Come Follow Me: Doctrine and Covenants 111-114
Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you think they will. And it’s frustrating! A lot of times, I’ll try really hard for something specific, and then it doesn’t work out how I thought it would. And I’ll feel like my efforts weren’t worth it, or that they weren’t good enough, or that I didn’t try hard enough. And then I’ll be sad or mad because it didn’t work out how it was “supposed to,” and I no longer have a plan for what will happen.
But in reality, nothing ever happens by mistake. If you think about it, every experience you’ve had has probably impacted you or helped you grow in some way. The biggest decision of your life and even the most tiny random choice you’ll ever make will have an effect on your life in some way or another. There’s not one way something should work out. In other words, in D&C 111:10, it says, “For there are more treasures than one for you in this city.”
In that scripture, some of the early saints, including the prophet, are receiving revelation from God. They had just traveled to Salem, Massachusetts because they were told they could get money there since they were in debt. But when they got there, there wasn’t any money for them to collect. So it seemed like they went there for no reason, but the Lord tells them that they didn’t just travel there for the money. Along the way, they had taught many people of the gospel, and though they weren’t able to get money from the trip, they were able to share the truth with more people that needed to hear it.
My mom said that reading this reminded her of something from her own life. She told me that early on in her and my dad’s marriage, they moved to another state so that my dad could get a degree in music so that he could get a music-related job. Except, after spending all that money on getting a degree in music, it didn’t end up working out for him to get a job in music. And so it seemed as if they had wasted a lot of time and money from moving all the way there. But while they were there, they made many new friends who ended up getting baptized. My dad interviewed for many jobs, and one that he found has nothing to do with music, but after all these years, he has the same job, and he likes it. He considered it such a blessing. And recently, he was accepted into the Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square, and he has never had to give up his love for music. So though they didn’t get what they thought they needed from moving there, they got something possibly much better that has impacted the lives of everyone in our family.
D&C 112:19 says, “Wherefore, whithersoever they shall send you, go ye, and I will be with you; and in whatsoever place ye shall proclaim my name an effectual door shall be opened unto you, that they may receive my word.” What this means to me is that as we’re making decisions, unexpected things will happen, but God will always be with us, and when a door closes, he’ll open up another one for us. I recently auditioned for my school play, and I got a part that I really wasn’t expecting. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t “Flyer Guy 2!” Though I didn’t expect that outcome, I know I will still grow from the experience, and have a great time! Because there are no coincidences in the gospel. Instead, there is a purpose for everything. So we can be at ease because we know that we are not alone and that everything will always happen the way it should, whatever way that may be.
