I sat in a sacrament meeting this week and looked around at the variety of people and circumstances in the congregation. The chorister had gone grey years ago, while the new deacon’s heads just peered over the sacrament table. A young missionary sat on the stand, a man sat in a wheelchair with a rest to prop up his head, and young families scrambled to contain exuberant children. Some sat alone, some sat with friends and a woman with a blank face sat next to her caregiver. The congregation was a witness that every life contains its own set of challenges, strengths and capacities.
As a younger mother, I drove a carload of boys whose conversation revolved around ranking themselves and their friends on their ability to play various sports, the fastest runner, the best soccer player, the second fastest runner, the third best soccer player, the categories were extensive.
As mortals, it is so easy to compare and measure our experiences and capacities. Yet often our perspective can bring error into our calculations.
On Saturday, two golfers hit their individual shots from the fairway to the green. The first was a good shot, but the second with our distant two dimensional view seemed placed well inside the first effort until we got to the green and realized that with the added depth brought by proximity, the balls were almost an equal distance from the hole.
“During our sojourn in mortality, we often wrestle with what we think we know, what we think is best, and what we assume works for us, as opposed to comprehending what Heavenly Father actually knows, what is eternally best, and what absolutely works for children within His plan….While it is true that each of us travels an individualized discipleship journey on the covenant path…in things that truly matter, there is an inner space where we are free to choose whether or not we will decide to follow the pattern the Lord has prepared for our life.” (Elder Soares, October 2024)
While we may not always be able to see clearly, we can trust His eternal perspective and His intent to bring us all to the same place with every blessing He has to give. That’s what works for Him.
