"And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious..." (D&C 78:19)

There was a time in my life where I would walk and walk and walk. I would walk for miles. I would walk because I was so hurt and I had, for many years, centered my life in a place that I could no longer stay. I was so sad and I didn't know what else to do. Walking was my way of dealing with being in a "wilderness", a place I felt completely alone and lost. As I look back on that time in my life I can now see that even though I was in a wilderness, so to speak, I wasn't alone and I wasn't really walking aimlessly. I was being led to something better. I was being led to a "promised land".

In all our lives, no matter if we live in the United States, in Russia, in Mexico, in Turkey, in Malaysia, or where ever we live, there will be times we feel as though we are in the wilderness, alone, and walking aimlessly. But if we allow ourselves to trust, and to "feel after Him" (Acts 17:27), not just in our hard times, but also in our times of peace (see D&C 101:8) we will see that He is leading us, that we are "led by the power of His arm, through the wilderness" (Omni 1:13). The Lord says: "I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you; if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led" (1 Nephi 17:13). Not only will He lead us, but He will make sure we have "light" and we will be able to discern that it is by His power we are being led. I felt this power as I walked. Even though I was horribly sad, I had a sense of peace and calm that slowly filled up that emptiness as I "felt after Him" (Acts 17:27).

When I was walking and walking, little did I know that I was walking away from something good, to something better. Sometimes we think we know what is best and then we are hit with a really difficult challenge that makes us question everything and even wonder if there is any good at all out in the world. But if we are paying attention we can hear and feel His voice, "because [His] voice is Spirit" (D&C 88:66) and we will hear, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in His own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along...And he (and she) who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him (and her), even an hundred fold, yea, more" (D&C 78:17-19). We can hear His voice as we listen to the Spirit and follow the promptings we get during our difficult times as well as peaceful times. The real challenge might not be the "wilderness", but to "receiveth all things with thankfulness" (D&C 78:19 bold added)

Just as the children of Israel had to walk through the wilderness to get to the Red sea (see Exodus 13:18) and then were in the wilderness for forty years, the Lord was ever with them, taking care of all their needs (see Nehemiah 9:19-21), leading them along~ He is doing the same for us as we "receiveth all things with thankfulness" (D&C 78:19), this includes in our "wildernesses". I must use the words of Ammon to say how I feel: "I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land. Now my [friends], we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth His people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever" (Alma 26:36-37). Give thanks for everything, for "He will never...forsake [us]" (Hebrews 13:5) not even in the wilderness. This I testify.