Seeing the End from the Beginning...

I just have to say that I am SO thankful to live in the times I do… I have always thought that I would have been a great pioneer, that I could have survived the long days of walking in the middle of nowhere and not know where I was going or how much longer. I always thought that I had enough faith to just trust in the Lord's will.

I have to say… Holy Cow. I have come to learn that I am a spoiled brat. I have become so accustomed to my employed lifestyle, that I forgot what a true "starving student" life style was. Well, I now remember again what it was like. The employed way was SOOOOOO much easier. I have had a hard time adjusting to this stay-at-home thing. I am hoping a new job is in the near future! One of my co-workers always told me that the industry can be humbling. Now I know what he means.

I also want to mention that I am SO INCREDIBLY thankful for such wonderful family at friends I have around me. I don’t think I could keep optimistic if it weren't for them. They are always there to remind me that things work out. There’s no way I could write down all the tender mercies that have happened over the last month, but I want to say a special thank you for my husband’s patience, my twin’s company and wonderful meals, my parents' words of advice and encouragement, and my in-laws' generosity and love. There are certain things I do to keep positive and looking forward is one of them. If only I could see the end from the beginning.

So even though the present is hard, enduring well, I have come to find, will help me through the even more difficult future. "The Lord is anxious to lead us to the safety of higher ground... His upward path will require us to climb. My mother used to say to me when I complained that things were hard, “If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.” And as the world becomes darker and more dangerous, we must keep climbing. It will be our choice whether or not to move up or to stay where we are. But the Lord will invite and guide us upward by the direction of the Holy Ghost, which He sends to His leaders and to His people who will receive it." (Raise the Bar - Pres. Eyring)

If you don’t have time for the whole talk of Pres Uchtdorf… here are my favorite parts…

“You live in a time of great challenges and opportunities. As spirit sons [and daughters] of heavenly parents, you are free to make the right choices. This requires hard work, self-discipline, and an optimistic outlook, which will bring joy and freedom into your life now and in the future.

“The Lord said to Abraham, "My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee" (Abraham 2:8). … today I say to you that if you trust the Lord and obey Him, His hand shall be over you, He will help you achieve the great potential He sees in you, and He will help you to see the end from the beginning.

“Allow me to share with you an experience from my own boyhood. When I was 11 years old, my family had to leave East Germany and begin a new life in West Germany overnight. Until my father could get back into his original profession as a government employee, my parents operated a small laundry business in our little town. I became the laundry delivery boy. To be able to do that effectively, I needed a bicycle to pull the heavy laundry cart. I had always dreamed of owning a nice, sleek, shiny, sporty red bicycle. But there had never been enough money to fulfill this dream. What I got instead was a heavy, ugly, black, sturdy workhorse of a bicycle. I delivered laundry on that bike before and after school for quite a few years. Most of the time, I was not overly excited about the bike, the cart, or my job. Sometimes the cart seemed so heavy and the work so tiring that I thought my lungs would burst, and I often had to stop to catch my breath. Nevertheless, I did my part because I knew we desperately needed the income as a family, and it was my way to contribute.

“If I had only known back then what I learned many years later—if I had only been able to see the end from the beginning—I would have had a better appreciation of these experiences, and it would have made my job so much easier.

“Many years later, when I was about to be drafted into the military, I decided to volunteer instead and join the Air Force to become a pilot. I loved flying and thought being a pilot would be my thing.

“To be accepted for the program I had to pass a number of tests, including a strict physical exam. The doctors were slightly concerned by the results and did some additional medical tests. Then they announced, "You have scars on your lung which are an indication of a lung disease in your early teenage years, but obviously you are fine now." The doctors wondered what kind of treatment I had gone through to heal the disease. Until the day of that examination I had never known that I had any kind of lung disease. Then it became clear to me that my regular exercise in fresh air as a laundry boy had been a key factor in my healing from this illness. Without the extra effort of pedaling that heavy bicycle day in and day out, pulling the laundry cart up and down the streets of our town, I might never have become a jet fighter pilot and later a 747 airline captain.

“We don't always know the details of our future. We do not know what lies ahead. We live in a time of uncertainty. We are surrounded by challenges on all sides. Occasionally discouragement may sneak into our day; frustration may invite itself into our thinking; doubt might enter about the value of our work. In these dark moments Satan whispers in our ears that we will never be able to succeed, that the price isn't worth the effort, and that our small part will never make a difference. He, the father of all lies, will try to prevent us from seeing the end from the beginning.”

*Just remember… "My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee" (Abraham 2:8).*