I’ve been blessed this week with a greater understanding of what it means to wait upon the Lord and to want His will to be done. A quote from Elder Hales helps express some of it:

“Tests and trials are given to all of us. These mortal challenges allow us and our Heavenly Father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow His Son. He already knows, and we have the opportunity to learn, that no matter how difficult our circumstances, ‘all these things shall [be for our] experience, and … [our] good.’

…Yes, ‘weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.’ Then, in the dawn of our increased faith and understanding, we arise and choose to wait upon the Lord, saying, ‘Thy will be done.’” (Waiting upon the Lord: Thy Will be Done)

So, what does it really mean to “wait upon the Lord” and to say, “Thy will be done”? Christ’s perfect example helps me understand. When Christ said, “Thy will be done,” He was choosing His Father’s plan, which was to allow all of God’s children to make the most magnificent and most terrible choices possible. He was choosing to accept the inevitability that some of God’s children would reject Him. When Christ said, “Thy will be done” to his father, He was also saying it to me, and you, and all of humanity. Because God’s will is that we use our will, Christ was expressing His support of our agency.

So, when I say “Thy will be done,” this includes my acceptance of others’ agency, including when their choices are painful to me; or when they choose to reject me; or when their choices are painful to Christ; or even when their choices are painful to themselves! When I say “They will be done,” I’m saying it to all those I know and love as well.

This understanding also taught me about charity, “the pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:47). I think, the reason Christ is able to love me perfectly and completely, is because He is willing to lose me completely. He loves me so much, that He values my choices and agency more than my acceptance of Him. He would rather lose me than force me to do anything.

So, if my love of others is to be perfect and complete, I have to be willing to lose them. It’s inherent to wanting them to be happy and to choose their path more than I want them to choose what will make me happy. Somehow, the willingness not to receive someone allows me to receive them completely.

I’m grateful for the understanding I’ve gained of these principles over the past few days. Heavenly Father, in his grace and mercy, blessed me to feel this kind of love this week, and I know it’s real!

p.s. A couple other highlights of the week… I got to volunteer at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival this weekend :) I am so impressed with all the “Tellers!” (that’s what they call the storytellers). This really is an art I would like to develop!

Tent Host

A master teller

And I had a roommate reunion with some of my best friends :)

Roommate Reunion

Trying not to smile

And, of course, BYU’s win against Arizona last night was amazing! I’m jealous of my parents, brother, and sister-in-law who got to attend!