Use What God Gives You

A scripture in Helaman 2:7 caught my eye today as we were discussing the first four chapters of Helaman in my Book of Mormon class. It reads, “And there being but little timber upon the face of the land, nevertheless the people who went forth became exceedingly expert in the workings of cement, in the which they did dwell.” I know that this passage seems unimportant, especially compared to the obvious spiritual principles later in the same chapter, however I learned something interesting from it. God expects us to work with what he gives us. In this case, he gave the people the means to use cement to create their dwellings as timber was scarce in the land. What I noticed especially was that there was no mention of complaint from the people despite this hardship. That in itself is a testimony to me that God will always give us exactly what we need, even if it is not what we think we need, and we should move forward with faith and without complaint. I know in my life it is much easier to complain and be angry when I feel like God is not providing me with the job I want, or the understanding I think I deserve. However, He has a perfect plan for me and I need to be able to accept that plan and work with Him to achieve his eternal ends. I truly believe in this principle and am going to work to incorporate it into my life.