Patience

General Conference was amazing and I only saw half of it! Due to a sick dog and a bustling grouping of family for Easter I only saw the morning sessions.

Brad has referred several times to the talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in the Priesthood Session "Continue in Patience." I knew that this should be the first talk that I should read when I got the chance.

Brad and I, like many people, are struggling financially with a large mortgage payment on a house that is now worth quite a bit less than we bought for it. We are also struggling with issues regarding employment decisions and child care. As a result we have spent most of our waking time the last few weeks in prayer hoping that all the pieces will eventually fall together as Heavenly Father would mean them to. Today is a day where big decisions will be made. This is why I read this talk.

President Uchtdorf carries the Spirit with him so well. Just by reading his talk I felt my heart rate slow down and my anxiety lessen. He talked of patience as being the opposite of selfishness. He described it as "the ability to put our desires on hold for a time."

He stated that he"... learned that patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort." Patience is not something that you either have or you don't ... it is an active restraint of yourself. At this time in our decision making we are waiting for other's to determine outcomes that will directly influence us. Brad and I have decided that we will not impatiently or angrily wait, but we will be active in practicing our patience.

"Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!" Well I hope we are enduring well! Life is so complicated and I used to think that I deserved a perfect life, that everything should be as it should. I don't know where I got that idea from because that's not life at all! Life is complicated and messy, it is meant to be an active trial of faith and devotion.

Like all of the talks in General Conference. this one was amazing. If you haven't had the opportunity to read it or watch it, please take the time. It's well worth it!