Commitment

March 19, 2014


This is the talk I gave at the Mission Conference:

When our youngest daughter was small, she always gave her father coupons for Father's Day.  They would say things like "This coupon good for 1 shoe shine" or "This coupon good for 1 bag of popcorn".  If he tried to redeem the coupon for popcorn, she always said okay and put a bag of popcorn in the microwave.  If he tried to redeem the coupon for a shoe shine, she would cry and cry because she didn't want to shine his shoes.  She came to visit us in Rome a few days ago and as we were preparing to go to the airport, my husband said "I ought to take one of those coupons with me."

As missionaries, we all wanted to serve a mission.  We had great intentions.  We received our calls, signed a letter of acceptance, and returned it to President Monson.  That was our gift to him.  Now that we are here in Italy serving as missionaries, are we okay with keeping the commitment to serve or do we cry because it is too hard?

In the Book of Mormon, Nephi was obedient.  He returned to Jerusalem to get the Brass Plates from Laban.  It was hard and his brothers complained and mocked him, but he did it anyway.  Nephi was instructed by the Lord to build a boat when he'd never done that before.  It was hard and his brother's complained and mocked him, but he did it anyway.

I'm reminded of the song, Nephi's Courage, that we sang in primary.

I will go; I will do 

the thing the Lord commands. 

I know the Lord provides a way,

He wants me to obey.

In 1 Nephi 3:7 it states:

"And it came to pass that I Nephi, said unto my father:  I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commanments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

Just as the Lord prepared the way for Nephi, He will prepare the way for you.  All we have to do is be obedient by obeying His commandments and following in his path.