Timing} Part Two

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or Good Evening,

 this post should take approximately three to six minutes to read from start to finish.

This post is based on January 2002 Devotional called "Timing" by Dallin H. Oaks and this post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional and I hope you will learn something new. 

Continue from the previous post, Dallin mentioned the following; "II. The Agency of Others

The achievement of some important goals in our lives is subject to more than the timing of the Lord. Some personal achievements are also subject to the agency of others. This is particularly evident in two matters of special importance to young people of college age—missionary baptisms and marriage.

III. Applications to Our Lives

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. .. Even our most righteous desires may elude us, or come in different ways or at different times than we have sought to plan.

The timing of marriage is perhaps the best example of an extremely important event in our lives that is almost impossible to plan. Like other important mortal events that depend on the agency of others or the will and timing of the Lord, marriage cannot be anticipated or planned with certainty. We can and should work for and pray for our righteous desires, but, despite this, many will remain single well beyond their desired time for marriage.

God is good all the time.

So what should be done in the meantime? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ prepares us for whatever life brings. .. Whatever the circumstances beyond our control, our commitments and standards can be constant.

Sometimes our commitments will surface at unexpected times and be applied in unexpected circumstances. Sometimes the principles we have taught to others come back to guide our own actions when we think we don’t need them anymore. ..

Life has some strange turns. .. Faith and trust in the Lord give us the strength to accept and persist, whatever happens in our lives. .. Do not rely on planning every event of your life even every important event. Stand ready to accept the Lord’s planning and the agency of others in matters that inevitably affect you. Plan, of course, but fix your planning on personal commitments that will carry you through no matter what happens. Anchor your life to eternal principles, and act upon those principles whatever the circumstances and whatever the actions of others. Then you can await the Lord’s timing and be sure of the outcome in eternity.

The most important principle of timing is to take the long view. Mortality is just a small slice of eternity, but how we conduct ourselves here—what we become by our actions and desires, confirmed by our covenants and the ordinances administered to us by proper authority—will shape our destiny for all eternity. As the prophet Amulek taught, “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (Alma 34:32). That reality should help us take the long view—the timing of eternity."

If you would like to read or watch the devotional either now or in your free time, here's the link below.
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/dallin-h-oaks/timing/

Stay Tuned until next time.