All things are possible, but not in all ways:
But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed... (D&C 104:16)
As the path wends along, it twists and bends in ways that are sure to defy your expectations. There are always conditions to satisfy, and the more significant the outcome, the more likely you are to be surprised by the requirements. If you want a happy marriage, you can get it, but maybe not with the partner your lusts desire. If you want carnal security, you can get it, but maybe not in the career you have a passion for. If you want salvation, you can get it, but maybe not in the religious tradition you grew up in.
The path may be outlandish, but it may be the only way. In Abraham’s case, he had a child only after he (and more importantly after his wife) had passed into old age. There was a way for Abraham and Sarah to have a child: it was through their aging to the point of impossibility. There was a way for Abraham’s son to have an immense posterity as promised to Abraham: it was through Abraham sacrificing him on an altar.
These were not peripheral stories paralleling the main interactions between Abraham and God. These were the very keys that unlocked the outcomes given to Abraham. For instance, in the case of his posterity through Isaac, the Lord said:
16 ...because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22)
Staying on the path requires letting go of what we already have and moving towards what we really want. The path to what you really want may not be totally clear at the outset, and it is very likely to change as you gain more information by traversing it.
Your estimate of the path changes as you learn more and more about the path. Be willing to allow it to change. Remember that the path must be subject to the outcome. It is the outcome you seek, not the path.
Jesus said: “all things [are] possible to him that believeth.” (Mark 9:23) Our challenge is that we are unwilling to trust God enough to traverse the unique, non-negotiable path to obtain them.
Because our hope is based on things we don’t yet fully understand, we ought to be prepared for it to be fulfilled in ways other than what we anticipate. Desire requires doing what it takes to obtain a certain outcome. Since you don’t know the way until you obtain what you desired, you should count on your understanding of what it takes to get it to change. When your understanding of what is required changes, you will have to decide whether you are willing to pay the new price.
To stay on the path, we must be willing to learn and change: in our expectations of how we will arrive, in what we are willing to do, and even in what our destination looks like. Step by step, God will increase our understanding through adding detail to it, correcting mistakes in it, and showing us course corrections to bring us closer to the outcome we seek:
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3)
He will help correct and improve any action or attitude that is not fully aligned to what is required to bring about the outcome you desire. When you walk “in the light,” you are constantly assessing and reassessing the path you have taken. God will give you more information to elucidate the efficacy of your path.
As long as you have not yet obtained your outcome, you can guarantee that something about your path is misaligned with the outcome you desire. Not having what you seek is a clear indication that you haven’t yet fully uncovered the path to get it.
You may be tempted to think that the difference between where you are and where you would like to be is just a matter of something you need to do . Many times, it is also about what you need to become (see, for instance, the chapter, “Joy is value”).
Although we don’t know the complete path until after we’ve traversed it, temporary targets for our hope are still very powerful in spite of being mere placeholders, as we don’t really know the specific circumstances of our general desires.
We won’t recognize the difference between outcomes and milestones along the path until we reach them. We ought to develop the capability of distinguishing between the two when we reach them, and the ability to maintain as great or greater hope as we reach each marker as we had earlier in the journey, in spite of the discernment provided by ever-increasing detail in our growing awareness.
We can hope for any number of situations. The details we add will give us strength as we make specific calculations about cost/benefit. However, we must always remember that it is very unlikely our desires will be fulfilled by God—who knows all things—in the way that we imagine— knowing almost no things. The core true principle is that no matter the details of why, trusting God with all your heart is always the path that will yield the greatest outcomes for you and everyone else.
The supreme target of our hope is provided by our knowledge of the character of Jesus Christ. Because we know he is all powerful, has all joy, knows the path to become like he is, and is capable of escorting mankind to it, we can trust that whatever he subjects us to, no matter how little detail we know of the future or how difficult the path, is precisely what is needed to lead us to greater joy.
Many times the path toward something better is through something worse. We shouldn’t require that current circumstances be indicative of eventual outcomes on a given path. Many, many worthwhile outcomes require temporary but intense hardship. In fact, this pattern is so prominent that it is mentioned frequently in scripture:
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which <u>is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:</u>
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with <u>exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4)</u>
2 And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments; for blessed is he that endureth to the end.
5 ...I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (Alma 38)
7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. (D&C 121)
Many times the adversity we experience is an unavoidable part of the path to the outcomes we seek. The Israelites’ path to freedom from Pharaoh was through temporary increased suffering during Moses’ plagues. God brought great riches to the Israelites through having Syria siege the city, then miraculously sending them away in haste, when they left great spoil (see 2 Kings 6-7). The path for the ancient Jaredites to reach the New World was through a long, dark journey on sealed barges through massive ocean waves (see Ether 6).
It is important to remember that it isn’t your current situation that you are after, but long-term outcomes.