Trust is a concept that can be very
difficult to understand. It requires
vulnerability, faith, and ignorance on occasion. Although it is difficult, it is a necessary
aspect in the relationships that we have with the people around us. These relationships include family and
friends, yes, but the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father is one of
the most significant. As we trust in Him
our lives become more purposeful and we can find more joy in the journey of
life. As trusting in the Lord and His timing
in our lives is so significant, I would like to focus on how we, especially as
young single adults, can develop this quality especially in regards to making
important life decisions.
As human beings living in a fallen
and natural world, we want things to happen our way in our own time. It can often times be difficult for us to
accept that our will may not be completely in line with God’s will. As I was studying how I could more
effectively put my trust in the Lord, I came across some counsel from church
leaders, church publications, and ancient prophets that helped me understand
how we can better trust in the Lord and His timing in our lives. I would like to discuss 6 things that we can
do today in order to increase our trust in the Lord’s timing.
One of the simplest things that God
instructs us in the Doctrine and Covenants is “doubt not, fear not” (D&C
6:36). When doubt exists in our lives, we are incapable of fully finding
joy. Faith is the only way that we can
find joy in this life and be at peace with God’s plan. God has promised us blessings if we are
faithful. Many of these blessings we
expect to receive quickly or without trial, but most of the time Heavenly Father
wants us to work for them (Ether 12:6).
When we are expecting an answer to prayer or we desperately want
something in the present, we may not be ready and God’s timing will help us to
more fully appreciate the blessings when they do eventually come whether in
this life or the one to come. Quoting
Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Elder Dallin H. Oaks instructed that “our faith needs to
include faith in the Lord’s timing for us personally, not just in His overall
plans and purposes” (2003). As we have faith in our Heavenly Father, our trust
in His timing grows stronger and we can live a more peaceful and less anxious
life.
Showing gratitude is one of the most
used concepts in the scriptures as well as emphasized by our ecclesiastical
leaders. In an Ensign article in July 2013, Melissa Zenteno discusses the story of
a young woman who has been waiting and hoping to get married, but the
opportunity has never arisen. After a conversation with family members, this
young woman decided that she needed to show more gratitude and keep a journal
illustrating all the many blessings she already had in her life. After a certain amount of time, she realized
that many of the blessings she had received over a few months were unexpected
answers to her prayers. This woman later
stated that she was to going to “continue to have experiences that [would] help
[her] learn and grow” (Zenteno, 2013). Because of this grateful attitude, she was
able to start building relationships with various people that helped her to
eventually meet her eternal companion.
Instead of dwelling on the negative and the fact that this woman wasn’t
married yet, she looked at the silver lining and her life became a lot more
fulfilling. More importantly, she came
to trust more fully in the Lord just as we can if we become more grateful in every
circumstance, not just the good.
In the recent copy of the Ensign, Elder Dallin H. Oaks and his
wife discussed developing trust in the Lord’s timing especially in regards to
marriage. Although they brought up many
important qualities and necessary things to do, there was one that stood out
the most to me. They instructed LDS
young single adults to ask themselves, “what more can I do that is right?”
(2016). Just because the Lord doesn’t
give us the blessings or answers to our prayers that we desire, it doesn’t mean
that we’re doing anything wrong. The
more I thought about this, I realized that the trial of being single when
everyone else seemingly is getting married can be an excellent opportunity for
growth and a time to rely even more on the Lord rather than pull away. In my own life, I’ve been able to see this
directly. Like I mentioned earlier, when
I got home from my mission, I was receiving a lot of pressure to date and get
married quickly. Now that I’ve been home
about 15 months, I’ve started to feel the realities of that pressure set
in. It feels like everyone around me is
getting married and I haven’t even seriously dated anyone. I go on dates every so often, but not
consistently. For a while, I felt like I
was never going to be in a relationship or even get married. A few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to focus
on improving myself rather than hoping for someone else to do something. Elder
Oaks also discusses this in an Ensign article
from 2003. He says, “the achievement of
some important goals in our lives is subject to more than the timing of the
Lord. Some personal achievements are also subject to the agency of others.” As
I read this, I decided to focus on bettering my own habits in the gospel to
become who the Lord wanted me to be and become like the person that I want to
marry in the future.
One of the most important things
that we need to remember when learning to trust in the Lord’s timing is
patience. On my mission, I had the
opportunity to be blessed with difficult companions. Although those transfers were the hardest
ones I had, I felt like I grew and learned so much. The patience that I developed was a process
and it definitely did not come all at once.
I felt like I was growing closer to God and trusting in Him, but it
still did not mean that I had didn’t have to form patience. It wasn’t until after those specific
transfers that I realized that patience is what helped me to trust in the Lord
more. Hillary Olsen also discusses this
in the August 2015 issue of the Ensign
and quotes Elder Maxwell. “Patience is a
willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of
wonder and awe, rather than pacing up and down within the cell of our
circumstance. Put another way, too much anxious opening of the oven door and
the cake falls instead of rising. So it is with us. If we are always selfishly
taking our temperature to see if we are happy, we will not be” (2015). We need to watch the will of the Lord unfold
and have patience while doing it.
Trusting in the Lord requires a willing and patient mind or we will not
be able to find joy in this life and learn and grow in the way that we need
to.
Overall, trusting in the Lord
requires faith, gratitude, self-improvement, and patience. The Lord wants us to be happy, but if we
don’t do all that we can first, He will not be able to bless us in the way that
is most beneficial. There are various reasons
that we may not get exactly what we want when we want it, but the Lord has a
plan that incorporates each and every one of us in the way that He needs us. Doctrine and Covenants 64: 31-34 summarizes
the importance of trusting in the Lord perfectly. “Wherefore, be not weary in
well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small
things proceedeth that which is great. Behold,
the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient
shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days. And the rebellious shall be cut off out of
the land of Zion, and shall be sent away, and shall not inherit the land.” As
long as we are trying our hardest to succeed in this life and be obedient, we
can have the confidence that the Lord will fulfill His promises and that
everything will work out the way that it’s supposed to.
I’ve been able to personally see the
blessings of trusting in the Lord’s timing in my life and even though I’m still
not completely perfect at it, I still keep trying because I know that the
blessings will still come. I’m so
grateful for the opportunity that I have to have a strong relationship with my
Father in heaven and that He’s there to always support me. I say these things in the name of Jesus
Christ. Amen.
