Monday, February 11, 2008
The waiting period
While Ron was teaching the youth in 2 Nephi: 2 in Sunday School yesterday, I noticed this quote inserted in my scriptures:
"One of the trials of life is that we do not usually receive immediately the full blessing for righteousness or the full cursing for wickedness. That it will come is certain, but oftimes there is a waiting period that occurs, as was the case with Job and Joseph." (Ezra Taft Benson CR APril, 1988)
Remember Job? A rich man, of virtue and of possessions. He had seven sons and three daughters and was very righteous. God allowed Satan to test Job's virtue just as He allows Satan to test our own. Job lost everything - his livestock, his riches, his house and servants - even his children!
What did Job say? "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." For his righteousness, the Lord later blessed Job with "twice as much as he had before...He had also seven sons and three dauthers."
And what about Joseph? His brothers, jealous of Joseph and the favortism shown to him by his father, planned to kill him. They threw him into a pit and later sold him into slavery. Joseph was a good person and was favored while a slave at Potiphar's house, but he suffered false accusations and time in prison.
Eventually Joseph was able to interpret a dream for Pharaoh and help Egypt through a period of seven years of abundance and then seven years of famine. He was also reunited with his family and obtained the birthright. "The story is especially instructive in showing the discipline of misfortune and also that the Lord rewards his obedient children according to their faithfulness." (Bible Dictionary).
It is so easy to get caught up in asking Why? Why me? Why another baby blessing for a neighbor?
Have we not done everything in our power to have that blessing, too?
We've done everything we can think of anyway, but the waiting period for us continues. Sometimes it is diffucult. But right now I feel strength from this quote given so long ago...when I was just a little girl playing barbies with my friends; driving Ken and Barbie in their pink sports car and pretending life was perfect and thinking it always would be.
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You know,it's definitely hard to understand. I still don't have ALL the answers, but looking back on the trial I can say I have SOME of the answers. I know for sure that certain things happened a certain way to bring me into the path of the children waiting for us! We had to wait about a year and a half for each adoption and then we suffered a lot of health and financial trials with infertility treatments. But from the perspective I have now, all of that is forgotten and I just get to experience the joy. And so will you! I have no doubt of it.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post. I came and read it earlier. It is so hard to not understand all of the whys, and to feel like you have done everything in your power for this blessing and it still isn't coming. I loved Amanda's article in the newsletter this month. It spoke so deeply to my heart. Hang in there, I am rooting for you!
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