by Mark Willis, Stake Mental / Emotional Support Specialist

Is life serving you difficulties that haven’t been seen before?   Does it seem that you have new challenges that are beyond your capacity?  Is the sense of fear heightened for you when things aren’t going “according to plan?”  I answer “YES” to each of those questions and either follow it by a weak pleading in prayer to “take this from me” or some angered expression because my ego isn’t being satisfied with the circumstances around me.   But there is a better way…

Elder Todd D Christofferson said “God uses love-inspired correction to guide us to a future we do not or cannot now envision but which He knows is the better way for us.”

The experience of Elder Hugh B. Brown is shared in this three minute clip “The Will of God” tells of two life experiences for Elder Brown.

1) He was a gardener cutting back an overgrown currant bush to help it fill its potential

2) He lost a promotion based on religious discrimination.

When we feel held back, deflected, unseen, incapable of being as much as we want to be, et. cetera, our hearts, minds and souls, can withdraw…not wanting to try again…this is a natural defense mechanism so that we don’t feel the pain of rejection, the haunting voices of criticism.  Yet, the irony in running from those things is that the growth opportunities can be missed – similar to muscular atrophy – muscles left unused become weakened.

Our faith in, and trust in, heavenly timing is one of the ways we can surrender ourselves to the Master Gardener who knows our needs and desires before we even express them.   Surrendering (letting go) sounds easy, except when it creates a vulnerable state we’re not eagerly embracing.   Individually we may respond as in Jarom 1:4 it states:

“And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked.  And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.”

Synonyms in the topical guide define a stiffnecked person as one who is stubborn, hardhearted, and even rebellious.   

Instead of continuing to fight the trimming of the currant bushes in my life or seeing the figurative religious discrimination experiences in my life as injustices, I can learn to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ better.   He teaches me to meet difficulties with faith over fear.  He invites me to have my will swallowed up in His.  His vision is eternal and that my vision is limited.   The Will of God is greater love than I can understand on my own, yet I can feel greater love when I have even a small desire to follow him and ask in prayer “why” we are being cut back so that we grow greater in the future.