Stop the Madness!

March is a magical time of year.  A time when Winter begins the give way to Spring.  A time when flowers begin to bloom and the morning air is filled with the songs of birds.  But more important, it's time for March Madness.  Time for filling out brackets and all-you-can-eat college basketball.  (In my opinion Selection Sunday should be declared a National Holiday).

All over the nation people everywhere take time out of their busy lives to fill out brackets.  Even people that don't gamble fill one out.  Even my wife, who sort of hates basketball, fills one out.  Everyone has their own method.  Some people spend hours breaking down match-ups and analyzing teams strengths and weaknesses.  Some people pick based on which mascot would win in a fight.  I know one person who picked for/against colleges that accepted/denied her husband's application.  And everyone is in it to win it.

Its interesting to me how much satisfaction we get when a team we picked wins a game, or how disappointed we get if they lose.  Each year there is at least one school in the tournament that I have never even heard of, but for a couple of hours I'll be their biggest fan.  Unless I picked them to lose.  It fascinates me how emotionally invested we become in what are essentially a series of random guesses.  Just ask anyone who picked Georgetown to go to the Final Four or beyond.  I'm sure they are over it now, but a few weeks ago the pain was still fresh. 

If we allow ourselves to become invested in the outcome of near-random events, just think how much more we should invest if we can control the results.  Now I know what you're thinking.  Life is unpredictable and nobody can see the end from the beginning.  Well, that's only true on the surface.  Life may seem random but it's all part of a bigger plan.  And although you may not be able to see then end, God certainly can and if we allow him to guide us we can get to where He wants us to go.

The other thing I love most about this time of year is General Conference.  What a blessing it is to be able to listen to modern day prophets and apostles who can teach us what the Lord wants us to do.  It's an incredible thing to be able to get clear direction about the things you should be doing.  If you have never watched before I would encourage you to take some time and watch one of the sessions.  The messages they share are filled with hope and love and purpose.

Every time I look at my NCAA Tournament bracket I wonder what I could have done to do better.  Maybe if I had watched more games during the season I would have a better feel for which teams would struggle.  Maybe if I'd done more research I could have picked more winners.  So many uncertainties that all you're left with is a feeling that you're not in control.

Every time I watch General Conference I have the opposite reaction.  I don't have to wonder.  No more guessing or wondering how much better my life would be if I'd made different choices.  I know with a certainty that if I follow the direction given by those speaking in Conference I can be happy because I'll be following the path God has laid out for me.

March Madness?  I'll take April Certainty over that any time.