Why Am I Here

Why am I here is a question that has been asked since the beginning of time. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has answers to this question, but I do not want to focus on the question of why am I here on earth, I want to talk about why we are where we are today?

When we would train the new missionaries that came to the Indiana Indianapolis Mission, I would always tell them that the Lord called them to serve in Indiana for a purpose and challenged them to go find out what the purpose was and to fulfill it.

Now that my wife and I have returned home from our mission along with missionaries from missions all over the world, I would like to ask the question why are you here (wherever you are)? Just as the missionaries were called to their mission assignment for a reason, there is a purpose for being where we are now. The challenge is to find out what that purpose is and fulfill it.

My favorite quote from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretes is when Dumbledore tells Harry “it is not your abilities that determine who you are, it’s your choices”. I can testify that if we rely on the Lord as we make our choices that He will guide you to the place where he needs you the most. In a devotional to the students of BYU-Idaho, Elder Bradley Foster said:

“I believe, Brothers and Sisters, one of the hardest things you will ever do in life is to learn to identify and receive direction from the Holy Ghost. You have very difficult decisions to make and unanswered questions in your life right now. Who should you marry? What career should you choose? How can you increase your self-worth? Does the Lord love you? You need to understand that He has placed you here on earth for a purpose. 

“As you struggle through those things, you are experiencing growth and it will be for your good. So don't be impatient with yourself or with this wonderful plan. In your effort to receive revelation as you counsel together as husbands and wives, as families, or as friends, don't exclude Him. Don't take a side door and say that He doesn't answer your prayers. Because He will answer your prayers. Maybe not immediately, but He will answer them-line upon line, precept upon precept, and prayer upon prayer.9 He's trying to help you grow and to become what you need to become.” (So, Where Did You Put the Tigers?)

We may not understand why we are directed to go to the school we chose, or why we felt prompted to accept the job we did or even why we bought the home in the neighborhood we did; but as the years go by we will come to see the Lord’s hand in our decisions. It is much like Ammon and the other son’s of Mosiah when they looked back on their mission to the Lamanites, when Ammon said: “could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?” (Alma 26:1)

Looking back on your full-time mission, or whatever experience you have had; you can see how the Lord blessed you as you brought The Gospel of Jesus Christ to those you taught and those you served as a representative of Jesus Christ. So too, you have been directed by The Lord to live in the area you currently live in. You can be an influence for good to your neighbors, co-worker, and those you serve in your callings in The Church.

Proverbs teaches: “Trust in the Lord with thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding”. (Proverbs 3:5) When we trust in the Lord to direct us, we do not need to wonder why we are at this particular school, this job, or this town; we will know that He has a purpose for us and we need to go find it and fulfill it.

Your comments and questions are welcome

Love You Forever

Today is Mother’s Day in the U.S and I would like to wish my mother, the mother of my children, and the mothers of my grandchildren a happy Mother’s Day by sharing a favorite story by Rober Munsch called “Love You Forever”

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother's watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, "this kid is driving me CRAZY!"

But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

The boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a teenager. He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!

But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town. But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town.  If all the lights in her son's house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, "You'd better come see me because I'm very old and sick." So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always...

But she couldn't finish because she was too old and sick. The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my Mommy you'll be.

When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.