As I began to study the Come Follow Me Lesson this week, there was a phrase that immediately grabbed my attention. In Joseph Smith-History 1:33 it states that "God had a work for me to do." As I read those words, I was deeply impressed by the meaning that they have for me as well. One of Angel Moroni's responsibilities was to inform Joseph Smith what his work would be.
- v. 34-35 translating the Gold Plates
- Malachi 4 restoring priesthood and sealing keys
- Isaiah 11 gathering of Israel
- Acts 3:22-23 becoming a prophet of the restoration
- Joel 2: 28-32 opening of heavenly communication/building up of Zion
Hearing all of this must have sounded overwhelming and impossible to Joseph, but it's instructive to read what Joseph did after receiving this mountain of information. He went to work doing the first thing he was commanded to do..." [leave] the field and [go] to the place where the messenger had told me the plates were deposited" (v. 50). He started his great work by taking one small step in the right direction. The unfolding of his work would come little by little throughout his life.
So how are we supposed to know what our work is without a heavenly visitation? I think our patriarchal blessings are as close as we're going to get to a heavenly visitation, so that's probably a good place to start. I like the parallel that Joseph received his instruction for his inspired work as a teenager, and our youth are usually given their inspired instructions (patriarchal blessings) as teenagers as well. So here's a challenge: read your patriarchal blessing with this question in mind: “what is my great work?”
As I took this challenge myself, I was amazed at what was revealed to me through words that I’ve read hundreds of times. There were several phrases that answered my question of "what is my great work?" It has been so enlightening and motivating to understand what Heavenly Father expects me to be doing in order to accomplish my great work here on earth. I sometimes struggle with thoughts of inadequacy and feeling like I'm not living up to my potential. But as I've come to understand more fully His work for me, the urge to compare myself to others has decreased. I can more easily focus on my role in this great work and cheer for others as they accomplish the great work they have been given to do.
One other reason the phrase "God had a work for me to do" stood out to me in this reading is because it's the new youth theme for 2021: "A Great Work." The theme is actually taken from one of my favorite scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants, D&C 64:33 which states, "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." The principle we can apply to ourselves is that the work we've been given to do might also feel impossible and overwhelming, but as we move forward "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (2 Nephi 28:30) the Lord will help us accomplish the work we've been given to do. As I've started working to learn the new 2021 youth theme song, the words of the first verse have been continually going through my mind...
"There is a work to do
That's been prepared for you
Long before the world was made.
You have the strength you need
to cross the stormy seas
that you will find along the way."
What powerful words of strength and comfort for the youth (and us, too). I think we gain a different perspective of what Joseph was asked to do when we remember that he was still only a teenager when all of these heavenly visitations began happening to him. He was still discovering and learning things about himself (like his standing before God-v 29) when the Lord asked him to lead out in this great work. I love how Josephs' story teaches us to look at our youth differently...If God trusted a teenager to restore His gospel, then we should trust our youth to carry out the responsibilities that they've been given. It might be a bit messier than we'd like, but they will eventually learn "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little." And we're expected to do the same with our great work as well.
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