Lord, What Wilt Thou Have Me Do? (July 24, 2023)

 Stories of change get me every time.

Saul’s original intentions on the road to Damascus were, uh, NOT GREAT, you could say! His mission was to persecute followers of Christ & he was really taking that seriously! He was on his way to do more of that very thing.

But somewhere along the way, something remarkable happened. One of the most drastic conversions ever.

He changed his story.

“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

So humble, so willing, so ready.

He continued to Damascus, but he did not continue doing the things he was doing. He did not continue being the man he was being! He was a new man! He had a new purpose. He was immediately baptized & he dedicated his life to Christ!

Definitely not what he had in mind when he started on that road to Damascus.

I may not have personal drastic stories of conversion, but I have had my own roads to Damascus, places where God has found me, & I him. Places where I have looked at my life, starkly seen where I have come up short, & desired right then & there NO MORE. THAT is not the person I want to be.

“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”

“Try a little harder to be a little better.” (Gordon B. Hinckley)

My roads to Damascus are many. I try to be better, I fall short, I try again. Here I am, God, back on this ongoing road to conversion… finding You again & again through my weaknesses & failed good intentions.

He patiently waits for me, believes in me. Changing my purpose, changing my heart.

“Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, & they awoke unto God.” (Alma 5:7)

Saul/Paul’s story is definitely one for the books. But so is ours.

And just because we start on a certain road a certain way doesn’t mean we have to end it that way. We get to choose.

Stories of change get me every time.

“For many of us, conversion is an ongoing process & not a onetime event that results from a powerful or dramatic experience. Line upon line & precept upon precept, gradually & almost imperceptibly, our motives, our thoughts, our words, & our deeds become aligned with the will of God. Conversion unto the Lord requires both persistence & patience.” (Elder David A. Bednar)