#20 Partnering With God To Find And Carry Out Your Purpose

I get asked all the time how I figured out what God was calling me to do. As God has recently thrown me another curve ball concerning what He wants for me and this podcast I thought it would be the perfect time to share my journey and the valuable principles I've learned along the way.  Though our calls may be different I think you will find value in what I share and be able use it to discover what God wants for you!

Get 20% off Kamana with code Amber20 https://www.kamana.co/Amberdawn

Connect with Amber Pearce

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube

Come with me on an Alaskan Cruise July 30- August 6th 2026!  I will be presenting twice a day on the days at sea. Book today at: https://bountifultravel.com/trips/family-get-away-alaska-cruise-2/

Questions to ask God:
What do I need to know about myself that will help me take on a sense of purpose so stunning that I will never be the same again?

What do you want for me?

Transcript

In 1 Nephi 17:8, it says, “And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying, Thou shalt construct a ship after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.”

Welcome to the Hope Smiling Brightly YouTube channel and podcast. Sharing stories and ideas that will empower you to overcome doubt, cultivate the kind of faith miracles are made of, and experience the transformative grace of Christ.

Whatever it is, Christ is the answer.

I am your host, Amber, known as Amberdon Pierce on social media, but hopefully most especially known as someone who loves to share the light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

You're listening to episode 20, partnering with God to find and carry out your purpose.

I want to thank Kamana, the sponsor of this podcast. I drink a cup of Kamana every single morning and I love it. It's a superfood coffee alternative that smells and tastes delicious, but it's also full of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. It's prebiotic and adaptogenic, so it helps your body process stress. And it provides natural rather than caffeinated energy. It brews and can be prepared just like coffee. So, use code amber 20 to get 20% off your order at kamana.co. Of course, I will leave a link in the show notes.

I'm really glad to be back here. I've missed chatting with you. I took a little break because ever since I started this podcast almost two years ago, I have been recording from this corner in my master bedroom with whatever equipment I happen to have on hand. As a mom of five, I've always worked from home, but never had my own office, which is totally fine because honestly, I'd rather my rooms be filled with people than desks.

But now I only have one child at home. And ever since my third son left from his mission in August, I've been wanting to turn his room into a podcast studio. But 6 months later, nothing happened. I knew that I needed just to take a break and get it done.

It was such a fun process to create a space that really just felt like me. And I was so happy with the results. I could not wait to sit down and record my first episode in my new space.

But that's where the problems began. Every single time I sat down to record, it was like nothing. A complete block. And I couldn't understand why because the topic was something that I know like the back of my hand. A few weeks passed, deadlines came and went, and I was really starting to stress out.

And so, finally, I went to God and I was like, “Can you help me out here? What is going on? Why is this not working?”

Well, later that day, I was talking to my friend and being a little judgy about someone. And I told my friend, you know what? there's no point in talking to this person because they wouldn't be humble enough to even hear.

And as soon as I spoke those words, the spirit was like, “Hi, Amber. There is something that I've been trying to communicate to you, but you have not been humble enough to hear.”

Just stab me in my heart, why don't you?

I had no idea. But that's just the nature of things, right? So often we just don't know what we don't know. But that's when the spirit steps in.

So I immediately got on my knees and asked God what it was that I wasn't hearing. And at first, all I got were repeated confirmations that truly I had not been humble enough to hear, along with a realization that that I thought I was creating more comfort in my life by doing things my way, but in reality I was creating more pain and more distance from my savior.

Still frazzled, I got up and decided to go for a walk to try and get some clarity. As I walked, it did become clear.

And let me tell you, thank goodness I live out in the middle of nowhere and no one could see me because 48-year-old Amber threw a 2-year-old fit right in the middle of the road. I repeatedly stomped and kicked imaginary rocks, punched the air, and started to cry. You would have thought God was demanding my firstborn child or something.

And you would probably think that what God actually asked of me didn't warrant that fit. But nonetheless, it felt like a big deal to me.

And I will share what I learned at the end of this episode. And it's actually the reason I chose this topic.

Last week on social media, I shared my new podcast studio and how I was led to podcasting. Every time I do this, I get questions about how I figured out what God wanted me to do.

And I remember loving listening to other people share their stories about finding their purpose when I was trying to figure out mine. So today, I want to share with you more of my story.

And though our unique purpose is different along with our journeys, I know that there's principles in my story that can help anyone who is seeking a greater partnership with God to find and carry out your purpose.

But I'm going to warn you, the journey will require humility and plenty of instruction you might not want to hear.

So, the short story of how I started this podcast or why I did is actually pretty neat.

Back in August of 2023, I shared a reel that is still one of my most popular reels to date. And I'm not even in the reel. And I guess that's a good thing because it was a reel with a message from one of our apostles, Elder Bedar.

In this reel, he gives some great advice about prayer. He says, “Instead of treating prayer like a shopping list, I need this and this and this. Stop and ask, what do you want for me?”

Well, a couple weeks after I shared this reel, the spirit was like, “Hey, Amber, guess what? That reel wasn't just for your followers. It was for you.”

And I knew God wanted me to ask that question.

And though I wasn't sure what else he would tell me, I felt pretty content and pretty busy. What else could he want for me?

Well, I found out one busy morning. I tried to hide in another room to study my scriptures and say prayer, and I got as far as just asking God, “What do you want for me?” when I got interrupted and scripture study was immediately over and one thing led to another and my busy day went on.

And it wasn't until the evening that I realized that I hadn't had the chance to wait for that answer.

So I sat down again, opened up my scriptures, and as soon as I did, the Lord was like, “Amber, I already gave you your answer today.”

And immediately into my mind came a memory of three messages that I thought it was kind of weird that I got that day. There were messages on three different platforms. One was a comment on YouTube, a message on Facebook, and then a message on Instagram from three different people.

But these messages were all very similar. They were all asking me if I either had a podcast or would consider starting a podcast.

You couldn't have shocked me more or given me a more intimidating answer than to realize that what God wanted for me was to start a podcast.

This was something that I had specifically said to friends in my journal that I would never do. I would never start a podcast. Honestly, just the technology and the effort, it intimidated me. I didn't want to learn something new, but it was clear that this was what God wanted me to do.

And so, I started.

And to be honest, I didn't like it at all at first. I found it stressful. And I was just like pushing through it, not enjoying it for about the first year.

And about that year mark, something shifted, something clicked. And now I truly love podcasting. And I am so grateful that I didn't ignore that prompting because it was something that I really didn't want to do.

Truly, God knows us better than we know ourselves.

And from that experience, I learned that the things that we've just vetoed and said, “No, I'm never going to do that,” it might be something that you really enjoy. So, don't ever cross anything completely off the list.

And when you do cross something off the list, that might be the exact thing God ends up wanting for you.

But of course, my journey didn't start there on that day when I received those three messages. It actually started many, many years before.

And this is where I want to share with you some amazing principles that I think anyone can use to help find your own purpose.

I feel like my journey kind of started when I was sitting at a baptism and at the end of the baptism a member of the stake presidency got up to share an additional message and he said, I don't know who needs to hear this in here but I feel like I need to speak these words.

And of course what did I do? I looked around the room to see who needed to hear these words because surely it wasn't me.

You'll recognize his message. It was from 2 Nephi 28:25–30 where the Lord is saying, “Woe unto him that crieth, all is well. Woe unto him that saith, we have received and we need no more. For we have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough. Unto him that receiveth, I will give more. And from them which shall say, we have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.”

So, of course, I was like, well, I've received the gospel. Check. I'm good. This isn't for me.

Well, the next day I was sitting on my porch just thinking how blessed I was, how content I was. I had a really successful business and I was able to be a stay-at-home mom at the same time. And I was just thinking, “Wow, I'm good. I have everything that I want.”

And in the moment that I thought that, the spirit let me know that that message was for me. That I was saying all is well and I don't need anymore. I'm good.

But there was more that the Lord wanted me to receive. There was so much more he had to give me, but I had to choose.

So that is my first lesson. God has so much more for us than we could possibly imagine, but we have to want it.

And then not long after that, I was sitting in the temple for an endowment session. And when I heard the words, “Fill the measure of your creation,” I felt the spirit so powerfully communicate to me that there was something more God needed me to do. That there was something that I had promised to do. That if I did not do it, I would not be filling the measure of my creation.

I love this quote by Elder Steven R. Bangader. He said, “Before you were born, God appointed each of you to fulfill specific missions during your mortal life upon the earth. If you remain worthy, the blessings of that premortal decree will enable you to have all kinds of opportunities in this life, including opportunities to serve in the church and to participate in the most important work happening on the earth today, the gathering of Israel.”

Those pre-mortal promises and blessings are called your forordination.

But he goes on to explain, “These blessings and opportunities come in this life as a result of your righteous exercise of agency, just as your forordination in your premortal life came as a result of righteousness. This more that God wants for us and that we've promised to do, we're not going to be forced to do it. We have to seek it, use our agency to discover what we promise to do,” and with the help of God do it.

And so where do we start?

Well, where God started with me was to communicate and help me understand what my gifts were. It was right after President Nelson had given his talk. He said, “I urge you with all the hope of my heart to pray to understand your spiritual gifts to cultivate, use, and expand them even more than you ever have. You will change the world as you do so.”

So, I took that invitation and I encourage you to if you haven't already.

The answer didn't come right away, but I still remember the moment that it came. I was walking into the bathroom to get ready for the day and into my mind came the words, “You have the gift to bear testimony.”

And from that moment forward, my goal was to figure out how to use this gift of testimony to help in the gathering of Israel.

The next breadcrumb God gave me was again while I was studying my scriptures and I was studying the story of the rich young ruler.

Now I mentioned that at this time in my life I was really happy with the at-home business, successful business that I had built and I felt pretty good just sticking with what I was doing.

But as I read the words where he asked what lack I yet and Jesus said unto him if thou be perfect go and sell that thou hast, in that moment, I knew that I was to no longer do this business I had been doing.

And it definitely blindsided me. But that's all the Lord gave me. He didn't tell me what to do next. He just told me that I needed to give up that business.

And so I believe that in anyone's journey to find out what God wants for them, there is going to be sacrifice. There is going to be possessions.

Whether that is an actual physical possession, or the possession of something we really love doing, or the possession of our own idea of what we want to do with our lives, there is going to be that possession that we are going to have to give up so that God can give us something greater.

And like I said, things weren't very clear of what I was supposed to do next.

And from that point forward, I felt like I was in this limbo place. And it's very unsettling. And it was really hard not to be as busy as I normally was after I gave up that business.

But now I've realized you're never really in limbo. That limbo place is God preparing you for what is to come next. And I think it's important that we listen to those lessons.

Of course, during that time, I had a lot of doubts coming into my mind. And I felt like, oh, you know, nothing has happened. Maybe I'm not being obedient. Maybe I've missed something.

Just feeling stressed out quite a bit of what I was supposed to do and feeling that maybe I was too old, too late. And then I remember listening to this interview of Janice Cat Perry.

And I loved her music when I was younger and as I was listening to this interview I learned that she didn't write her first song until she was in her 40s and I don't know, something that just clicked to my brain.

I think as young moms and dads, we think that the years that we are going to accomplish most are in our 20s and 30s. But there is still so much more after our kids have grown and are leaving the home. We aren't too old.

And also, if you're having that feeling of, you know, maybe I've missed my chance, maybe I haven't listened to the promptings enough, maybe I haven't acted when God wanted me to, and now he's given up on me.

Well, no, I don't believe that at all.

It makes me think of something a general authority said that came to visit our stake. He said, “The opposite of obedience is not disobedience. The opposite of obedience is rebellion.”

So ask yourself, are you rebelling against God? Are you telling him, “No, I'm not going to do this thing,” or are you just fumbling and trying to figure things out and it's taking you longer than you thought? I think that's more the case with most people.

And you know, from the first prompting I received to the point that I felt like I had finally figured out what I was supposed to do, it was 7 years. That's a lot of figuring things out, a lot of feeling like I was in limbo. But really, it wasn't limbo. It was preparation.

The next thing I learned in trying to discover my purpose was actually while I was on an airplane. I was flying home from my final business trip and my soul just was yearning to understand what God had wanted for me next.

So I got out a notebook and a pen and I just started writing. And this had never happened to me before.

But as I was writing, it was like I felt revelation come down through my head, down my shoulder, down my arm, into my hand, and through that pen.

And it wasn't everything that I wrote. It was actually one sentence, one instruction from God.

And that instruction was to improve my scripture study, to study for at least 30 minutes a day. And if I would do that, I would begin to understand my purpose.

So I feel like scripture study is a nonnegotiable when it comes to figuring out what you have promised the Lord that you would do.

At that point, I had just been kind of reading a few verses every night, which is not bad, but I knew that there was so much more.

The scriptures is where we can find the truth of all things, including the truth of who we are and what we are to do.

And as I followed this instruction to study my scriptures more diligently, and let me tell you, it wasn't immediate. I'm a slow mover. It takes me a bit to really get into a pattern of following God's instruction for me.

But I love how patient he is with us.

So, as I improved my scripture study, I started to notice certain things just standing out. And that would be the next principle I want to focus on, hone in on those things that stand out to you.

The first one for me was as I was studying in the temple. I want to give another plug for the importance of studying in that holy place. There's a reason why there's scriptures on almost every surface there.

Every now and then schedule enough time to go into the celestial room and sit and study and receive the word of God however long it takes.

This particular time I had been in the celestial room for over an hour when I came to this scripture in Joel that I think, well that I know applies to all of us.

In Joel 2:28, it says, “And it shall come to pass that afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, and also upon the servants, and upon the handmaids. In those days will I pour out my spirit.”

The angel Moroni testified to Joseph Smith that this exact scripture would come to pass in our day. And it is.

The Lord is pouring out his spirit upon us and he will guide us to what we need to do.

I also felt that same power when I heard Sharon Eubank say this. The prophets are calling on us, my sisters. Will you be righteous? Will you articulate your faith? Can you bear being distinct and different?

Will your happiness, in spite of your trials, draw others who are good and noble and who need your friendship? Will you turn on your light?

I testify the Lord Jesus Christ will go before us and be in our midst. Close quote.

It was in the same talk that she said that she quoted the famous quote by President Kimell where he talks about how much of the major growth that is coming to the church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world will be drawn to the church in large numbers.

It's so funny because that quote has been said over and over and over again. But for some reason when Sister Eubank spoke it, it was like I was hearing it for the first time.

I know that God is calling his daughters to do magnificent things in helping to gather Israel and we each have a very unique and specific role and he is guiding us to it.

Another thing I had to do in discovering my purpose was pray like I have never prayed before.

So here I was. I had just had all these things standing out to me in this limbo place and I was just desperate to understand. Okay, I'm doing these little things. What is it? What is this all for? What do you want me to do?

And I was on a solo road trip from Colorado back home to New Mexico, driving for 6 hours.

And I decided that I would not turn on any audiobooks, any music, and I would just pretend like God was in the passenger seat next to me. And I was just going to talk to him and pray and pray for as long as it took until I heard an answer.

I have never prayed so long and so hard in my life. And guess what? He answered me.

I asked the same question that the rich young ruler asked. What lack I yet?

A few hours into that prayer, into that drive, words entered my body like I've never experienced before. I felt it from the top of my head down to my toes.

And the words were, “Share your stories.”

An answer that I wasn't prepared for because in that moment, I knew that the avenue to do that was going to be a blog. Another thing that intimidated me.

But God isn't interested in us staying comfortable. He wants us to do things that scare us, that will challenge us, that will help us to grow and bless others.

So, once again, it took me a few months, but I decided I was going to be obedient. I knew nothing about blogging, but anyone who knows me knows that I love recipes, exact formulas. If you ask me to do something, I'm going to find the exact tried-and-true trusted way to do it.

So, what did I do? I went online and I bought a very expensive blogging course that included a trip to a convention to learn all that I could.

And I was going through these classes and workbooks when once again, the Lord had something else in mind.

I was reading in Nephi 18 in verses 1–4. We did work timbers of curious workmanship, and the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship.

Now, I did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men, but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me. Wherefore it was not after the manner of men.

As I read those words, the Lord let me know that if I would come to him, he would show me exactly what to do and that I would create with him something better than what any person could teach me.

Now, I'm not saying it's bad to go and educate yourself on how to do something. Maybe in the process the Lord will lead you to the exact resource that you need.

But for me in this circumstance, I was being told to scrap that training, cancel that convention I was supposed to go to, lose the over $1,000 that I spent on it all, and instead get my instruction from God and trust that if I would go to the mountain, that the Lord would show me great things.

And when I was complete, I would see that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.

One of my favorite things about this journey has been the process of learning to receive revelation and doing things in unexpected ways in how God instructs. It has been incredibly refining and exactly what I needed because with my personality, I like to pretend that I know what I'm doing and I like to do things my way.

But during all this, God gave me a really interesting, I'll call it a vision, but it was a split second.

God brought into my mind this image. It was me sitting in front of an easel with a paintbrush in my hand and I was painting a self-portrait, which I know this was a vision and not reality cuz I am not an artist.

But I was painting this self-portrait and as I was moving the paintbrush, a hand would come over mine and try to guide my paintbrush, and in this vision I knew that was the hand of God. He was trying to help me paint what he saw.

But in this vision, what was I doing? Every time he would touch the top of my hand, I would push it away because I wanted to do it my way.

God knows us and he can show us exactly who we are and what we're capable of. And the final image will be more beautiful than we ever imagined if we will let God guide our hand.

So I started blogging and things were going okay. Pretty much it was my mom and sometimes my husband that read my blog. But I kept pressing forward because I loved that process of revelation.

But as I was blogging, all these new desires and thoughts started coming into my mind as to what I wanted to come of this blog, of this effort to share my faith online.

And some of them were pretty big things to me that felt impossible. And I also really started to worry about pride because I really felt that I would end up speaking in front of hundreds of people and I kept on thinking, who are you to think or desire this?

And then once again I went to the scriptures and I love how beautifully this applies to all of us.

I was praying about it in the temple, randomly opened my scriptures, and before I could even look at the page, the spirit whispered to me that I was going to read about the three Nephites.

And I was like, “Oh, that's interesting. Okay, I'm in 3rd Nephi 28. Is that where it talks about the three Nephites? I didn't even know.”

And this is what I read. It's where the Savior comes to the three Nephites and says, “What will ye that I should do unto you?”

But how did they react in verse 5? “And they sorrowed in their hearts, for they durst not speak unto him the thing which they desired.”

I knew the spirit was trying to communicate to me how important it was for me to have the courage to express my desires.

I hadn't expressed anything or prayed about any of these thoughts and desires that were coming to my mind up until this point.

But as the Lord said in the next verse, “I know your thoughts.”

It's not like I was hiding anything from the Lord.

But in this process of finding our purpose, listen to the desires that are already within you. They're there for a reason. And it's important to pray about them so the Lord can help school those desires. And also so when those desires come to pass, you know exactly who to thank.

My greatest fear in having my desires come to pass is that it would somehow involve Instagram or posting stuff on social media.

I really hated social media. I didn't want to be there. And I even remember getting on my knees and praying and crying and telling God, “Please, please don't make me go on social media. I want to share. I'll speak whatever you give to me, but please don't make me share it on social media.”

And I think a part of it was because it's hard to be there. It's hard to put your soul into a message and then have it rejected by unkind comments or really no comments at all. I just didn't think I could handle that kind of atmosphere.

But once again, God answered me in a scripture. He brought this verse to my mind in Mosiah 24:21. He says, “He had been merciful unto them and eased their burdens and delivered them out of bondage, for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God.”

As that verse came into my mind, I felt a promise that as I did my part, I needed to remember that God would do his, that he will deliver our work. He will ease that burden. We aren't in this all on our own.

Shortly after that, COVID hit and during COVID I started experiencing vestibular migraines and my health was such that I really couldn't do much, and my parents lived with me and my father got cancer and I needed to help care for him.

And so for several years I was like, “Heavenly Father, please explain this to me because you just gave me all these promptings of things you wanted me to do for you. And now I can do none of them.”

And I kept on begging him to just heal me. I kept on telling him like, “Do you know everything I could do for you if you would just heal me? If you would just take these trials away?”

Oh my goodness. I can't believe I said that because really it wasn't about what I was to do for him. It was all about what he was doing for me.

Because going through those trials, it was like the final capstone of the experiences and the knowledge that I needed to gain to be able to do what God needed for me in a greater way.

If you're in the middle of going through something where you feel like you are unable to use your gifts, don't worry. I promise your time is not being wasted.

God has a purpose for this exact thing that you are going through and it will help you be an even greater instrument in his hands.

It took a while but my health started to improve. Sadly my father's health failed and he passed away.

But again I found myself in this place like okay, I think I can start doing something. I had time, which I hadn't had in several years.

And so I went back to my journal. I had been recording all these things that the Lord had been telling me, all these little breadcrumbs.

And in fact, I had a running journal entry where I recorded every little prompting. I went back to it and started to connect the dots.

And that would be the other piece of advice I have, how important it is to let God know that you are serious about receiving revelation by writing down every little thing that he tells you and discovering where it leads.

It was when I was on a hike with my husband that for the entire hour we were on that hike, I was going through every little prompting trying to figure out what it meant, what God wanted for me next.

And I knew it had something to do with sharing my faith online.

And my husband was like, “Amber, why don't you just start small? Just start sharing little insights on Facebook or Instagram.”

And I was like, “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I am not going on social media.”

But I did say, do you know what though? There is one thing I did love about social media.

On the times that I did post, if I ever received a message that what I had shared blessed someone's life that day, I felt such a sense of gratitude and that it was all worthwhile.

But still, I determined that that just wasn't for me.

And we got to our car with no resolution.

Well, when we got in our car, I picked up my phone and looked in it to see if there were any missed calls or messages.

And I saw a notification on Instagram, which was weird because I was never on Instagram, nor had I ever received a message on Instagram.

But I opened it up and there was a message from a girl who said that she had been searching online and has no idea how, but that very morning had come to a post that I shared.

And it was the exact thing that she needed to hear that day. And she wanted to just reach out and tell me thank you.

And as I read that message from her, I knew without a doubt that this is where God wanted me to be.

That message was not a coincidence. It was no coincidence that she was somehow led to exactly what she needed to hear from something that I shared.

And I knew that if I would answer that call that there would be more of that to come.

Okay, you can guess. Did I go and start posting on social media the very next day?

No, I did not. It takes me time.

Well, and in that time, you can guarantee that if you're on the right track, if you have discovered what you need to do, there's going to be some push back. The adversary is going to step in and try to discourage you. And that is exactly what happened.

The first came in the form of overwhelm where instead of just thinking of the small and simple steps, I thought of the big picture and just couldn't comprehend how I would ever get there.

And of course, a lot of negative thoughts were coming to me like, “Come on, Amber. You're not going to be able to do this.” All those discouraging thoughts.

And again, as I prayed for help to overcome this, God gave me a beautiful instruction. He said, “Consecrate your thoughts to me.”

To consecrate something, as it says in the dictionary, is to make or declare to be sacred, to set apart, dedicate or devote to the service and worship of God.

So to consecrate my thoughts to God would be to make my thoughts sacred and to dedicate my thoughts to the service and worship of God.

And the first thing I did was take the most common negative thoughts that were coming to my mind and asked God to take those thoughts and replace them with something sacred, asking him how he would respond to those thoughts.

And then I posted them on my wall and read them every day and really made an effort to change how I was thinking.

I finally had the courage to do as instructed and I started sharing on Instagram.

I was in shock on how quickly things took off. The Lord truly kept his promise. All I had to do was put myself out there, speak the words that he had given me, and he did the rest.

And in whatever you're instructed to do, I know he'll do the same. He doesn't leave us alone in this.

The next thing I learned is that don't get too comfortable. Whatever God instructs you to do, usually it's just preparing you for the next thing.

God is interested in helping us progress. And when we get comfortable, it's time to get out of our comfort zones.

So, speaking of getting out of our comfort zones, let's go back to what I shared at the beginning of this podcast where I had just thrown a 2-year-old fit over something God instructed me to do concerning my podcast that I really did not want to hear.

You see, when I started this podcast, I tried to stay true to God's counsel that he would instruct me how to build this so-called ship. I continued blogging, then sharing on social media, then podcasting without ever taking a course on how to succeed in any of those things.

Yes, there were some basic tech things I had to ask and learn about, but for everything else, I asked God.

About a year ago, I woke up with two words in my mind. Improve YouTube.

Shortly after that, I learned that the number one channel about our church is an anti-account run by a woman who was teaching an incredibly false narrative of what it is to be a member, and specifically a woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

And it made me think of something I had read by Sheri Dew and it made me even more determined to answer her plea. She said, “I can't find any religion, government or business where so many women have as much influence as in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are the ones who need to define Latter-day Saint womanhood, not anyone else.”

This means speaking up and reaching out. It means seeking to have influence in as many ways and with as many people as possible.

She gave this quote in 2008, before being an influencer was such a big thing, before this opportunity to share our testimonies in such an expansive way.

Part of my desire to create my podcast studio was to follow God's instruction to improve on YouTube.

I wanted to follow this instruction, but forgot to ask God the how. Where is the ore that I might make the tools?

And when I started to create my podcast corner, I was so excited. I didn't stop to realize that I was just recreating exactly what I had seen other podcasters do online.

A swivel barrel chair with shelves adorned with pretty things to the right, a light or a plant to the left, some pretty backlight, and finally I would be an official legit podcaster, right?

So, if you're watching this on YouTube, you might be looking at me and wondering why I'm not sitting in that space that I just described.

Well, I have to tell you the rest of the story to explain that.

When I finally let God give me a little input while I was out on that walk, the first thing he told me, “No more script, Amber.”

So, I have to explain. Never have I ever written out a talk. A couple bullet points, some scriptures, quotes, I'm good to go.

That was my intention when I started my podcast.

But wow, it is one thing to stand in front of a group of people and feed off their energy and speak something that will never be seen or listened to again.

It's an entirely different experience to sit in front of the camera and say things that are going to be on the internet for all to hear over and over again, and words that might be praised, but more likely scrutinized and criticized.

And the perfectionist in me just couldn't do that offscript. I wanted to be articulate and say things just right, skip any rambling or repetition.

And perimenopause brain is real, too. What if I couldn't recall a simple word?

I tried explaining these things to God and he tried to help me see that if I could trust him and let things be messy, stop worrying about looking right and saying things perfectly, that he could fill my mouth with more of his words and create something even better.

He wanted me to let my guard down and pour my heart out and be completely me.

As I realized this, I knew I couldn't accomplish that in the space I created. But he had already helped me create the perfect spot.

So, when I first walked into my son's room to envision what I would do, I knew which corner I would podcast from.

But then I looked over to his messy closet and an idea came to my mind. Instead of another space to collect junk, what if I turn that into a cozy, quiet space to study and pray? A place to pour out my soul to God and hear his voice.

So this is where I am sitting right now, on the floor of my prayer closet.

I thought when I pour my heart out to God or to my friends, I don't prepare by putting a cute outfit on, doing my hair and makeup, and then sitting in a corner chair.

I put on some comfy clothes all the way down to my fuzzy socks, throw my hair up in a messy bun, and sit on the floor with some comfy pillows and scatter the floor in front of me with what I need to study.

And I realized that if I'm going to pour my heart out here, why not let it be real?

I truly care about every person listening on the other end of this screen or earbud and I want you to hear as one of my friends would and I would want you to see that I am just an average gal on this journey with you.

When you're with a friend, you don't worry about what to say next or how you look. You just want to take a moment that will fill your soul and leave you with a smile. That is what I hope to accomplish here.

But it might be a little messy.

Well, not might be. It will be, but probably more so for my editor because oh my goodness, there is so much of me pausing to tell myself, “Oh, Amber, what are you thinking?” that he's going to have to go back and delete out.

In fact, to be honest, this little segment is a second recording. After I finished the whole episode, I just wanted to delete it.

I argued with myself about how stupid I was and I should just go back to what I knew worked for me.

But I eventually convinced myself not to delete it. That maybe just the beginning and the ending needed a little more clarity and I could just let it be.

There might be some parts that I still need to script, like this one right now, because my brain was just too fried to trust myself.

Baby steps, Amber. I know I'm going to grow into this new format and learn how to best do this.

You probably won't see as many of the mistakes as I do, but still.

I purposely waited until the end of this podcast to tell you what I was doing so that you wouldn't be looking for mistakes as you listened.

I need to get over it, don't I?

But even in this, I wouldn't have shared if there wasn't a valuable lesson in it.

This is not the ship that I envisioned when God asked me to build this. But he will build something greater.

And so I'll ask you, what is God asking you to create? And are you willing to let him instruct you?

You know, I feel like Nephi kind of was at an advantage. He was out in the wilderness. He had no choice but to go to God for all of his instruction.

He couldn't pull out his phone and search up a YouTube video, go to chat GPT, and have every single step lined out.

We have all these things at our fingertips, and they can be a great use. But I think they can also work to our detriment.

And it's important as we create to step back from all of the information that will tell you how to do whatever it is you want to do and go to God instead.

Let him instruct you and create something that is even better than man's workmanship.

And here's the cool thing going back to that scripture that I started this podcast with.

What was the purpose of the ship?

The Lord said, “Thou shalt construct a ship after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.”

And where were they going? To the promised land.

So, I've talked about how we are all figuratively on this journey to the land of promise.

And part of that journey, God is going to ask us to create something.

And if we turn to him in that creation, that very creation is what will help carry us to our own personal promised land.

A land in our hearts and minds, where God's promises are revealed and come to pass. A place where we live in safety and in joy no matter what is going on around us.

Trust that God created you and he will help you create what is within you.

So, as you go on from this podcast, here's a couple questions you might ponder and ask God.

I love this quote from Sheri Dew and I have turned this into a question many times. She said it is the spirit who reveals to us our identity, which isn't just who we are but who we have always been, and that when we know, our lives take on a sense of purpose so stunning that we can never be the same again.

It is so beautiful to take that quote and turn it into a question, asking God to reveal our identity, to reveal it in such a way that our lives take on a sense of purpose so stunning that we will never be the same again.

And of course the question that started all this, asking God what do you want for me?

Christ is helping you create. Christ is your purpose. Christ is hope smiling brightly.