All is well

This one has to be short, I know I may have only traveled one state away, but I am so exhausted. I'm pretty sure God really sustained me through the last couple of months to get through this French test and now my energy is totally depleted. I need Him to sustain me for just a couple more weeks for me to get my work sample all done for student teaching.

Getting to Provo turned out to be much more difficult than hoped. I wish I could disprove the common idea that I am a ditz, but that life long endeavor is still proving to be a challenge. When I went to check in for my flight on Thursday the screen said that the flight had already departed. Turns out not only did I mess up the day, but I bought a ticket for a totally different month. October 31 instead of November 1. Who does that? After thinking this was a joke, I realized that once again I was the joke, then I realized I needed to find another flight for the next day. I called my hero, mother, and she got it all worked out since I had classes to teach.

It was incredible to see my dear friends that I hadn't seen since before my mission. My darling sister took great care of me. I won't find out my scores for a few weeks, but it felt good, so now I just wait with my hands clasped together!

I do want to testify that life is so good! I think I have taken for granted how things just always seem to work out. Lately it seems that if there's not one trial there is another one. When I was skyping my family I realized that God must be wanting to keep me humble, for which I must thank Him. I heard in church today,
"If there's one person who wants you to make it to the celestial kingdom it's Him." I know that's true. Everything in our lives is part of His grand design to bring us back to Him. Sometimes we may wonder why we have certain challenges and what our gifts are, but I promise God knows. He loves us all the same. "the one being is as precious in his sight as the other" (Jac 2:21). When the Lord counselled the prophet Samuel on which of the sons of Jesse should be chosen for the next king He said, "the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Sam 16:7). I believe that it is our privilege to see as the Lord and not as man, to see others AND ourselves His way.

So many of us compare ourselves to others or even to some perfect idea of what we know we ought to be. If only we could see ourselves as God sees us. It is our privilege to see in that light. If we seek to truly know our Heavenly Father, we will see as He does. Someone else said today "If we want a good relationship with our Heavenly Father, we have to give it." It's my prayer that the world will offer to the Lord the kind of relationship they hope to receive from Him. The same goes for all relationships. We cannot expect to receive if we don't give. The beauty is that when we do give, we always receive more than we could possibly give. When love is given it is not depleted, it is increased.

Life may be confusing and frustrating and at times I may wonder what God's idea of my better good possibly could be, but I hold on to the promises. I hold on to the moments He has spoken, comforted, and reassured me. When all things seem to be falling apart, I remember it's not I who is supposed to be holding it all together, it's God. He is and He always will. If we live our lives so that we are always right with God, we can be confident that "all is well." I think that's why the prophet wrote this to the saints concerning their persecution while he himself was a prisoner in Liberty Jail: "let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed" (D&C 123:17). Like the early saints, we may face trial on top of trial. We, like them, can do all we can and then be confident that the Lord WILL prosper us. He will, that I know.