When facing stress, confusion, disappointment, and more, seeing the bigger picture can be a challenge. But God has a better plan for us than we can imagine.
Everyone has expectations for life: make good friends, graduate college, serve a mission, marry and have a family, own a business, become a New York Times bestseller, live in a humble mansion. But rarely does life turn out the way we imagine. In Kalani Sitake’s BYU devotional, “Discovering God’s Plan for You,” the BYU head football coach talks about several moments when his life took unexpected turns. But he shows how God’s hand was in every detour.
We might find it hard to remember, or even believe, that God is guiding us when things are going wrong. Coach Sitake describes a moment at the beginning of his NFL football career when he was excited to make the most of the opportunities God had given him. But he woke up the first morning of practice in so much pain that he couldn’t play properly. He was taken to the hospital and told that he would not be able to play football anymore. After a night of being angry at God, the Spirit comforted Coach Sitake and helped him adjust his point of view. “My goal now,” Coach Sitake said, “was to find God’s plan for me. Because if playing football in the NFL wasn’t it, then there must be something better.”
Coach Sitake acknowledged the pain that such moments bring to us. But he also shared how even in the Savior’s toughest moments, his Father sent an angel to strengthen him (Luke 22:43–44). In Matthew 7:11, the Savior said, “If ye then . . . know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” In our tough times, we can come to understand that he is loving and merciful and gives good things to his children.
Like Coach Sitake, we can know that every time something doesn’t go as we planned, God has something better in store for us. We can learn to trust him and find that he has a greater plan for us than we can imagine.
Read or watch Kalani Sitake’s address, “Discovering God’s Plan for You,” to learn about more ways to see God’s hand in your life.
Source: BYU Speeches
—Elise Green, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY NUBIA NAVARRO
Find more insights
Read Stephanie Fudge’s Latter-day Saint Insights article, “How Do I Know That This Is God’s Plan for Me?” to learn more ways to trust yourself as you make decisions.
Check out Kenzie Holbrook’s Latter-day Saint Insights article, “Do You Have Faith in God’s Plan Even if It’s Not Yours?” to find ways to trust God.
Look at Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s general conference address “An High Priest of Good Things to Come” to learn more about characteristics of God’s plan for everyone.
Learn more from Megan Hutchings’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Choosing to Trust God Unconditionally” to dig more into how to trust God in everything.
Read Lydia Mercado’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Getting Your Feet Wet: The Faith to Act” to look at what to do when you’re not sure which direction to go.
Check out President Russell M. Nelson’s general conference talk “Think Celestial!” to see ways to think about your life in the context of God’s plan.
Look at Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s general conference address “Your Great Adventure” to learn more about the exciting things God has in store for you.