on timing

one thing I know I'll never have to wait for: long hair

I like to write lists. Sometimes my journal entry is just a list of random things going through my head at the time. For example, yesterday's entry was just a list of things I liked about that day, things I wasn't sure I liked, and things I definitely did not like. A lot of people say they don't know what to write about in a journal--all you hafta do is get creative. Nobody said you had to write every detail of what happened to you that day. /end rant

But really, back to that list thing. I think it means I'm a planner. I like to know what's going to happen and I like to be prepared for it. When I decided to go to Mexico, it was a little bit of a whirlwind. I didn't really prepare mentally/emotionally for it. I just went, because I knew I was supposed to. I'm really glad I did. Sometimes the best things in life aren't planned at all. Things like (here we go with the list thang):

• becoming friends with TP because we both worked at sandwich land (a bad thing turned into something really good!)
• going to Mexico to teach English. Me, teach English? Wha?
• going to BYU-Idaho instead of BYU, something I never thought of until 2 months before I left for Rexburg
• moving to Utah when I was 15. I wasn't okay with this at first, but eventually I warmed up to the idea. I learned to trust in the Lord. Now I'm 100% sure that was the right choice.
  

I bet if I went back and read old journals, I would find similar patterns. I love finding the Lord's hand in your life after the fact. It's nice to notice it in the present, too.

Today I read Dieter F. Uchtdorf's April 2010 talk "Continue in Patience." I am pretty sure this talk was written for me. If you know me, you know patience is one of my big time weaknesses. It all goes along with that planning thing. I just want to know what's going to happen, and I want to be prepared for it. I always forget that there is no such thing as bad timing--God's timing is always perfect. Us mortals are the only ones with bad timing (at least, that's how we see it). Pres. Uchtdorf said something which rang true for me at this point in my life:

"The children of Israel waited 40 years in the wilderness before they could enter the promised land. Jacob waited 7 long years for Rachel. The Jews waited 70 years in Babylon before they could return to rebuild the temple. The Nephites waited for a sign of Christ’s birth, even knowing that if the sign did not come, they would perish. Joseph Smith’s trials in Liberty Jail caused even the prophet of God to wonder, “How long?”

In each case, Heavenly Father had a purpose in requiring that His children wait.

Every one of us is called to wait in our own way. We wait for answers to prayers. We wait for things which at the time may appear so right and so good to us that we can’t possibly imagine why Heavenly Father would delay the answer."

I italicized that middle line because it really hit me--God has a reason for everything He does. If we're doing what's right, we don't need to worry. It's that simple. Just keep doing what He asks and don't be afraid. Fear=a rocking chair which gets you nowhere. Faith=a maserati in 5th gear on the freeway. You get me?

p.s. since this was mostly words and hardly any music or pictures, here. you're welcome.