The Road From A to B is Through C

We all need direction in life. In our day when so much information is circling, competing for our attention, which one must we follow? Which voices should we hear? Which ones should we drown out? I believe this is why revelation is so important. Simply put, "Revelation is communication from God to His children." (Topics & Questions: Revelation, Gospel Library)

This is the fourth Sunday and our fourth Family Home Evening out of 52. It was my husband's turn to give the lesson. I like that he uses videos from the church's vast media library whenever he shares during the FHEs. Tonight's lesson was on revelation. We watched the video of a snail who, on his birthday, received a letter from the snail king. All his friends were amazed that the king even greeted him a happy birthday but then suddenly, one of his friend's posed a question, "How do you know it's really the snail king who sent the letter?" Long story short, the snail called the snail king himself to confirm it was really him who wrote the letter.

This video was simple but reminded me that Heavenly Father is our first source for answers. Whenever we are troubled, or having questions or doubts, we can always ask Him, for He knows all things and is able to reveal things to us according to His will. Jasper also shared this principle that I always want to be reminded of: All things are spiritual. However, asking for revelation doesn't mean we won't make efforts to be deserving of it. We have to be willing to act on inspiration, plan, and ponder on the next steps in order to receive answers from God. Sometimes, He doesn't just reveal the answers, He gives us the opportunity to think of solutions for ourselves.

As we discussed, I remember the video we saw from our previous FHE which was also about revelation. It was President Holland's experience with his son. They were about to go home and were lost along the way. They saw two roads and prayed to know which one they should take. After their prayer, Elder Holland and his son both received the same answer and that is to go to the road on the right. After a few kilometers, they saw the end of that road was a cliff which made it, obviously, the wrong path. It left them wondering why they so strongly felt it was the right one in the first place. I liked what Elder Holland said, "The fastest way to get from A to B is through C." Because they knew that the road they were impressed to go through was not the right one, they drove through the other one with ease and peace of mind, never doubting that it was indeed the correct path.

My husband and I prayed so hard to know if applying to BYU Hawaii was the right path for us. We prayed for confirmation before we got married. And we received the answer we needed. We trusted that marrying and going to BYU Hawaii were the right paths for us. But now, two years later, I got to thinking, "If Heavenly Father wanted us to go to BYU Hawaii, why are we still in the Philippines?" "Why did we have to experience several rejections?" "Did we get the message wrong?" Now that we have our son Qelton, all these questions have been answered for me. The good feelings that we felt when we were applying for BYU Hawaii and taking action to get married weren't imagined. Though getting into the school of our dreams wasn't realized, it didn't mean that God made mistakes in giving us the inspiration to go for it. Instead, it's part of the process to get us where He had wanted us to be--parents to our lovely baby boy.

The Heavens are Open

I am blessed to know that if I ever needed guidance (which was always), I always have a loving Father in Heaven available to listen and even to answer my queries. I love these words from the late President James E. Faust: "...Great is the power of prayer. No earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator. There can never be a mechanical or electronic failure when we pray. There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. There is no quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace. He is reachable at any time and any place." (The Lifeline of Prayer)

In our ward, I have one mom friend who told me that after giving birth, she found herself becoming more prayerful. She shared how each time her baby wouldn't stop crying and they've tried everything, she would pray to know what to do or pray that her baby would be comforted and finally stop crying. And though most of the time the cries didn't stop even after several "Amens", she still felt peace after praying. I feel the same. I remember being in the OR and praying for hours and hours, speaking to Heavenly Father, asking, and even pleading for help with the delivery. I can't forget the feeling of being in that space in my mind with God, I was in pain, yes. But the deep feelings in my heart were serene and peaceful.

Prayer is our gateway to revelation. It is our literal communication with God. I've proven to myself countless times that Heavenly Father listens to my prayers, nevertheless, there were still times when I took prayer for granted. Perhaps because it was so simple, we forget how marvelous a gift prayer truly is. Sometimes, we don't give it the reverence it deserves. Other times we don't use it as much as we should.

It is amazing how this simple act opens the heavens for us. I often received the strength I needed to push through a trial because I had called for help through prayer.

Acting on Answers

One leader once said, "It is not enough to have strong faith. We must also have strong feet!" Receiving revelations means nothing if we do not act on them. Is it possible to receive revelation daily? In the Book of Mormon, Nephi and Lehi received "many revelations daily" (Helaman 11:3). Yes, we can too. Anyone can receive revelations daily but I believe the "asking for it" makes the difference in the frequency of how much we do. And when the answers come, we must be up on our feet, ready to follow through.

Path C and Contingency Plans

As I looked back on defining moments in my life, I realized that there are no contingencies to the Lord for He knows what goes on in the future. But He does have plan Bs, Cs, and beyond. Path C is not a mistake but one that is necessary to help us get to Point B with peace of mind. Moving through life, I know I will continue to encounter different paths. I might take longer to get where people expect me to be, but as I continue to rely on the Lord, I know I'm exactly on the path He intended for me.