Wisdom in choosing to serve a mission

The scripture that really stood out to me in class this week was James 1:5 which says, " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God." I love this scripture because it is the scripture that Joseph Smith read when he was having serious questions about which church to follow. Luckily, he was in tune to the spirit's promptings and knelt down to ask the Lord which church he should join. That is what we need to learn, to read the scriptures and apply their words to our lives, so that our actions are directed by the words we read in the scriptures. When we ask God questions he has three ways of answering us. One, with a yes answer. Two, with a no answer. Finally, the third answer he will give is silence. This third answer tells us that we can make our own choice. God will not ever let you get too far down the wrong path without telling you that it is not the right thing; if it is the right thing then God will make it clear and confirm the path you have chosen as the right choice. This process of asking the Lord has been monumental in my life. I have used this system in my life many times to make decisions and it always works. This is what I did with deciding to serve a mission. I pondered it out in my mind and made my decision because I had great desire to serve the Lord and I felt like it was the right thing for me to do. I prayed and asked if this was the right thing. I didn't necessarily receive a "yes" answer, but I did feel good about my decision. I proceeded to start my papers and along the way the Lord has made it clear to me that I am to serve a mission and that I have chosen the correct path for myself. I am so grateful that I have been able to apply the teachings of the gospel to my life just as Joseph Smith did to find out which church to join.