Are You Parked? Finding the Flow of the Spirit in the Midst of the 'Buts'

Brothers and sisters, have you ever felt like your life has hit a dead end? Like you’re idling in a spot where you know you *should* be moving, but something—a comfort, a fear, a routine—is keeping you firmly parked? It’s a feeling I know all too well. It’s the feeling of being stuck in the 'but' of life.

We read the scriptures, and so often, we see these little stumbling blocks. Look at the journey of Terah and his family. They set out from Ur, with a clear destination—the Promised Land. But what happens? They get to Haran, and they *stay*. They settle. They get comfortable with 'good enough.' And by the time they've lived out their allotted time, their journey ends right where they parked.

It’s easy to get content with the little bit of stability we have—the job that pays the bills, the relationship that’s familiar, the routine that requires no spiritual heavy lifting. We start accepting the 'but's' of our lives: 'We can't move because...' or 'It's fine like this.'

The Promise of Overflow, Not Just Maintenance

But the Savior’s message, the message we are called to share as disciples, is never about maintenance; it’s about *overflow*. Jesus didn't come just to keep us going; He came so that we might have life, and have it in abundance. That’s the difference between just surviving and truly living the Gospel.

When we feel that spiritual drag, that sense of stagnation, remember the Savior's words: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” That promise is calling us out of the parking spot and back onto the open road of discipleship.

Getting Back in Gear: A Mission Prep Thought

This speaks so deeply to us as Latter-day Saints, especially those of us who are preparing for the field or who have recently returned. Sometimes, the sheer weight of missionary preparation—the calls, the studying, the feeling of needing to be 'ready'—can make us feel depleted, like we’ve been parked for too long. We get so focused on the *next* thing—the next assignment, the next conference—that we forget the power of the present moment and the constant work of the Spirit.

If you feel that spiritual resistance, that desire to just 'park' your efforts until things feel easier, I want you to lean into the Atonement. Don't wait until you feel perfectly ready. Don't wait until your circumstances are perfect. The Spirit doesn't wait for us to be perfect; He guides us *through* the imperfection.

This reminds me of a key principle we learn in our missionary discussions: the work doesn't stop because we get tired. It requires us to keep moving, to keep sharing, even when the progress feels glacial.

A Disciple Challenge: Moving Beyond 'Good Enough'

For those of us who are in the process of deepening our discipleship—whether you’re in a Book Club studying the Book of Mormon, or maybe you’re wrestling with a tough doctrine in a Bible Study Group—I want to challenge you this week: Identify one area in your life where you are accepting the 'Haran' version of reality. Where are you settling for less than the abundance the Savior offers?

Don't try to fix it all at once. Just take one small, deliberate step forward this week—a small act of faith, a deeper study, a conversation with a neighbor—that moves you *away* from the curb and back into the flow of the Spirit. That small push is often what propels us toward the destination God has prepared for us.

If you want to walk through some of those hard questions—the ones that make you want to pull over and just wait—I highly recommend spending some time with Davee. He’s excellent at walking through the tough hypotheticals an investigator might bring up, helping us sharpen our answers so we can share the gospel with confidence.

Keep moving forward, friends. The Lord is calling us to an abundance that far exceeds what we are comfortable settling for. Let’s keep moving!