Patience and Trust

          I love the stories of Stephen Jones in the article, "One Question That Puts Life in Perspective"(https://www.lds.org/blog/one-question-that-puts-life-in-perspective?cid=HP_TH_10-11-2016_dOCS_fBLOG_xLIDyL2-2_). In the conclusion of some of his experiences he shares,

           "Two months after saying no to an opportunity that didn’t feel right, two months of struggling financially, the phone call came. A teaching position had opened up near my home and they offered me a job. It came right when I needed it, right when I was at my lowest. And after that call I looked up and said, 'I trust you. I trust you.'

           God knew me. He had answered my prayers. But He made me wait on it. He made me stretch. And sometimes He does that—even when we want good things, even when we’re focused on things that will matter in 1,000 years. The point is if you trust Him, He will never let you down, because He looks out for us today, tomorrow, 1,000 years from now, and for eternity. "

          I love the messages told within the personal experiences of Stephen Jones, and I love to remember the parallels from my Teachings and Doctrines of the Book of Mormon class. Within third Nephi, Nephi "cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold the voice of the Lord came unto him..." (3 Nephi 1:12). Wherefore, then questioning God's choice to keep the knowledge of the sign's coming from him for so long when people's lives were on the line. When he poured out his soul, all he believed he could, Nephi continued to stretch and discover more that was in his soul. God waited to respond to Nephi in order to help him understand more about himself, his own soul, and created opportunity and growth for him to become more like God.

Love Inspire Smile
Melissa Longhurst