"This is the way"

Once I heard a quote that says "It’s not what the world holds for you, it is what you bring to it." I often find myself thinking about what good could I bring to this world, if I can barely take care of myself. Have you ever felt like you have no direction in life; no purpose, or nothing to hold on to? I have. That feeling of not knowing what to do next is often overwhelming. It is to me.

During my scripture study this week, I found a simple answer, with a lot of meaning to me. I was reading the last chapters of 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon. Those were Nephi's last words before dying. He describes the path to eternal life, the things we must do to return to live eternally with God one day. On chapter 31 he wrote about repentance, baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, which are the things we must do to enter this path to eternal life. Right after that he wrote: "And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this straight and narrow path, I would ask if all is done?..."

After accomplishing something great or reaching a goal, I have often asked myself "now what?" and Nephi answers this questions we often ask by saying: "ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men." So basically, we must keep on trying. Enduring to the end means setting new goals, having new dreams work hard, fail (maybe) and then try again. There's always more we can give to the world. There's always more kindness and love to show to others. Nephi ends the chapter saying "This is the way..." sounds simple right? but still, we often feel lost and lonely while trying to bring something good to the world. So, how do we endure?

On the next chapter Nephi gives the best advice he could give to anyone who has asked "now what? What's next?" On Chapter 32 he gives us two tips:

1. "I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." So yes, at times we might not know what to do next. But Nephi tells us we can find answers in the words of Christ, which can be found in the scriptures and the words of modern prophets. (If you are new to this topic, you can learn more here: https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/prophets?lang=eng)

2. "But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." So, besides studying the words of Christ and do the best we can we can also find answers through prayer. By praying we not only receive answers of what to do. When Nephi says "he will consecrate thy performance unto thee..." he means you can also give suggestions to Heavenly Father on what you plan to do next. He is your father; you can tell him what you want to do and what wish to accomplish. If you do so he will support you in your efforts or will lovingly help you to adjust your plan so that you can have success

So, yeah…You might wonder "What else can I do? Is there really something I can bring to this world?" You might lose your path some time. You might feel lost and alone at times, but that does not mean you can find your way back to the path you started at. Don't give up. Like Jeffrey R. Holland said "Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow and forever."