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God, I’m for You | Valeska M. Bushman

God, I’m for You | Valeska M. Bushman

Last updated on: September 2, 2026 at 7:28 am by Delisa Hargrove

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God, I’m for You | Valeska M. Bushman 2026-09-02T07:28:31-10:00 Delisa Hargrove

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My niece Valeska is preparing to serve an 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Fresno, California area. She recently shared thoughts about fundamentally switching to a “God, I’m for You” mindset. Her thoughts apply widely to everyone seeking to serve Jesus Christ in any capacity and deepen their relationship with him.

God, I’m for You | Valeska M. Bushman

Valeska at the Mt Timpanogas Temple Surrendering a will to God

Valeska at the Mt Timpanogas Temple

I was able to attend the Young Single Adult conference this weekend, and some of the things I heard really stood out to me. I have loved studying about this topic and about ways I can better serve Jesus Christ, and as I have continued thinking about serving Christ, I realized that there’s something that has to come first. Before we can truly give our service to God, we have to be willing to give ourselves to God.

I think that’s what surrender really means. When we hear the word “surrender,” it can sound like giving up or losing. But surrendering to God is actually an act of faith. It means trusting Him enough to let go of our need to control everything.

As John Hilton III said,

It’s choosing to have a “God, I’m for You” mindset instead of a “God, be for me” mindset.

Sometimes our prayers can sound like, “God, here is what I want. Please help me make it happen.” And there is nothing wrong with asking Heavenly Father for help. He wants us to come to Him.

But I think there is a deeper kind of prayer that says, “Heavenly Father, this is what I want, but I trust You more than I trust myself. If Your plan is different, help me want Your plan.” That is surrender.

One of the greatest examples of this is the Savior Himself.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ prayed:

“Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42.)

Christ knew what was coming. He knew how painful it would be. And yet He placed the Father’s will above His own. He didn’t say, “Father, make this easier.” He said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” That is the ultimate example of surrender.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught about this in a General Conference talk called “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father.” He said:

“The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar.”

I love that because Heavenly Father has already given us so much. Our lives, our abilities, our time, and our talents are all gifts from Him. But He allows us to choose what we will do with our will. We can give Him our hands to do His work, but, ultimately, He asks us to give Him our hearts.

The scriptures are full of people who did this.

One example I love is Esther.

Esther was placed in an incredibly dangerous situation. Her people were going to be destroyed, and she had the opportunity to go before the king and plead for them. But approaching the king without being invited could have resulted in her death.

After fasting and preparing herself, Esther said:

“And so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16.)

I don’t think Esther knew exactly how everything would work out. She didn’t say, “If I go, I know I will be safe.” She said, “If I perish, I perish.” She surrendered the outcome to God. Sometimes faith means being willing to do what God asks even when we don’t know how the story ends.

Another example is Jonathan, the son of King Saul. Jonathan knew that David would eventually become king. From a worldly perspective, Jonathan could have seen David as a threat to his own future. Instead, he supported God’s plan. In 1 Samuel 23:17, Jonathan tells David:

“Thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee.”

Jonathan was willing to surrender his own position and ambitions because he trusted God’s plan more than his own.

I think this is one of the hardest kinds of surrender. It is one thing to surrender something we don’t want. It is much harder to surrender something we really want. Sometimes the things we want are not even bad things. We have dreams, plans, relationships, opportunities, and goals that are good.

And sometimes God asks us to put those things in His hands. Surrender doesn’t necessarily mean He will take them away. It just means being able to say: “Heavenly Father, I trust You with this more than I trust myself.”

That’s where the phrase “God, I’m for You” becomes so important. A “God, be for me” mindset says: “God, bless my plans.” “God, make my life easier. “God, give me what I want.”

But a “God, I’m for You” mindset says: “God, where do You need me?” “What do You want me to learn?” “Who do You need me to serve?” “What can I give?” “How can I help You accomplish Your work?”

And I think this is especially important to me as I prepare to serve a mission. It would be easy to think of a mission as something that I am going to go and do for God. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that a mission is an opportunity to surrender myself to God and let Him do His work through me. I don’t know who I will meet. I don’t know what challenges I will face. I don’t know what my hardest days will look like. And I don’t know exactly how I will change. But I don’t need to know.

My job is to show up and say, “Here I am. Send me.” The Lord knows His children better than I ever could. He knows who needs a conversation, who needs a testimony, who needs a friend, and who needs to feel the Savior’s love. And He can use me as an instrument if I am willing to let Him.

That is why I love Doctrine and Covenants 4:2, which teaches:

“Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength.”

I don’t think this means we have to be perfect. I think it means we have to be willing. Willing to listen. Willing to go. Willing to serve. Willing to change.

Willing to put God’s will above our own.

God, I’m for You…now

Valeska holding a Book of Mormon as she's serving Jesus Christ

Valeska Bushman

That willingness to put God’s will above my own doesn’t begin when I enter the Missionary Training Center; it begins now.

Every day, we have opportunities to surrender a little more of ourselves to the Savior. We surrender when we choose forgiveness instead of resentment. We surrender when we follow a prompting even when it is inconvenient. We surrender when we accept that God’s timing may be different from ours. We surrender when we stop asking only, “What do I want?” and start asking, “What does God want from me?”

I want to become someone who doesn’t just serve Christ when it is easy or when I am comfortable. I want to become someone who is willing.

And I think that is ultimately what serving Christ is. It is not just giving Him our hands. It is giving Him our hearts. It is saying: “God, I’m for You.”

As I prepare for my mission, I hope I can carry that mindset with me. When I don’t know what to do: “God, I’m for You.” When things don’t go according to my plans: “God, I’m for You.” When I am tired: “God, I’m for You.” When I am asked to do something difficult: “God, I’m for You.” When I have to choose between what I want and what He wants: “God, I’m for You.”

And when I don’t understand why He is leading me somewhere, I hope I can trust Him enough to say: “Not my will, but Thine, be done.” Because I don’t believe God asks us to surrender because He wants less for us. I believe He asks us to surrender because He can make more of our lives than we ever could on our own.

The Savior showed us this perfectly.

He surrendered His will to the Father, and through that surrender, He accomplished the greatest work that has ever been done. He suffered for us.

He died for us. And He rose again so that every one of us could have the opportunity to return to our Heavenly Father. Because of Jesus Christ, we don’t have to be perfect before we serve Him. We simply have to be willing to come to Him, trust Him, and let Him change us.

My greatest hope isn’t that I will be the perfect missionary. My hope is that I’ll be willing to let God use me for purposes that I can’t see yet. I know that Heavenly Father knows each of us perfectly. He knows what we need, where we need to go, and who He needs us to become.

I know that Jesus Christ is our perfect example of surrender, obedience, and love. He showed us that giving our will to God is not losing ourselves—it is how we become who God knows we can be.

And I know that when we stop asking, “God, will You be for me?” and instead begin saying, “God, I’m for You,” our lives can become instruments in His hands.

So my prayer, for my mission and for the rest of my life, is this:

God, I’m for You. Here I am. Send me.

Use me. Change me. Not my will, but Thine, be done.

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He lives. I know that He knows us, loves us, and has a perfect plan for each of us. And I know that as we are willing to surrender ourselves to Him, He can do far more through our lives than we ever could on our own.

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