PATIENCE

I recently had an experience that taught me a valuable lesson in patience.  Many weeks I had been praying for direction in my life.  I had reached a point with my newly finished novel (that was edited and re-written several times over) that I knew it was finally ready to get published.  I prayed for this guidance to lead me in the right direction on what my next move should be.  Through the help of a good friend, my novel happened to make it’s way to an editor for a publishing company.  I waited anxiously for seven weeks to get the answer that I hoped to get “We love your book and want to publish you!” 

Through long hours of prayer, agonizing over the result of what this editor would say about my novel and how it would change my life, I was given a feeling of peace and comfort that I was on the path that I was supposed to be on.  I felt like this feeling of peace was a conformation that this was it.  That this editor was the one and that my book was about to get published.  

Alas, it was not.  The editor gave me a sincere response and informed me that there were some things about my novel that needed to be re-worked.  I struggled for days on this, confused by the feelings and answers I had received that this was the one and that my novel was finally done and finished.  This was my big moment where everything would change.  I was heartbroken and lost.  Did I read the message wrong?  Were the encouraging and comforting feelings not real?  Did I make the whole thing up?  Maybe I heard wrong.  Maybe everything I think I know about personal revelation is wrong. 

But that was not the case.  I was heartbroken and lost, yes.  And I did the worst thing in that moment that I could have.  I stopped praying and reading my scriptures.  I pushed God away when I really should have pulled him closer and allowed him to help me understand what had gone wrong. 

I probably would have understood sooner had I not pushed God away.  But a week later I finally received my answer.  I spoke to my mother who informed me that maybe the reason that I was supposed to submit my book to this editor was not because my book was ready to publish, but because this editor had something important to point out to me about my novel.  I listened to the editor’s advice and revised my novel.  Through all this, I learned that God does lead us down the paths we need to follow, but we need to stop and listen for the purpose for why he took us down that path.  The results may not turn out the way we want.  We may not even understand at first why we must do it.  But if we stop, listen, and have a little patience we will understand how that particular thing fits into his overall plan for us.