"Whither Shall We Go?"

How many times do we honestly ask the Lord, "Whither shall we go"? Furthermore, how often do we ask that, but hope Heavenly Father will tell us to go where WE want to go rather than being humble enough to go where HE wants us to go?

Christy and I experienced this last year at this time. I was preparing to go to law school. When I first started the application process, I wanted to attend an "Ivy League" law school with an elite name. I thought I worked hard enough to get in and vainly prayed to Heavenly Father to have us go where He wanted, but in my heart I was hoping He would line up His will with mine and send me to an Ivy League school. My heart was hardened and I was blinded to the promptings of the spirit as to where HE wanted me to go to school. I should have had the faith as stated in Ether 1:38, "And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth." Heavenly Father truly does know what is best for us and if we follow the promptings from Him, we will be led to a "land which is choice above all the earth."

I honestly believe that we each have our own land which is choice above all the earth and only Heavenly Father knows where that is. Although the land which is choice above all the earth is available, we still have to "be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance." (v. 38) If we are faithful and follow the promptings, Heavenly Father will go before us into the land and prepare a way for us to succeed. (see v. 42) Furthermore, not only will he prepare a way for us, but there will He meet us (v. 42) and bless us and our seed, and raise up unto Him our seed, and He will make us great. (v. 43)

So, in tying back to the application process for law school, after 6 months of praying for Heavenly Father to show us where we needed to go to law school, I was finally humble enough to receive the answer that He wanted to give me. It wasn't to an "Ivy League" school, but it was a school that, for me, was "choice above all the earth." At BYU Law School I have tried to be faithful unto Him and in so doing, I have seen how he has prepared a way for me and I have also seen him through little tender mercies on a daily basis, letting me know that I am where I need to be. It is my prayer that I will now be humble enough to become the person that He wants me to be so that he can create a "great nation" out of me. (see v. 43)