i love my blogging friends. i borrowed from two of my favorite people today. the photo is from jenna (isn't it amazing!?), the quote is from zach's blog. they (the friends, and their thoughts and art) always inspire me! i know you will be inspired as well..
Elder Holland said,
First, we must never, in any age or circumstance, let fear and the father of fear (Satan himself) divert us from our faith and faithful living. There have always been questions about the future. Every young person or every young couple in every era has had to walk by faith into what has always been some uncertainty...But that is all right. This is the plan. It will be okay. Just be faithful. God is in charge. He knows your name and He knows your need.
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—that is the first principle of the gospel. We must go forward...one step and then another and then the next. That is how tasks are accomplished, that is how goals are achieved, and that is how frontiers are conquered. In more divine language, that is how worlds are created and it is how your world will be created.
God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities.
God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe. (Terror, Triumph and a Wedding Feast, September 12 2004)
Jenna's photo reminds me of what it is like to press forward, pushing fear behind and stepping into the unknown with faith. We can't always see our way, but can learn to trust and have perfect faith in Jesus Christ. This is the essence of life, really.
Working in the MTC, I have chance to experience this with brand new missionaries everyday. They are embarking into unknown territory, but humble and faithful-- almost like young children. They are expected to move mountains, and accomplish things they never dreamed possible. I can't believe the miracles I witness there every single day. It is a beautiful thing to be part of and always makes me want to be better myself. As I work with them, it is witnessed to me again and again that He does know our names, know our needs, and is anxiously awaiting the chance to answer our prayers, our dreams.
