Finances, Following God's Will, and Finding Opportunities

Hello! To start off I want to talk about following God's will. There is a quote that I really love from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf in his talk called "Fourth Floor, Last Door." He says, 

"We cannot force God to comply with our desires—no matter how right we think we are or how sincerely we pray. Consider the experience of Paul, who pleaded with the Lord multiple times for relief from a personal trial—what he called “a thorn in the flesh.” But that was not God’s will. Eventually, Paul realized that his trial was a blessing, and he thanked God for not answering his prayers the way he had hoped.⁶No, the purpose of faith is not to change God’s will but to empower us to act on God’s will. Faith is trust—trust that God sees what we cannot and that He knows what we do not.⁷ Sometimes, trusting our own vision and judgment is not enough."  

There have been times where I feel like I know what path I should be taking and that things will line up accordingly, but that's not how God works. And I am SO GLAD that's how it is! He has better things in store for me, but it takes effort, willingness, and humility to be able to accept that. Just as Elder Uchtdorf taught, faith is not meant to change God's will for us, but to EMPOWER us to act on His will. It is a really beautiful thing to see what happens when we turn our lives the Lord and watch Him perform miracles and prepare us and guide us in ways that we would not have seen through our own vision or judgement otherwise. 

This applies to many things in our lives and one of those can be finances. Financial burden can be hard on marriages and family. I know that growing up, it was always something my family dealt with and when my parents got divorced, finances were very tight for a long time. A wonderful principle that is such a blessing to us is tithing. I have a strong testimony of tithing and the blessings that come from paying tithes. Because my family pays tithing, we have had tender mercies where there were extra checks in the mail, raises from work, and bonuses where they were not expected. These are a few examples, but I know there are stories from many others with similar experiences. These are not coincidences. The Lord truly does look out for us and will make sure we have necessities when we are following the commandments and doing our part. Marvin J. Ashton has a great talk and guide to family finance called "One for the Money" which I'll add a link for here. (One For the Money: Guide to Family Finance (churchofjesuschrist.org). When we budget, it is not about managing money, it is an opportunity to practice self-management and self-control.

The last thing I'd like to write about is finding opportunities. This week we talked about this from the point of view of work. Work has developed a negative connotation over time and is seen in a different light nowadays. Why should it be seen negatively though? Some of my favorite memories with my family have been from working together. Whether it's listening to some music and cleaning the house, going and picking raspberries and potatoes, yardwork, or service projects, those are family bonding opportunities in which we experience the simplicity of being together and enjoying one another's company away from the world for a time. It is so important to develop this positive work ethic with kids while they are young too. This helps them to stretch themselves and will actually help them develop better self-esteem when they are older. A quote that I heard this week from a book called "The Road Less Traveled" says something along the lines of “love being the degree where we are committed to someone's growth and well-being.” I think this is a great definition of love. So many of us go to great lengths to avoid hardship, but oftentimes it wields the best lessons and ultimately the most growth. The Lord gives us opportunities to grow and learn for our benefit, whether we see that in the moment or not. 

Overall, we have so many wonderful lessons that can come from work, finances, and following the Lord. I hope you know how much your Heavenly Father loves you and cares about the very details of your life. Know that He wants our happiness more than we want our own happiness. He will provide opportunities for us and will ensure we are taken care of. When we follow His will and seek to know it, He will never lead us astray and will lead us to higher and holier destinations that we never could have imagined.