41,995 Verses

That is how many verses of scriptures (according to Scripture Statistics) in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints's complete scriptures!  Despite that, I get "surprised" sometimes when people in talks or lessons quote scriptures that I "don't remember."  That happened today when we were attending the Walnut Grove Ward to hear our friends, the Olsens, talk before their mission.

In a youth talk before they spoke, the young woman quoted a scripture from Proverbs--Prov. 16:9 which reads:

A man’s heart ^adeviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

I immediately pulled out my scriptures to mark this and to ponder it later. She was talking about setting Christ-centered goals, but I realized how important it was for all of us.  And how true that has been in my life....although I have made many mistakes along the way and have a list of things that I wish that I had done much better...on the big stuff, I feel like we have been directed by the Lord and we have been willing to follow that direction.  The scripture is not saying that we can't set goals for ourselves, it is just reminding us who should be in charge.

The reference attached to the word 'deviseth' is Ether 2:16-25 which talks about building the boat and the brother of Jared working with the Lord to solve the problems of light and air.  This is one of my favorite scripture stories and I think it shows that the Lord works with us in different ways to lead us and direct us in the right direction.  Our hearts need to always be in the right spot as well.  It is not often that we get that Paul or Alma the Younger experience where the Lord calls us in the midst of rebellion.  The "way" we are divising for ourselves should be totally in line with the principles of the gospel as we understand it.  Then when the Lord directs, we can be ready to go.

As Steve Olsen spoke, he suggested that every couple should be actively planning to serve a mission now so that they are putting their lives in order so that when the time comes, they are ready (even though there is a lot that would still need to be done.)  Steve and Kim began working on their mission papers at the beginning of December, waited over four weeks for the call to come, and are leaving 11 days after receiving their call for the MTC and then Hawaii. Not much time to get your life in order.

Although we have set 2020 a our mission year, we have wondered over the past several years if it would even be possible for us to serve a full-time mission.  Like everyone we have a list of responsibilities and concerns which we thought might keep us from serving a full-time mission.  We weren't sure if we could leave those things and serve.  All I can say is at one moment it didn't seem possible and my worries were too much and the next moment, those worries left me and I felt it was time to begin the paperwork.  As Gary and I have discussed with each other, we do not take that as a sign that all will be well with those we care for and those responsibilities that we have.  We take it only as the Lord's direction to us to begin this journey.  Where it will end, what will be the outcome, and what will happen as we are gone, we do not know.  I imagine it will be a collection of good things and hard things--for us and those we leave---that is life!  The best we can do is step in the direction that we feel we are being led without requiring a witness that all will be great while we are gone.