Let me set the scene:
You're completing a puzzle (which is very cozy and cute, by the way) when you can’t figure out where one of the final pieces goes.
You are almost done with the puzzle, so, naturally, frustration begins to build. It becomes so aggravating that you begin to wonder if the piece even belongs to this puzzle. Because, come on, if you haven’t found its place by now, you might as well toss it in the trash.
You check the picture of the completed puzzle one more time and realize that, of course, the piece had a place all along; you just didn’t realize it would be a part of the hydrangeas.
The rest of the pieces fit nicely into place, and your puzzle—finally—is complete.
In a similar way, I knew that a mission was something God desired of me, but I didn’t see where it could fit in my future. Instead of trusting God's picture, I tried to rearrange his will to something I would be more comfortable with. Perhaps that meant serving a mission later with a spouse, but certainly not during college.
Over time, I decided to build faith in God’s plan for me, so I began praying for an increased desire to serve a mission.
I was thinking about my situation when during relief society, a member of the bishopric shared Doctrine and Covenants 4:3 which says, "Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work."
Woah. Wanting a desire to serve a mission felt applicable here. After church, I looked up D&C 4:3 in my scriptures, and I found that it was already marked. Perhaps I always did have a desire, but I was letting the fear of failure hinder my excitement about serving.
Sometimes God asks us to do things that we don't plan on. It can be difficult to accept a change in our agenda when we don’t see the present benefits. For me, God asking that I sacrifice 18 months of my life to serve him was initially overwhelming. All I could see was my weaknesses and not what I could BECOME with the Lord’s help. I couldn’t see the full picture.
Now, as I prepare to serve a mission, Doctrine and Covenants 109:44 comes to mind: “Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours.” As we turn to the Lord, our efforts can be magnified. When we trust Him, we can have faith that every piece in our puzzle is where it belongs.
