I Have a Vision

As missionaries we are instructed roughly every 2 months in what is called a zone conference. This is to help us be more effective missionaries to better help our Heavenly Father's children. In this particular zone conference President Bunker, our mission president, talked about goals. I thought I heard it all when it came to goals. That's because as missionaries, we set goals everyday so we can be effective missionaries; so goals are something talked about a lot. However, I was wrong and the Spirit proved it to me when President Bunker started to teach.

He talked about having a vision behind our goals and then making plans to accomplish those goals. To illistrate his point he "picked on" a missionary and started to interrogate them. He asked if they saw themself getting married in the temple one day or having a family one day (for more on the temple check out I Am Menasco's blog post about it ----> HERE) . He went on asking questions along those same lines. I don't remember the rest of his questions, because my mind trailed off. These are things I have never tried to give too much thought about because it's too far away. Don't get me wrong, I know that getting married and having children one day is a blessing the Lord wants to give me, but I have always thought that "one day" is far far FAR away. 

Picture from this website

 My wandering thoughts came back just as President Bunker said "that a goal with out a vision is drudgery." Most of my life I have made goals and made goals and made goals. Some were achieved, like graduating High School and College and soon a mission.  But others fell to the wayside, like hiking Mount Timpanogos at 4 in the morning to see the Sunrise; there is no way you are getting me out of bed that early in the morning to go hiking. I saw that goal as a drudgery. I didn't even think of the end result and the experience of seeing the gorgeous view of the salt lake and utah valley at sunrise.

President then went on to explain that in order to reach our vision and our goals, to achieve that end result, we need to make plans. Planning is more important than I ever thought it would be. If I want to experience that sunrise I need to prepare by waking up earlier and earlier in the mornings to the point where I could wake up early enough and see that sunrise. I know I would also need to make other plans to be in physical shape to accomplish that goal.

Having a vision in life is important if we want to return to our Heavely Father's presence. We have to see that in our future. We need to see that we are His and that being with Him is where we belong. Then make goals to get there. A goal to have more faith, to repent of things that can take us away from His presence. A goal to be baptized and to worthily partake of the sacrament every week to have His Spirit with us always. A goal to endure all the trials and circumstances that are ours to face and to do that with an eye single to the glory of God. Then make the plans that will help you get there like planning to read the scriptures and pray everyday to establish or increase your faith in Jesus Christ. Or recognizing that what we might be doing in taking us away from the straight and narrow path and then doing all that we can to be better.

I have a vision and I know I can see that vision achieved if I make a goal to get there and make plans to help in my everyday life. Now, I hope you will all have a vision and make a goal and plans to get there!