Sell that thou hast, give to the poor, and follow me

I have had an interesting spiritual journey this morning, thinking about how to respond to a request from someone that I shall call Ruth who is in a really challenging situation at present. She came to South Africa because things were difficult in her home country. I have encouraged her to return to her home country, no matter how difficult that may be to do.

Sometimes we are where we are because of bad choices that we or someone else made, or because an angel sent us as Joseph and Mary were sent to Egypt, sometimes like Joseph sold into Egypt as a slave, sometimes like those following Moses out of Egypt, maybe sometimes because we were invited to sell all that we have and give to the poor and to follow Him. The past cannot change, but the future is what we need to determine. We need to go, do, say, be what He wants us to go, do, say, or be.

And then I read a scripture and it brought to mind my thinking earlier in the morning. 'And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants. And the king said unto them: Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with thee.'

We have decided to help this friend with a request for financial help in a difficult season of her life like when Ruth and Naomi were facing challenges in Moab. We hope that she pays it back in due course. More importantly, we hope that she is not robbing the Lord, but bringing her tithes and offerings into His storehouse in her branch or ward here in South Africa, in her home country, or wherever she may be at any time of her life. We challenged her to not let paying it back delay her going to her country, because she can pay it back from there, and she will be with her beloved family!

Whither Thou Goest, by Sandy Freckleton Gagon

I challenged her to think about where she would be now if she had not left her home country to come for what she hoped was a brighter future. How would she and her family be financially, but, more importantly, on the covenant path? I do not know if she was a member of the Lord's true and living church before she left her home country, or if coming here helped to add that wonderful blessing to her life and to her family. 

Also, will it be better for he to leave here without delay and go back to her family and get employment using her skills and qualifications in her home country, or to wait here for UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund)? I presume that she can have the UIF sent to her without her needing to stay here, or sacrifice it if it will be better to go back to her family now!

I challenged her to please, ask the Father, in humility, what His will is - liken the Garden of Gethsemane experience of the Saviour to herself - Not my will, but Thine be done.

I know that many people have made serious decisions that have led to blessings in disguise, despite challenges that those decisions produced. We have been listening againto the history of the 1820 Settlers, British subjects who moved to the Eastern Cape in 1820. It was a real challenge for them. They had been facing real challenges in Britain after plagues, Napoleonic battles, and all sorts of things, and this was an opportunity. They had real challenges in the Cape due to war, sickness, crops failing due to rust disease and drought, but they did some good while they were here. 

Then the Lord sent missionaries to the Cape in 1853 and one of those missionaries was directed to the Eastern Cape where he taught those 1820 Settlers and others about the restored Gospel and most of them then went to Zion. The Lord knew where His children were, His sheep that would hear and recognise His voice and would follow Him.

Despite their faults and failings, while they were here, they did lift the local inhabitants as well and they prepared things like family history information that help us now to do Temple work to unite those who died to be part of our eternal family.

The Lord knows what He wants her to do, where to go, when to go, why to go, what to say, and what He wants her to be! Ask Him, and if He says to leave today or tomorrow or next month or next year, then obey! Don't tell Him what to do. Let Him guide her.

Her patriarchal blessing is His word to her, but the scriptures are His word to all of us. Read the scriptures and let His Spirit guide her. Read her patriarchal blessing prayerfully and regularly and let His Spirit speak to her. He knows her, and He loves her. Let Him be her guide and follow Him.