Journal Two: Having the Vision to Do

The Vision to Do is a talk that was given by Elder O. Vincent Haleck of the Quorum of the Seventy. At first, the talk was a little dry to me, as my mind is on other things today, but as I continued reading, I felt the Spirit enter into the room and sit next to me, prompting me to pay attention to the lines that would mean the most to me.

One such line was: “The Savior saw more in those humble fishermen whom He called to follow Him than they initially saw in themselves; He saw a vision of who they could become.”

How wonderful is that? To know that there is someone out there who is rooting for you, encouraging you to become all you can be because He knows you can be extraordinary? It nearly took my breath away, for I had quite forgotten how much my Savior knows about me, how much He has in store for me. It’s quite humbling, but at the very same time, empowering. It makes me think of the scripture: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

Another line that touched me was: “What did He see in Peter, James, and John and the other Apostles that prompted Him to act to invite them to follow Him? Like His vision of them, the Savior has a great vision of who we can become. It will take the same faith and courage the first Apostles had in order for us to refocus on the things that matter most in bringing lasting happiness and great joy.” It’s similar to the first line, but it tells us that we need to have the courage it takes to change ourselves and give up things trivial and useless.

How we separate those things out, I don’t really know. I imagine it takes a lot of fasting and prayer and diligence in following the guidance of the Spirit. It is also going to be different for everyone. For me, I imagine letting myself stop worrying and truly trusting in the Lord and His timing is a big step towards becoming like Christ.

I feel it’s much like turning a kaleidoscope. There are many possible patterns that may emerge, but there is one that is the most beautiful. We just have to keep turning towards the Savior until we find it in ourselves.

Check out the full talk:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/having-the-vision-to-do?lang=eng&query=having+vision+do