“Allow Him to make more of you than you can make of yourself on your own. Treasure His involvement. Sometimes we consider changes in our plans as missteps on our journey. Think of them more as first steps to being 'on the Lord’s errand' (D&C 64:29)."
#RonaldARasband

It’s been a tough year. Relentless calamity, social instability, pandemic lockdowns, political chaos. Life events of the simplest nature & need have been cancelled. People we love or admire have buckled under the pressure, let us down, faded away. The isolation can be crippling.

The road, however straight, feels to be narrowing with every step. The demoralizing noise from the great & spacious building is mind-numbing. Dangerous detours are tempting. The haze of despair is thick & blinding. It’s so much. It is just so much.

Now is the time to look up from your dragging feet & survey the landscape. Reorient yourself with the path & the goal—the bright Tree of Life you’re approaching, & the gate wherein the Savior waits to welcome you. Assess your spiritual resources. Look for people to help & love.

It may seem like you’re being squeezed down a tight path not of your choosing, like your agency has dissolved, every option in life blocked or cancelled. But it only seems that way. Stay on the path. At the end of it, there are wonders that make your old goals seem laughable.