Timing

Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk years ago called "Timing" which has always been a classic favorite of mine, and lately I have been thinking a lot about this important topic and how it applies to my life, and the lives of many loved friends and family members.  It is "hard doctrine", as Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said when giving a talk on a similar subject of discipleship, about giving up our will to God (as the only real thing that we can truly give him).  Though hard doctrine it may be, it is true doctrine, and I know it is true.           


Here are some of my favorite selected excerpts from his address:
(see link for full talk) http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=684

"Wise are those who make this commitment: I will put the Lord first in my life and I will keep His commandments. The performance of that commitment is within everyone's control. We can fulfill that commitment without regard to what others decide to do, and that commitment will anchor us no matter what timing the Lord directs for the most important events in our lives."


"If we have faith in God and if we are committed to the fundamentals of keeping His commandments and putting Him first in our lives, we do not need to plan every single event--even every important event--and we should not feel rejected or depressed if some things--even some very important things--do not happen at the time we had planned or hoped or prayed."


"Someone has said that life is what happens to us while we are making other plans. Because of things over which we have no control, we cannot plan and bring to pass everything we desire in our lives. Many important things will occur in our lives that we have not planned, and not all of them will be welcome."


"So what should be done in the meantime? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ prepares us for whatever life brings. This kind of faith prepares us to deal with life's opportunities--to take advantage of those that are received and to persist through the disappointments of those that are lost. In the exercise of that faith we should commit ourselves to the priorities and standards we will follow on matters we do not control and persist faithfully in those commitments whatever happens to us because of the agency of others or the timing of the Lord. When we do this, we will have a constancy in our lives that will give us direction and peace. Whatever the circumstances beyond our control, our commitments and standards can be constant."