"You must allow the Lord to use you..."

Todays post is kind of a continuation from yesterdays theme of being a"pencil in the hand of God". What a wonderful thought, being a pencil in the hand of God. Isn't that cool? I mean, what a concept! Letting the Lord use us to change lives, for us to be humble and moldable enough to be the tool for the Lord to change lives.
As Jane opens her second chapter, she talks about her story. When she started BYU, she had a script for her life, when whe would be married, when she would have kids, graduate, etc. Not much went according to her plan. She didn't get married until AFTER she graduated. She didn't graduate in the field she wanted originally, and so on. Even though some of her journey has been painful, where she is now makes her 'soul happy'.
One of the events in her life that was different than planned, was when she got offered a job in NYC. In the midst of moving (from the west coast!) she received a phone call from Elder Maxwell's office saying he wanted, if possible, to meet with her and give her a blessing for her new job. She said that many things were said in the blessing but one of the things that stood out to her was "you must allow the Lord to use you". Her religion made her an "anomoly" in her career. She said that many times she would be introduced to someone and they would say "Oh you're the Mormon!' or "I don't know any Mormons!"
As her contract with CBS was drawing to an end, her manager got her a "lucrative" contract with another station, truly what her career was headed to. But something else had also happened, she had just gotten engaged. She said that God had placed before her two very separate paths. To let her deal expire would not be placing her career on hold, but ending it. This is why I love Jane! After much thought and prayer, she decided to start her family. As she said in my graduation ceremony (yes, I have met her! She did indeed speak at my graduation, I already loved her and her story though!) "It is easier to craft a resume than to rebuild your family". What faith, not to mention strength, to choose a family over a promising career.
The title of this blog can be applied to many situations in life, but this week lets apply it to mother's: We are teaching our children all they need to know, right from the simplest of tasks such as using a fork and a spoon, to getting dressed. We also need to teach them to look to the Lord. The calling of being a mother is such a sacred, shared experience with the creator, He will continue to use us even after life had begun. Even those of us who do not have children yet will be a tool in His hand to teach others. It is a divine right that befalls each of us as women.
So to all women who are reading this blog, I will end with a challenge: How can we allow the Lord to use us? No matter our situation, that is part of our Divine Nature, God has placed in us potential, a divine destiny to help Him better the kingdom here on earth, lets allow Him to use us and see where that takes us! We can't go wrong with the Lord on our side guiding our steps!