Paul Cox, a Mathematics Department faculty member at BYU-Idaho, testified the Lord prepares us in ways we may not realize so we can serve His children.
Cox gave the devotional address at BYU-Idaho on Aug. 13, 2019. He shared examples from his life of how the Lord prepared him to serve others. One story he shared was about his son who liked to flush toys down the toilet as a child.
Cox said a Millennium Falcon toy, from "Star Wars," got lodged in the toilet and he had to remove the toilet to remove the toy. He then reinstalled the toilet only to have it happen two more times.
"By this time, I was getting quite efficient at removing and installing toilets," he said.
At the time, he didn't think of this experience as a way to serve others. But soon after the third time re-installing his toilet, he went to help some friends who were building their home. They were under a tight deadline to finish. When he showed up, they asked him if he knew how to install toilets.
"I was surprised by the question, but proud to say that I was quite an experienced toilet installer," he said.
He was able to install all of their toilets. They later told him how that was a tender mercy to them.
"We never know how the Lord is preparing us to serve," he said.
In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, Cox said he hopes his talk will give people hope.
"The idea that the Lord really is in the details of our lives and He's aware of us and He is providing experiences and then helping us use experiences to grow, to develop, to be ready for other challenges and opportunities that come into our lives," he said. "It's that hope that I'm hoping to pass along. and maybe my experiences will help others realize how the Lord is working with them."