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3 Ways to Align Your Life with God’s Will
How can we know what Heavenly Father wants us to do?
Going Home, by Yongsung Kim
For the past few years, I have wondered:
“What is God’s will for my life?”
“How do I align my will with His?”
I’ve sought answers to these questions for a long time—and I still don’t think I have them all figured out. But I’ve discovered three truths that help me understand how to navigate my life the way Heavenly Father wants me to.
1. Keep the Spirit with You
An important part of following what Heavenly Father wants us to do is seeking and listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit can speak to us in many ways, but it’s our responsibility to live worthy of His companionship and to learn how He speaks to us personally.
For me, the Spirit speaks through my thoughts, but sometimes it can be hard to discern the difference between my own feelings and God’s direction.
One thing I like to do is ponder if the thoughts I have are good. As the prophet Moroni taught, “All things which are good cometh of God” (Moroni 7:12). If a thought is telling me to do something good for another person, inviting me to connect with Heavenly Father, or encouraging me to become more like Jesus Christ, I know it’s from the Holy Ghost.
Day by day, I try to keep this constant companion with me, listen for His invitations, and be willing to act upon them. This helps me align my life with Heavenly Father.
President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, reminded us: “The Holy Ghost is being sent to the faithful covenant members of the Church of Jesus Christ. Now, your experiences will be unique, and the Spirit will guide in the way best suited to your faith and capacity to receive revelation for you and for those you love and serve.”
2. Remember Your Divine Identity—and Help Others Remember Theirs
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ say to “love thy neighbour as thyself”—that is the second great commandment (see Matthew 22:39). We can feel more love and compassion for ourselves and others when we know and honor our divine identity.
Heavenly Father wants us to see ourselves for what we are—His beloved children with endless potential. Because He loves us, He desires that we love others and help remind them of who they truly are.
Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles lovingly reminds us: “Faith, service, and sacrifice draw us beyond ourselves closer to our Savior. The more compassionate, faithful, and selfless our service and sacrifice are in Him, the more we may begin to fathom Jesus Christ’s atoning compassion and grace for us.”
I think that if we could see ourselves as the Father sees us, we could more easily see His hand in our lives.
3. Trust in His Timing
A fundamental part of doing things God’s way is trusting in His timing. I know there are times in our lives when the last thing we want to do is wait. Perhaps we are hoping for blessings, including finding a spouse, having enough money to buy a house, finding a well-paying job, healing either physically or mentally, or countless others.
But sometimes these blessings do not come when we want them to. In fact, sometimes life might feel like we are wandering in a vast desert, where the blessings have run dry.
However, when we are waiting on Heavenly Father, we can look to the story of the Jaredites in the Book of Mormon (see Ether 2). When they were traveling to the promised land, God did not want them to stop in the wilderness (see verse 7). He wanted them to keep going. In the same way, the Father does not want us to stop in our figurative wildernesses either. He wants us to keep progressing with faith until we reach our promised blessings.
He wants me to keep going in faith, keep His commandments, and patiently wait on Him.
There may be times when we cannot understand why we have to endure some challenges or why we have to wait on His timing. Something that I have learned is that everything, no matter how difficult, can always be for our benefit if we keep drawing closer to Heavenly Father (see Doctrine and Covenants 122:7).
I know that as we strive to do things Heavenly Father’s way, we can have the companionship of the Holy Ghost and feel His love every day. If we trust in Heavenly Father, even in the difficult times, we can find the strength we need. If you are going through something difficult, kneel and talk to Him. I know that Heavenly Father will hear you and give you the comfort and direction you need.
Your tribulations may not go away after praying, but the Father will give you the strength to continue—and He will be on that path with you.