Called to the Bench

We all know how sports teams go, they hold practices where they are expected to work hard and develop the skills required for the game. Each team member anticipates the game time that they receive. It is during the game that they can prove their skills and their abilities that they have worked long and hard on at practices. They are eager to contribute to the game and see their hard work pay off.

On a sport's team, the coach has got the best interest for the team and each individual player in mind. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of each player and he has seen their hard work at practice. He knows what they are capable of. Why then, does he sometimes ask them to sit out on the bench?

Life is like a great big game. We each have something to contribute and participate in. We are eager to participate and put our acquired skills and abilities to the test and see them pay off. But what if we are asked to sit on the bench? What if we are denied an opportunity or experience that we have been anticipating for a long time? What if we are denied something so important to us? a scholarship? a new position at work? marriage? the chance to have kids? good health? a chance to serve a mission? What if the very thing that we have looked forward to is stripped from our grasp and we are left on the sidelines empty handed?

This is when the cascade of questions flood our mind. Are we not good enough? What did we do wrong? Did we not work hard enough at practice? Was it because we missed that last shot or dropped the ball? Why is this happening to me? We may even ask, "Is God punishing me?"

I have found myself asking this same questions when I was "called to the bench". For some reason or other, Heavenly Father has asked me to not to complete my paper process and serve a full time mission. As I have watched close friends, family members, classmates, and many others receive their calls and leave for their missions, I struggled that I had to "sit out". I wanted to take part of the missionary program and be counted as one of the full time missionaries and I didn't understand why He was asking me to sit out. I have had many people express to me that I would be a good missionary or that they really think that I belong out there in the field right now. At first I was upset. I knew what I was capable of and I knew that I could contribute as a missionary.

Heavenly Father is our coach. He loves and cares for each one of us. He desires for our happiness and He wants us to thrive. He has seen our every effort and been by our side through every rough trial and struggle. Through the trial He has watched us rise and improve. He knows the growth that we are capable of, He sees our potential. Then why are we sometime denied opportunities that we want or look forward to in life?

I think the first thing we must remember that the coach's job is not to judge or call out the player's mistakes (that is the ref's job) he is as emotionally connected to each athlete's success as they are. He is the first one to cheer when they make a score and the first one to cry when they miss or drop the ball. More than anyone, he has seen their efforts at practice and he desires for them to succeed.

I know that my Heavenly Father loves me. He knows who we can become. We may be denied opportunities in certain times of our lives, but He has promised us that we will get a chance to play the game. He has a plan for each and everyone of us that is designed specifically for our needs and for our growth. We must trust in Him and rely on His promise. Do not loose faith, do not loose hope. Your coach is the best.

Traveling the Wrong Road

I had an incredible experience, talking with a friend of mine about a recent experience in her life. She expressed to me a really difficult time with the choices that she had made and where it had taken her. But what really struck me was when she explained that Heavenly Father had allowed her to take this certain path, he did not give her the "cue" that her current path was not the "right" one. She understood that it was her choices that got her there, but that He could have given her the answer that she needed to know it wasn't right. She explained how hard she struggled with the thought that Heavenly Father had allowed her to take this path, knowing the pain and heart ache that would follow. Why would He let her fall so far? Why did He allow for the pain to take place when it could have easily been avoided? Why didn't He stop her before it went too far?

My friend then referred me to this video, taken from a story that Elder Jeffery R. Holland has shared.

Sometimes the Lord allows us to take the wrong path for a short time that we may turn back and know which one is the right road with no doubt in your mind.

Her beautiful story showed that sometimes Heavenly Father allows us to take the wrong path because it is the quickest way for us to see where we really need to be. This experience had strengthened her resolve that the path that she needed to take was the path that she wanted and the one that would take her where she needed to go. She was required to then turn her life back around, repent, and get back to that fork in the road. Because of this, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that road was the right one for her. Turning around is one of the hardest things to do and one with lots of discomfort and pain. However, the learning and growing that comes from turning around is irreplaceable. 

Heavenly Father knows that we may fall in this life, but guess what, He has provided us the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It's strength is all-encompassing. It can heal, it can lift, and it can make you whole again. There is not anything that the Atonement of Jesus Christ cannot fix. There is hope and there is light through Christ. I know that His atonement is real, it works, and it's strength and power is accessible to everyone. Everyone needs the Atonement in their everyday lives. As I heard her story and the healing that had taken place in her life towards the things she was struggling with, I recognized those exact patterns that have taken place in my life, dealing with an entirely different situation. This is a testimony to me that Christ's atonement is meant for every individual and their personal needs. We must remember that not only did Christ suffer and atone for all man kind's sins and shortcomings, He suffered and atoned for your sins and your shortcomings. The power of the atonement lies in the personal application. 

Heavenly Father does not care where you have been, how many wrong roads you have been down, or how many times you have fallen. What He cares about is where you are now, where you are heading, and (with Him) how far you are willing to go. 

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I know that we are each a beloved Child of God. His greatest desire is to have us return home to Him again and become who He knows where are capable of becoming. He will not let us ignorantly travel the wrong road for long, He will reach out and embrace you with His healing arms the moment you allow Him to.