Mile 860.9/1000.
What is good, my friends? Happy October!
Out on my 1000 Mile Walk with God today. And since today is October 1, with General Conference coming this weekend, I’ve been thinking about a question God seems to love asking: What desirest thou?
That question shows up in different ways throughout scripture, and I really do believe God cares about our desires. Agency is not just a nice little part of His plan. Agency is His plan. He wants us to choose, act, and bring Him our goals, hopes, dreams, questions, and desires.
But I’m also learning that we may need to stay flexible in how those desires actually come to pass. Several months ago, I had set some pretty ambitious goals for our business. When it became clear I was not going to hit those goals the way I hoped, I was frustrated. Frustrated enough that I remember being on this exact walking path and just starting to run, which, for the record, I am not a runner.
But when I slowed down, I felt like God impressed something on my mind. Something like: “Derek, I care about your goals. But the way you’re trying to reach them is not going to work. Some things need to be exposed. Some foundations need to be rebuilt.”
As much as I didn’t love that answer, I think I needed it. Because if I had hit the goal the way I wanted, I may have built what Elder Uchtdorf once described as a Potemkin village: something that looks impressive from the outside but doesn’t have enough substance behind it. It would have looked successful without actually being strong. And God loves us too much to only help us look successful. He wants to help us become strong.
Isaiah teaches that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). But I don’t think that means He ignores our desires. I think it means He can see what those desires actually require.
Sometimes we ask God for a bigger engine, and maybe He lovingly says: “Love the ambition! But I can’t put that kind of engine into a 1993 Geo Metro.” Sometimes God has to rebuild the vehicle before it can handle the blessing.
That process can be slow, frustrating, and humbling, and not at all what we pictured when we first brought Him the desire. But it may be the very thing that allows the blessing to come in a stronger, healthier, more lasting way.
So as we head into General Conference weekend, maybe this is a good question to bring with us: What do I truly desire? And a follow-up: Am I willing to let God shape the way that desire comes to pass?
Bring Him your goals. Bring Him your hopes. Bring Him your family concerns, business worries, health goals, spiritual desires, and quiet questions. Fast for His help. Pray for direction. Listen this weekend for promptings. And leave room for Him to change the route, to repair the process, and to potentially build something stronger than what you first imagined.