How God Can Help Us Choose Which Path to Take

At my lowest point, I turned to Jesus Christ. As I came to know Him better and experienced His love, I developed a deep desire to follow Him. I started to do things that brought me closer to Him, like reading the Book of Mormon daily, praying, and going to church every Sunday. I strived to live by higher standards, even when it took a lot of courage to live differently than my friends.

And when I decided to put Christ first, everything else began to fall into place.

For example, I discovered a course that taught me business management principles and gave me the courage to start my own business. My newly revived faith helped me have the strength to try a new path and overcome my fear of failure.

And Heavenly Father guided me in my relationships. I lost some friends, but I was blessed to make new friends in the Church. I grew closer to my parents and younger siblings, and I also had better dating experiences. I experienced the truth of the Lord’s promise: “Be believing, and all things shall work together for your good” (Doctrine and Covenants 90:24).

I felt like I was finally content with my life. My business was doing great. I found a good apartment to live in. My relationships were thriving.

But as I thought about how much God had helped me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wanted to do more to share His gospel with others. I considered serving a mission—but what if I lost everything I had worked so hard to build?

One Sunday, I prayed and fasted about serving a mission. God had helped me know which path to take in my life before, and I trusted He could help me again.

I attended church with my cousin in a ward far away from where I lived. I was surprised to see a sister missionary there who I had befriended a year before. I knew it wasn’t a coincidence that I had run into her while I was fasting.

After church, I shared with her my fears about losing all the things that were going well in my life. My friend said, “I was in a similar situation before my mission. Everything felt too perfect to leave. But I knew the Lord wanted me to serve.”

After our conversation, the impression to serve grew stronger. I felt that Heavenly Father was helping me know once again which path to take—I just needed to act and trust Him. So, the next day, I started to work on my mission application.

Some people might think, “Why are you throwing everything away to serve a mission?” But I have faith that if I do what He asks, Heavenly Father will help me work everything out.

When I put my full trust in God, He helps me find my path in life. I have learned that I am His unique child and that He gives me unique opportunities to draw closer to Him. Because I know that I am His daughter, I don’t have to follow the world’s path for me—I know God has a better one.

Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “Our loving Father oversaw the Creation of this very earth for the express purpose of providing an opportunity for you and for me … to use our God-given moral agency to choose Him, to learn and grow, to make mistakes, to repent, to love God and our neighbour, and to one day return home to Him.”

I am amazed at how God has guided my life. As I have used my agency to follow this new path and serve a mission, I have felt the light and love of Jesus Christ calm my fears. I know that when I return home, I’ll be able to make more decisions with confidence as I continue trusting Them.

When you are striving to follow Heavenly Father, He will help you trust your agency, no matter which path you take, as long as that path is leading you back home to Him.