Choosing to follow Christ

The choices we make determine destiny. 

That’s a big statement. 

How do we know we are making the right decisions when we cannot see what lies ahead? How do we know which choices will shape our destiny?

What do you rely on when making such decisions?

Thomas S. Monson taught, “We can never go wrong when we choose to follow the Savior.”

I have loved this principle since I became a Christian and began practicing my faith in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But leaning to live by it has been a journey of faith for me. 

God has given each of us agency, the precious gift of choosing for ourselves. He does not force us to follow Him or make our decisions for us. Yet sometimes I wish He would simply tell me what to do. Wouldn’t it be easier if I could know for sure which path to take?

I am learning that following Christ is not about having every answer before making a decision. It is about learning to exercise our agency with faith, seeking His guidance, and choosing to follow Him even when we cannot see the whole picture. 

Choosing when the future is uncertain

In 2024, I came to the United States with my daughter so she could attend high school here. 

She had spent seven years of her childhood in Provo, Utah. I remember the happy smile she often wore during those years. When our family returned to Japan in 2016, her smile disappeared as she struggled to adjust to a different culture. Eventually, the emotional stress became so difficult that attending school was a challenge. 

When we discussed her education as a family, she expressed her desire to return to the United States.

I wanted to support her decision. I wanted to be her cheerleader. More importantly, I wanted to be there as her mother. I knew the teenage years could be very difficult and fragile. I wanted to walk beside her through them.

However, supporting her decision meant making some difficult decisions of my own. 

One of the biggest decisions was to go back to college. We had to consider how to support our family financially while allowing my daughter and me to remain in the United States until we both graduated.

I was also concerned about how to balance my educational responsibilities with my responsibilities as a mother while supporting my daughter.

I took those concerns to the Lord — not just once, but again and again. 

Each time I prayed, I felt a quiet reassurance that He would help me through the challenges ahead. Yet my doubts kept returning.

How?

Every morning, I prayed as I walked, asking the Lord to sustain me, strengthen my faith, and help me overcome my unbelief. 

It became a daily conversation with my Heavenly Father. I wanted to trust Him, but I also felt the need to figure out how everything would work out. I was trying to move forward with faith while still feeling uncertain. 


An answer I had already received

This came out of the blue.  
 
I picked up groceries and was driving home. As usual, I reached for my phone to play a podcast I had been listening to. 

But my phone played music and it came really loud through my car speakers, instead. 

I was startled by the volume and worried that people outside might hear it. But I was even more surprised that my phone had played this particular Church youth song. 

“If you believe, you can move the highest mountains
Cross the greatest oceans
And walk across the water”


Why this song?
What was happening? 


Then, a strong impression came to my mind: 


“Don’t you know that I’ve already assured you? It’s going to be all right.”


I thought of Peter and his words to the Savior, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). 

I drove home with tears streaming down my cheeks. I felt gratitude, but also regret. I had prayed so many times for reassurance, yet I had struggled to trust the answers I had already received. 

The moment didn’t tell me exactly how we would manage our finances or remove every challenge from our future. But it reminded me that I didn’t have to face those challenges all by myself. 



Agency is more than making a choice

Looking back, I have come to understand something important about agency.

God’s respect for our agency can sometimes make life feel difficult. He doesn’t always give us a detailed plan or tell us which option to choose. 

David O. McKay taught that “the greatest battle of life is fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.” 

Monson also taught that “It is impossible to take a right attitude toward Christ without taking an unselfish attitude toward men.”

These two faith giants taught me that agency involves considering our responsibilities, the people our choices affect, and the kind of people we want to become.  

When we make decisions with Christ, we invite His will and our covenants to influence our priorities. 

Sometimes that means choosing a path that requires sacrifice. Sometimes it means acting before we know the outcome. And sometimes it means admitting that we are afraid and asking the Lord for extra care to develop greater faith. 

Relying on Christ does not guarantee that our lives will unfold exactly as we hope. It does, however, give us a foundation and a source of strength when the results are different from what we expected. 

I still face challenges as I try to support my daughter. I sometimes struggle to distinguish between my own ideas and the impressions I feel may come from the Lord. 

I’m still learning. 

When we wonder whether we have chosen well

Monson’s teaching that we can never go wrong when we choose to follow the Savior reminds me of Peter’s experience as a disciple. 

Peter once walked on the water toward Jesus, but he began to sink when he became afraid of the wind. (Matthew 14:28–31)

He denied knowing the Savior three times. (Luke 22:54–62)

Even after the Resurrection, Peter returned to fishing. (John 21:1–19).

Peter was a man of faith, but he also experienced fear, weakness, and uncertainty.

Yet the Savior continued to invite him to follow.

We may sometimes look back on our decisions and wonder whether we chose wisely. We may even recognize that we made mistakes. But we don’t have to let fear or regret keep us from turning to Christ again. 

He can help us learn from our experiences, correct our course, and move forward with greater wisdom and faith. 


A decision I can make today

As I think about my future and the life I want to build, I realize that it will require daily decisions. 

What decision can I make today that will help me stay faithful to Jesus Christ and follow Him?

For me, the answer begins with a simple commitment — I will keep seeking Him, keep listening, and keep choosing to walk with Him even when I can’t see the whole path ahead.