Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Back in December we had a friend come to our house and cut my moms and my hair. She is a bubbly fun person and she was just so happy to be cutting hair that my trim turned into 6 inches being cut off. I am still trying to get over it! Haha But right before she left she was telling us a story about her and her 7 year old son. She had taken him to the Museum of Natural History. He is really interested in fossils right now and after they toured the museum they stopped at my favorite part of the museum…the gift shop! He had saved up his money and was in search for a fossil to buy. As he searched his mom secretly hoped he wouldn‘t find anything. Her father, who had died a few years ago, was also big into fossils and had collected a really neat fossil that her mom was bringing out to her grandson for Christmas. As the boy searched all over he found something that had to do with fossils but he wasn’t really excited about it. He and his mom talked about buying it and she suggested that he not get it unless it was something he really wanted. After some deliberation he decided to put it back and then said, “good things come to those who wait!” As I reflected back on my shorter hair I realized that it was all ok because I really needed to hear that story, and if it came at the cost of short hair…then so be it. I feel so grateful for the example of this little boy in having the faith, the hope and the patience to wait for something better even though he had no idea what that was.

Last week I was finally able to watch a movie that my friend let me borrow. It is the BBC version of Emma! And if you haven’t seen it…you should. It is such a great movie. I have watched it a couple of times this week, I just can’t get enough of it!! Well one of the gentleman characters, I will try and say this so I don’t spoil it, had the opportunity of marrying one of lady characters. She was a favorable and pleasant girl but the thought of marrying below himself, as he put it, was unthinkable. He had an ideal woman he wanted to marry and when this girl cared for him he wouldn’t give her the time of day because socially she wasn’t what he had planned and had already made up his mind what he had wanted, no matter what. He ended up marrying a girl that he wanted and became unhappy a short time later. And maybe this is a silly example to everyone else, but to me it really made me think and evaluate my life and my wants compared to the Lord’s wants. Am I praying so hard for something to happen...but realizing that if it doesn’t happen that there is a reason for it. And what if He did answer my prayer because I so fervently want it and am aching for it, but it isn’t the right time? I imagine life like a chemistry project. The directions say to do the experiment a certain way. We may not know why but say for instance they tell us that we have to wait for one liquid to start boiling before we can add the other. If we get impatient and add it too soon it may ruin the project. But we can’t see that until we have been impatient and added it too soon. Also it is great to remember that there may be more than one way for that chemistry project to come together to produce the desired outcome, but that is what we go to the Master teacher for and together you will learn how to make the experiment work.

So to go back, am I praying so hard for something(s) to happen or stop happening that I get discouraged and just can’t understand why the Lord is making me wait?!

Sometimes when we want something so bad, we can’t see or understand how it can’t be right, right when we want it.  But as we are patient and remember that we want our chemistry projects to work in the Lord’s timetable so that things will work out for our benefit even if we can’t possibly understand how it will turn out.

It can be really hard to wait upon the Lord as we are struggling. We want what we think we want, now. But it is important to remember that as we are patient and long suffering, if needs be…that we will be able to look back and be so thankful that our prayers weren’t answered right away like we thought we wanted. As we wait upon the Lord he is able to teach us the true meanings of faith, hope and charity. If he takes away our burdens when we want, we may still be happy but as we wait upon the Lord to bless us, therein lies the greatest happiness of all. There is a reason to our suffering. If He makes it end before it is supposed to we many not learn what we need to and it doesn’t allow Heavenly Father to intricately mesh our lives together with others as he does so well, when we want what we want on our time table.  

Bro Robert C Oaks quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell in saying, “Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His” (“Patience,” Ensign, Oct. 1980, 28). Elder Oaks continues, “We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God’s purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable.”

A member of my family recently graduated from Syracuse University in English. He graduated last May and has been searching for work ever since. He honestly has been working hard almost everyday trying to find employment that will be able to support his family. He did receive a job offer but didn’t feel that it would be in their best interest to take it. This was a very discouraging time for them. As we spoke on the phone, we talked about how there must be a reason it was taking so long to find a job. He knew Heavenly Father was aware of him but it was very difficult to constantly remember that He had it all under control. Sometimes I like to joke and say that I am ready for my Skype session with God so we can chat about what is going on down here! Seriously you want me to go through what!? And for how long?? Haha but since that isn’t possible, they continued to take one day at a time, doing the things that they were supposed to while waiting for the Lord to bless them. And sure enough a couple of weeks ago, he was offered an internship with the LA TIMES!!! With maybe the potential of getting hired on. How cool is that!! They are now at a point where they can look back and thank our Heavenly Father for unanswered prayers. They can start to see why it was important that they wait and feel so grateful for this amazing and wonderful blessing in their lives.

The moral of the story is do we want what we want so bad that we are missing out on opportunities to learn patience and other important values?...haha I heard that sigh of uggg...I did it too after that sentence was written. We know it’s true...it’s just hard. And are we willing to live with the consequences if we get what we want when we want it, rather than when the Lord wants it?

If you are at a moment in your life when you are waiting on the Lord to help you see the next step…keep being obedient, keep fervently praying for that which you seek and if it is taking longer than you would like, remember there are reasons for our struggles. 

BoydK. Packer said it perfectly, “We live in a day when the adversary stresses on every hand the philosophy of instant gratification. We seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions to our problems. …

It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal.

Teach our members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out.

There is great purpose in our struggle in life.”

That quote reminds me that I will be able to get through my trials. It’s ok to have bad days! We all have them! But just keep pushing forward, even on those unbearable days. We will get through them! Good things come to those who wait!