“How Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Are Involved in Our Lives,” Liahona, Dec. 2023.
Young Adults
How Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ Are Involved in Our Lives
Preparing to serve a mission gave me an opportunity to learn more about how They show up in my life.
Background by Alecia Schubert
Growing up, I was deeply affected by witnessing full-time missionaries return home to our island of Tonga and bear their testimonies. These moments always prompted me to serve my own mission. When the time came for me to start preparing, I learned so much about how our Heavenly Father and the Savior feel about us.
Here are just a few truths I’ve learned about Their role in our lives.
1. They Are Aware of Us
When I joined the missionary preparation class, things didn’t go smoothly. I was battling personal conflicts and worried that I wouldn’t make a difference as a missionary. I felt more anxious every day.
I struggled with these feelings for a while and prayed to know if I really was good enough to serve.
One day, as I checked my email, I opened a message from ComeuntoChrist.org. There, in big, bold letters, were the words “You Are Enough!”
These words pierced my heart, and I felt comforted. My prayers had been answered! I realized that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are fully aware of our circumstances and can answer our prayers in the most personal ways.
2. If We Trust Them, They Will Lead Us
Even though I wanted to serve a mission, I was still struggling to make the decision. I had a lot of personal desires that would have to be put on hold if I served. I was starting my freshman year at university, I was hesitant to leave important friendships behind, and I had always planned on joining the Tongan Armed Forces. My brother had also recently died by suicide, and the grief I felt made it hard to move forward.
I often wondered, “Is serving a mission really right for me?”
So, I took all my questions to general conference. During that conference, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated, “When you earnestly seek the truth—eternal, unchanging truth—your choices become much clearer.”1
I felt the truth of that statement. Sometimes it can be difficult to trust that God will provide something better when we are so attached to our previous desires. But through fasting, prayer, and messages from general conference, I personally learned that when we trust God, we will often see that He is leading us to greater opportunities and blessings than we could have realized on our own (see Hebrews 11:40).
Just as God provided for the Israelites in the desert when they regretted leaving Egypt (see Exodus 16:3), and just as He led Lehi’s family across the wilderness to the promised land (see 1 Nephi 18), we can always trust that He will lead us where we need to be if we exercise faith.
3. They Still Provide Miracles
Learning about all the amazing ways Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are involved in our lives renews my hope that all things are possible through faith in Jesus Christ (see Matthew 19:26). Even when we struggle with feelings of inadequacy, They will bless us with the necessary help and miracles we need for our specific circumstances.
Despite my fears, God blessed me with the miracle of confidence to serve a mission.
Through living the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can find peace and miracles in our lives as we strive to follow Him on the covenant path. By making and keeping covenants with Heavenly Father, “we are bound together,” as President Russell M. Nelson has taught. And “because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us. Each of us has a special place in God’s heart. He has high hopes for us.”2 As we seek Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we will see Their miraculous influence in our lives.
Preparing for a mission revealed to me how much our Savior and Heavenly Father appreciate our willingness to sacrifice for Their cause. I have seen how giving my time, talents, and heart to Them really does help me “maintain positive spiritual momentum”3 and overcome the world.4 I believe with all my heart that there are great blessings that await us when we willingly serve the Lord.