The Lord said, "Fear not, let your hearts rejoice, be comforted yea rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks, waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Saboath, and are recorded with this seal and testament- the Lord has sworn and decreed that they will be granted. He giveth this promise unto you with an immutable covenant that they shall be fufilled and all things, wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good and to His name's glory." (Doctrine & Covenants 98: 1-3)
I have been commanded to fear not, to be comforted, rejoice, have patience and give thanks. Why does this seem so hard to do sometimes? I make decisions in my life many of which I have prayed about, discussed with my sweet husband, have felt the peace of confirmation from the Lord that what I (we) have decided to do is right and that the Lord will support us. Why, then do I struggle and get emotional about the consequences of our decision and the many ways our decision affects our day to day life?
Nate and I got married in October 2010. We have been blessed to have the same work hours for the first year or so of our marriage. It has been wonderful to have so much precious time to spend together. Last month, Jan 2012 Nate mentioned to me that he was thinking about going back to school to study MRI. We discussed it over a few days and decided that Nate would apply for the MRI program. We went to the temple with the decision in mind and both received confirmation from the Lord that getting more education is the right thing to do at this time.
Since that day in the temple, Nate and I have recognized many of the ways the Lord has blessed us with regards to this decision. Nate was able to get his 3 recommendations for school, (all outstanding, I must add! :) ) He has also completed and submitted his application early. The biggest blessing of all so far is that Nate was offer a job working graveyard shifts. Many of you may ask, why is that a blessing when he already has a day job at the hospital that he loves? Well this grave job will assure that Nate will have a job while he is attending school. Not only that but it pays a little more and allows Nate to be able to attend church every Sunday with me instead of 2-3 times a month. He will also have every other week off of work.
Well Nate is just about done with his first full week of working 10 hour grave shifts. To be honest it has been a struggle for both of us. Nate is struggling to get enough rest during the day so he can stay up all night and I am trying to come to terms with the fact that Nate and I really won't have nearly as much time together as before. Nate has taken the position and has already turned in his application for school. We are committed to the decision that we have made. There is no turning back now.
How do we stay positive through it all even with some uncertainties still in the balance?
We have our faith in Heavenly Father. We count our blessings everyday. We know that since he is "backing us" he will provide a way for us to accomplish our goals. I believe that if it is important to us it is important to Him.
Even though some days are harder than others, not having as much time to spend together I know that the decision we have made is right. I am so very, very grateful for Nate and his sacrifice to make our lives better in the long run. This is only a temporary circumstance. We will endure, loving each other through it all and continue thanking God everyday for all of our many blessings. Life is a gift. He knows our plans and will only make them better, "for our good and His name's glory."
