THAT WHICH I THOUGHT WOULD BE SELDOM IS

When I was a child and thought of what was to be, visions of being a tall star athlete ran in and out of my mind…

When I was in my teens and thought of what was to be, visions of being a star of stage and screen danced in and out of my mind…

When I was a single young adult and thought of what was to be, visions of visits to foreign lands walked in and out of my mind…

When I was newly married and thought of what was to be, visions of perfect children tiptoed in and out of my mind…

When I was entrenched in my career and thought of what was to be, visions of model trains steamed in and out of my mind…

When I was retired and thought of what was to be, visions of days when I could run, dance, walk, tiptoe and wobbled in and out of my mind…

Neal A. Maxwell made the following statement, “I believe with all my heart that because God loves us there are some particularized challenges that he will deliver to each of us. He will customize the curriculum for each of us in order to teach us the things we most need to know. He will set before us in life what we need; not always what we like.” (Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book - page 196)

When I was in the degree seeking period of my life, my study time was somewhat limited due to other demands on my time, I had to make sure I was always zeroed into the current activity whenever I was studying or listening to a lecture or writing a paper. I found that whenever I allowed my mind to wander the effectiveness of my learning was drastically lowered.

Likewise, I suspect that the time we spend thinking about what is to be rather than doing the current task our Heavenly Father has assigned us for any given day will have a negative effect upon our maximizing the development intended from the heaven designed curriculum.

Neal A. Maxwell also stated, “Life in the world is too compromising, too corrosive for most; marching to a celestial cadence requires the meekness of Moses and the simple trust in God that David had when he went forth ‘in the name of the Lord of hosts’ with a sling and five smooth stones.” (Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book - page 198)

Too often in life’s journey we might find ourselves truant, dreaming of what tomorrow might bring, or watching the clock on days when significant heaven sent assignments should have been diligently attended too.

And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead. (Alma 12:24)

As the countdown for the final bell of mortality ticks on for each of us, it might be beneficial if we could to be more passionate about conquering today’s lesson so that that part of our final exam will be a little more cemented in the character of that eternal being we were sent to become.

When my hair had turned to silver and I thought of what was to be…