. No likes to feel out of control, and it takes real faith- trust and hope for things we have yet to see- to let God be at the helm of our lives. Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles once said, “to take one’s agency, that precious gift which the scriptures make plain is essential to life itself, and say, ‘I will do as you direct,’ is afterwards to learn that in so doing you possess it all the more.”
I’m here because I’ve tried to do that. There have been many times along the way (and probably will be some yet to come) when I have wondered, “What am I doing here?” or “Why did you tell me to go here Lord?” I have learned that with patience, we should “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord”. It took 3 years for my wife and I to be able to see clearly all that the Lord intended in prompting us to move here. I can promise you, that if you will trust the Lord and seek His guidance in directing your life, then He will prompt you through the Holy Ghost to know what to do as you take decisions to him in faith.
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