A Whole New Perspective on My Life

Last month I was talking to my parents about some concerns I had about my life.  They are always so good to listen and encourage me. The day after we spoke, my loving dad sent me a conference talk by Elder Hales thinking that it would help me with my situation.  Two days later, I was asked to give a talk in our sacrament meeting service.  I wa assigned to speak on the same exact talk that my dad had just sent to me.  I was given a month to prepare - those of you that have spoken in church know that you rarely get that much time to prepare.  I knew right away that this was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father that knew I needed not only to give this talk, but I needed to time to really delve into the subject and really learn and understand how this applies to me.

Because of this, I have an entirely new outlook on my life. It has changed me so much that I have got to record what I have learned so that my family in the future- especially once they are grown and rearing families of their own- can benefit and find the same peace that has come to me. I share it publicly on my blog because I believe that we should share things that benefit others.  Most likely if you read my blog, I care about you.  And if a little something that I share can bless your life, then it's worth it to share. You may have already learned this for yourself anyway, so don't expect that I'm sharing any earth-shattering info.~

Please don't read this as a talk. I'm not giving you a talk. It's a sincere sharing of what I learned.

The article I was asked to study was "Waiting on the Lord; Thy Will Be Done" by Elder Hales.

Here is what I have learned:


Living the Experience

Sister Beck came to our stake 2 weeks ago.  She said something that completely changed my perspective and expectations about my life.  She talked about the idea of "living the dream" that everyone strives for.  No matter how righteous your desires are to "live the dream" this life isn't the place where you'll have the dream.  Where we are right now in our eternal journey is the experience part of it.  We are on earth Living the Experience.   Certainly we have moments or glimpses of the dream, but no one has it all right now.  There will be a time where we will have the dream. That will come after we have lived the experiences on earth that have prepared us to live the dream (that we so greatly desire!) in the eternities with our Heavenly Father.

Everyone is Waiting for Something

Part of living the experience is waiting. When you think about it, all of us are waiting. We have different needs and blessings that we wait for. Some are waiting for better financial situations, a more loving marriage, for children to return to the gospel. Some are waiting to understand why something bad happened to them, others wait to know what their purpose is in life. Some may be waiting to be forgiven, or to be able to forgive another.Others are waiting to develop more patience, be less judgemental, or getting control of their tempers. Some are waiting for physical or emotional healing.  No matter how someone's life may appear on the outside, know this: We are all waiting.

"Wait" is a Verb

As we wait for our prayers to be answered, or to be delivered from pain, we do no hang our heads or brace ourselves until it is over. The scriptures define the word wait as "to hope, trust, and to anticipate."

As I've studied this, I found a very helpful guide to understand what it means to wait.

Psalms 37:

vs 3: "Trust in the Lord.."

vs 3: .... "and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed" - I think that agency is one of the most empowering tools we have as we wait. Sometimes we are so caught up in our situation or trial, that we forget that while some things are out of our control, there are so many things that we can do about it. Step back, see what you can do... and empower yourself!

vs 4: "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" - As we are living the experience, there is always something we can delight in. I love that our prophet is always reminding us to live with gratitude.  No matter what it is we are waiting for, there is something you can delight in.

vs 5: "Commit thy way unto the Lord..." -  No matter what the experience is, stay committed to the Lord. Keep your covenants.  This may be one of the most important things you do because when you stay committed, you have the gift of the Holy Ghost as your companion- and that means that you will have the Spirit guide you and help you know "all things that ye should do".

vs. 7: "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself..." - Sometimes we just need to put things to rest. Let go, and find rest in the Lord. Decide that you are just going to stop worrying about it for now.  For me, taking the sacrament is one place where I find rest.  I bring my struggles, anxieties, regrets of the previous week and I let them go.  Then I start a new week and do it all over again.


Christ Knows How it Feels to Wait

When living the experience gets hard, and waiting feels impossible, remember that Christ also had to wait...

*In his youth he "went about his Father's business" and "waited upon the Lord for his ministry to come". He had to trust in the Lord as he learned precept by precept.

*At the age of 30, he suffered the greatest temptations, but he stayed committed to His Father and used his agency to resist Satan.

*In Gethsemane as he was encompassed with pain and agony, begging his father to "remove this cup", he showed his trust in the Lord and declared, "nevertheless...thy will be done" and then exercised his agency to suffer for our sins

*After the humilitaion of public trial, and even while on the cross as he cried out, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" he waited upon His Father, and as he waited to be relieved of that pain, he exercised his agency to forgive his enemies, make sure that his mother was taken care of and endured faithfully to the end.

If anyone knows what it feels like to wait, the Saviour understands it in the most painful way possible. Let him succor you.  He knows exactly how you feel.
Back to Psalm 37:

vs. 9,11 - "..but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.... and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."


I believe this to be truth. I know that if I stay committed and do those things that I will have it all. Somehow, someway, all the dreams I have for my family will come to pass. But for now I'm going to live the experience and wait, and while I'm at it, I'm going to treat others with a little more kindness..... because y'all are waiting too.