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God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm…

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust him for his grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face

~William Cooper

I can’t remember where I heard that this week. I started an Institute class, Teachings of the Living Prophets, so I’ve been reading a lot of talks lately. I’ve also been studying for the Gospel, Doctrine class I’m teaching next week and it’s so wonderful how everything I’ve been studying all correlates together.

I’ve felt really close to the Lord this week. Maybe it just gets better all the time, but I really know as I seek Him, He is there. My institute teacher is wonderful. I’m really excited about this class, already I feel my testimony growing, and I’ve only been to one class! How blessed we are to live in a time when we have such a vast amount of words from our prophets. With General Conference being only a month away, our teacher challenged us to read a talk from last conference every day before conference. I’ve read them all before, but I’ve been reading one every morning and it’s amazing how new insight comes every time! I’ve also been reminded of the value in “starting your day with the Lord.” I think that has played a huge factor in my growing happiness.

Yesterday a friend and I went to the temple and what has really seemed to stick with me from all I’ve experienced this week, is that the future is our choice. We pray all the time that God will let this happen and make this happen, really, the power for what we want to come lies within us. At church today our stake president said, “The future is waiting to be seized, and if we do not grasp it firmly, then other hands, more determined and bloody than our own, will.” We do not know what will come tomorrow, but we can choose now that we will serve the Lord and seek His will in all things, then whatever happens we can be assured is for our good.

 I read in D&C 136:31, “My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.”

You and I cannot conceive what the Lord wants to make of us. But I know that if we trust in Him, all will be well. I feel like the Lord has been trying to tell me that the future is my choice. In Moses 6:56 it says, “And it is given unto them to know good from evil, wherefore they are agents unto themselves.” Because of the atonement, we are the agents of our lives. Christ provided a way so that we could learn by experience what true glory is. I know that whatever we are asked to pass through in this life is worth enduring with the hope of eternal life.

I’ve been talking with a lot of new teachers and a lot of them are not enjoying their careers. I don’t know if I am just not seeing things the right way, I really am so happy to be a teacher. I’m not the best. I don’t know my English as well many English teachers, but, I love the students. I want to be better, so that they can be better. I have my doubts every now and then, like when they give excuses for why they didn’t do their work. Or like at the end of the week in last period, after a day in the heat, I noticed a couple of the students’ unpleasant odor and I had a moment’s thought of “why I am choosing to spend most of my life around unkempt teenagers?” I usually can’t remember anything bad for very long, so by the end of class I’d totally forgotten about their smell and just hoped that they would have a good, safe weekend and be back with their papers written well. I am so grateful Heavenly Father has allowed for my life to rub against these students’. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that God is totally aware of all of His children and He is always trying to help us feel His love. His tender mercies are everywhere. He is love and I love this church and the work of bringing forth the kingdom of heaven.