05/20/2026
“As we consider various choices, we should remember that … even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all” ( Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Good, Better, Best, October 2007 general conference).
Have you ever had to choose something difficult because you knew it was the right choice?
Have you, like the ancient Israelites or Lehi and his family, ever had to “wander in the wilderness” for a time and realized later that the Lord used that experience to refine your soul?
Has something ever transpired in your life that, though hard at first to accept, served as a “great check” to your pride and helped you draw nearer to God and renew your connection to Him? (See the article linked below, and Alma 15:17)?
Are you going through something like that now?
God is mindful of us in ways we sometimes either forget, or can’t seem to find a way to imagine.
When I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it was one of the most challenging experiences of my life. I was a new convert of only two years. I had left my family and friends behind. Most of those who knew me best at that time couldn’t understand my decision to serve so wholeheartedly in my new faith. I had personal mental struggles and challenges that compounded the natural stress of trying to preach the Gospel in another language in a foreign land. My fellow missionaries were sometimes not as enthusiastic or committed as I hoped they would be.
At one point of serious depression and discouragement, I found myself in the Old Testament, reviewing the story of Cain and Abel. I began to wrestle with the thought that perhaps my sacrifice, like that of Cain, was not acceptable to the Lord. This thought weighed on me and further discouraged me, making me feel that perhaps my efforts as a missionary were all for naught. Then I had a routine meeting with my Mission President. Without telling him what I was struggling with, I asked him at the end of our interview if he would give me a blessing.
He laid his hands on my head and, after declaring the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood he held, spoke these words:
"Your offering is acceptable to the Lord."
He had no way of knowing how I needed to hear that specific phrase. I had given him no indication in our prior conversation what it would mean to me, but the Lord knew, and he used a faithful servant of his to convey a message of love to one of His missionaries that needed a little encouragement. That moment put wind back in my sails and helped me have eyes to see how my missionary service did matter, and how it was having an impact for good in the world.
Yes, God is mindful of us, and He will help us walk through hard things, because He knows the fruit of doing so is greater and more wonderful than we can now imagine. Whatever the cost of our service to Him, we can be assured that the growth, impact and blessings in our lives and the lives of others will be more than enough to make our time in the wilderness worth it.
~Mark Schmitt
At a BYU–Idaho devotional, Elder B. Corey Cuvelier gave five principles for people to evaluate their standing before God when they face "a great check."
