By: David A. Bednar
“ We needed to gain the faith that the Lord is in charge whatever the outcome may be, and He will guide us from where we are to where we need to be. As we prayed, our petitions changed from ‘Please make me whole’ to ‘Please give me the faith to accept whatever outcome Thou hast planned for me.’
Sometimes, we have to make choices in our lives, that we dont always want to make, or dont always understand.
But just as Elder Maxwell has said, “I have learned that not shrinking is more important than surviving.”
I will not shrink to the will of the Lord, and I will humble myself, and let him direct my paths.
Brothers and Sisters, Family and Friends:
These last few weeks have been long ones for me. I have had to make a lot of decisions and choices, and I know that God is with me as long as I am obedient to his Commandments.
For those of you who don't know (And for those of you who do), something that I have struggled with for the past few years of my life is my physical health- When I first decided to serve a mission, one of my greatest fears was that my health challenges might hold me back. I knew that I needed to act on the prompting that I had to serve a Mission, go forward with Faith, holding onto the Iron Rod, and allow him to direct me as I moved forward in my life. However, regardless of Physical opposition, God saw my righteous desire to serve and he blessed me with the opportunity to be able to serve a mission here in the blessed land of the Wa-Tac. I have fought long and hard and pushed forward with my love for the Lord, to ‘serve him the very best I can’ (PMG, Remember This). However, in a recent turn of Events, after much Prayer and Fasting, and many Blessings, I will be Returning Home a few weeks Early from my Mission Due to Health Complications.
This is something that is very hard for me to do, because I know how important it is to Endure to the End, and to Keep Moving Forward, but through the Guidance of the Spirit and continued Strength from prayers and fasting, I have been able to serve as a full-time missionary for the majority of my 18 months, and feel so blessed for the time that I have been given to Serve as a Representative of Jesus Christ, To wear his name on my heart, and develop a greater sense of Christ-like Love and Charity for the people here in Washington.
It has taken a lot of strength and humility to reach this point, to understand that due to my health, I am unable to continue to serve the Lord adequately as a full-time missionary.
However, I recognize that as the Lord directs our paths, he know our strengths and our weaknesses, and gives us the trials and opportunities that we need to grow. My mission is not over, it is just simply changing, and going in a different direction then I had anticipated.
This is not anything that I would have planned for myself, however I know that God had a greater plan in mind. I can see now that the Lord has truly not held me back, but has given me such a wonderful opportunity to grow, and to serve him as a full-time missionary for many months. Coming home early was never anything that I saw in my future, but I know that as long as I have faith, and trust in the Lord, then he shall direct my paths-
5 ¶Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
I love Each and Every one of you so much. Even those of you who I don't really know that read my blog- thank you for your support.
Thank you for your prayers, and your fasting on my behalf. I would not have made it as far, or as long as I did without you all urging me on.
I love the Lord, and I love this gospel with all my heart.
I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's Church Restored here on the Earth Today, and that through living the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will Experience change, trials, growth, and true, lasting happiness.
Thank you to all of the amazing people that I have met here in my mission; thank you to the sweet members of the Tenino, Soundview, Deschutes River, Silverdale 3rd, Adna, Sequim Bay, Dungeness, and Elma 1st Wards - what a gift it has been to Serve with all of you, and Labor in your lives to bring souls unto Christ- it truly is the work of salvation.
The following Excerpt from one of my favorite talks by Brad Wilcox Illustrates this principle:
"At times, all of us run into closed doors. They are rarely pleasant and seldom wanted. However, when seen in an eternal perspective, closed doors may actually be helpful to us as they lead us to open windows of even greater opportunities.
Adam and Eve faced one of the first closed doors: Cherubim and a flaming sword were placed to keep them from the tree of life. (See Moses 4:31.) Why? Didn’t God want them to live forever? Didn’t he want them to be happy? Of course he did, and that is precisely why the “door” to the fruit of the tree of life had to be closed.
The cherubim and flaming sword were not evidence of God’s anger and rejection. Rather, they were evidence of his benevolence and love. This “closed door” existed not to bar Adam and Eve from God but to point them toward the open window of Christ’s atonement, which would enable them to return to God and live with him forever.
“It was as if someone closed a door in my face,” my friend had said. At the same time he was confused, wondering why the Lord was not giving him what he desired. Yet, years later, he was grateful that Heavenly Father had guided him when he was bound up in his own limited vision and perspective.
When certain events in our lives appear to be setbacks, and when prayers seem to go unanswered, we can react positively. Instead of feeling discouraged and seeing setbacks as God’s disinterest in us, we can ask ourselves and the Lord these questions: What other options are open to me? What would the Lord have me do now? We can have faith that the Lord will help us and that we will find answers.
In every aspect of our lives, the closed doors we encounter may lead us toward open windows of opportunity."
A Door in my Life has been closed, but it has allowed me to see the windows of opportunity that have now been opened.
I am Excited to see some of you again very soon-
and for to the other some of you- God Be With You Till We Meet Again.
Tell The World.....I'm Coming Home.
Keep Moving Forward,
Go With God and Live,
Sister Megan Chapple
and for to the other some of you- God Be With You Till We Meet Again.
Tell The World.....I'm Coming Home.
Keep Moving Forward,
Go With God and Live,
Sister Megan Chapple