Area Leadership Message
Embracing God’s Plan: Finding Purpose Through Trials and Faith
Life is filled with challenges, uncertainties, and trials. Yet through God’s eternal plan of happiness, we can find profound purpose and meaning in every experience. The gospel of Jesus Christ assures us that we are beloved children of God, created with divine potential and placed on earth to learn, grow, and ultimately return to His presence. Understanding this plan fills us with faith, hope, and resilience, helping us navigate life’s storms with unwavering trust in God’s love and wisdom.
Foreordained with Purpose
Long before we came to earth, we lived as spirit children of our Heavenly Father. In His infinite love, He prepared a plan to help us progress: to receive a physical body, face challenges, and develop faith in Him. This truth is powerfully affirmed by Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee” (Jeremiah 1:5).
It is comforting to know that God knows us personally and that our lives are not random events but part of His grand design!
President Russell M. Nelson testified:
“First and foremost, you are a child of God.
“Second, as a member of the Church, you are a child of the covenant. And third, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
My brothers and sisters, we are sons and daughters of God. Nothing can change that. God plans to build, lift, and guide us to become more like Him regardless of whether our circumstances remain unchanged.
Indeed, no trial or hardship is without meaning when viewed through the lens of His eternal plan. Life’s adversities, though painful, are opportunities for growth, refinement, and a deeper connection with our Creator.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: “Our Heavenly Father sees our real potential. He knows things about us that we do not know ourselves. He prompts us during our lifetime to fulfill the measure of our creation, to live a good life, and to return to His presence.”
Building on this powerful truth, I testify that our Heavenly Father truly sees our great potential. He knows our strengths, our struggles, and our divine identity. He sees not only who we are today but who we can become through faith in Him. When we trust His plan and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we are gently guided to become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. As we walk this path, we discover purpose, peace, and strength to overcome. Let us embrace His loving guidance and strive each day to live up to the divine potential He sees in us.
Finding Purpose in Trials
My life is a witness to God’s guiding hand, even amidst profound challenges. My father and mother divorced just days before my birth, leaving me to be raised by my maternal grandparents. When I was two years old, my mother remarried, and I was left struggling to understand my place in the world. Diagnosed with a speech condition, I faced additional challenges in communication.
One of the most defining moments of my life occurred during a severe illness in my early years. I was pronounced dead, and my family wept over me. Yet my grandfather arrived from the farm and declared with unshakable faith, “Michel is not dead. He is the one who will build this house, even great story buildings.”
His words were a powerful reminder of God’s foresight and purpose for my life. I now understand that God’s plan includes opposition and trials to help us grow. As Lehi promised his son Jacob, “Thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain” (2 Nephi 2:2).
Every challenge I faced—from childhood difficulties to near-death experiences—was part of God’s way of refining me. President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, taught, “Opposition permits us to grow toward what our Heavenly Father would have us become.”
God does not abandon us in our struggles. He walks with us, strengthens us, and transforms our trials into steppingstones of faith and understanding.
The Power of a Testimony
When I was about six years old, my grandfather made a life-changing decision for me. He had previously taken me to a shrine, where he served as a fetish priest. As a child, I was drawn by the food offered there. However, one Sunday morning my grandfather forbade me from returning. With a powerful testimony, he declared, “There is no power under heaven or earth that supersedes the power of God, the Creator of all things. His Son, Jesus Christ, is the only Savior of the world. Satan has nothing to offer. Follow Jesus Christ. Pray to God through His Son, who will answer in His way.”
That testimony ignited a desire within me to seek God earnestly. I was in a situation like that of the Prophet Joseph Smith, whom the Savior told, “I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong” (Joseph Smith—History 1:19). I learned that God reveals Himself to those who seek Him sincerely. The power of testimony can transform lives, opening our eyes to the reality of God’s love and His plan for us.
Hope in Christ: The Center of God’s Plan
At the heart of God’s plan is His Son, Jesus Christ, whose Atonement brings hope, healing, and the strength to endure. Jesus Himself assured us, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
No past mistake, trial, or uncertainty can thwart God’s plan for us. He sees our potential even when we do not. President Nelson emphasized, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”
When we anchor our lives in Christ, we gain an eternal perspective that transforms suffering into growth, trials into testimonies, and pain into power. My grandfather’s faith, struggles, and journey all testify that God’s plan of happiness gives life profound meaning.
A Living Testimony
I bear witness that Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior and Redeemer. The Prophet Joseph Smith was called by God and sealed his testimony with his blood at Carthage Jail. Today, President Russell M. Nelson is God’s prophet, speaking His will and guiding us through these challenging times. I love him and testify that he holds the keys of the kingdom.
Brothers and sisters, God knows us, loves us, and has a purpose for each of us. When we trust in Him and follow Jesus Christ, we can overcome all things and find everlasting joy. I testify of these truths in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.