Sitting across from me at my desk is a wonderful woman who is crying. The person across from me changes, but much of what they all say is the same. They study, sacrifice, try as hard as they can…and their exam grades are not good. Some of these students know they won’t pass nursing school this semester and they don’t know what else to do with their life. Many of these students have even felt that this path was God’s will for them and if it is, why is it so hard?

Where Do You Place Your Worth?

There is a common thread that each of these people have. They have put some degree of self-worth in to their schooling, and as a result, feel that they are a failure if the grades do not reflect what they have worked so hard for.

“I have studied so hard, I just don’t understand.”

“I must be a failure, I can’t take these tests.”

“Maybe I’m not supposed to be a nurse.”

“I thought this was God’s will for me.”

“I have given up everything for this…time with my kids, my spouse…”

While I listen toll these statements, I can hear in the back of my head a lot of my training that says, “if you think it, you will become it. You can have and do anything you want.  You just have to put your mind to it.”

There is truth to some of that, but I’ve learned what real coaching is…letting the person come to their own awareness.

I wholeheartedly believe that what we focus on we become. Thoughts lead to feelings which lead to actions which lead to results. I’ve seen it too much in my own life to refute that. But, the second statement (I can have or do anything I put my mind to) is where it gets tricky.

A Covenant Keeping People

As a covenant keeping people, we promise to work to align our will with God’s will. I have learned firsthand that this means that what I want is not always what He wants for me. As I look at these people across from me, who can’t see more of themselves than their exam grades, and who can’t fathom anything beyond being a nurse, I plead to know what to say to them.

When I suggest that nursing may not be always be the answer for them, I know they don’t want to hear it, or are even ready to process it, but I know the importance of having a little breathing room when it comes to what God wants for us to do. I know He will use our experiences for our benefit, but we may not take the road we thought, or we may find the other road we were really supposed to be on.

I wanted to be a doctor, decided it would take too long to be one, and became a nurse.  Twelve years later, I have a doctorate in nursing, and I teach. I LOVE it! I wouldn’t have loved being a medical doctor the same way I love teaching. I didn’t know any of this though when I started into school. President Hinkley spoke of the train that only sees a bit in front of it.  We only have a little bit that we can see.

Our Responsibility

Our responsibility is to take the steps towards our desires, to ponder, pray, search, and receive our own revelation.  Then move forward in confidence.  Knowing that we may fail.  Knowing that we may take roads that are not what we intended or even wanted to take.  We may even take the wrong road for a short time. But the growth and the blessings are promised to be more than we can even fathom.

As I give a tissue to the student sitting across from me, I try to show them that they are more than any part of this nursing program.  If I can help them find their self-worth from within, then when failures happen, they won’t believe that THEY are a failure.

As a covenant keeping people, we must remember that God cares about everything we do, and reminds us always where our self-worth comes from…Him. Part of God’s will is that we reaffirm to ourselves our worth through Him. Put your trust in Him, and take a step forward.