Patience, Grasshopper
Walking into the office the other day I noticed something. We have a spot on the main floor just inside the employees-only-beyond-this-point doors where a poster is frequently displayed. The poster rotates from time to time as it advertises things like upcoming employee events, training classes and other assorted items. On this particular occasion the poster was a teaser for some announcements that were going to be made.
Once a year every employee is asked to participate in an employee satisfaction survey. I'm sure many, if not all, of my fellow Corporate Americans have participated in a similar survey. What I've noticed throughout the years is that the larger a corporation, the longer it takes to digest the results of the survey and come up with a plan based on that feedback. It turned out to be no different in this case as we had taken the survey several months ago and only now were we about to find out the results. The creators of the poster no doubt understood the length of this process and demonstrated their empathy by using the following tag line as the teaser: "Good things come to those who wait."
Now there's a phrase we've all heard a lot. We humans have a tendency to want to distill our knowledge and understanding into small phrases like that. It helps us keep better track of important things. Short phrases are easier to remember and we can file them away for later use. Parents, in particular, have an entire arsenal of such sayings: "If you keep making that face it will freeze like that." "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." "I brought you into this world and I can take you right back out." In fact, we hear these little sayings so often that we don't usually venture much farther than their surface to look for meaning. But for some reason this phrase on the poster that day made me pause and think.
As a software developer something that is at the forefront of my mind at all times is context. In order to understand something you have to put it in context. For example, if someone asks you to define the word "red" you need to know if they are talking about the color or the past tense of the verb to read. Life is all about context and comparison. So in order to understand how good things come to those who wait I needed to put it in context.
My 1st grader is learning about the concept of compare and contrast and I thought I'd employ that same strategy. Find something that compares and something that contrasts. For comparison we have another saying: "Patience is a virtue". For contrast: "Opportunity only knocks once.". On the one hand we are being told that there is value in waiting and being patient. On the other hand we're being told that we need to seize opportunities without hesitation. So which is it.
The answer is both. And neither. If that confuses you, remember that you have to put it in context. There are situations where patience is called for and situations where you need to carpe the heck out of a particular diem. The trick is knowing which is which. For help with that we can turn to the scriptures.
In the 4th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants we see this principle at work. In verse 4 we are told that "the field is white, already to harvest". That would suggest we need to act soon or risk missing an opportunity. However verse 6 counsels us to "remember...patience". So how do we patiently act quickly? The key lies in understanding that patience is not simply passively waiting. It is recognizing that we are not in control of the timeline, the Lord is.
In the Book of Mormon we learn that the prophet Alma waited for a long time before his son Alma repented, but he was not just biding his time. He was actively praying and working to bring his son back to the Gospel. For those of us struggling with a righteous desire that has not yet been granted there is a quote from Elder Jeffery R Holland that will help: "We must constantly remind ourselves that He is God and we are not." He knows what each person needs and when they need it. If we stay faithful and obedient the blessings will come at the right time.
Good things come to those who wait, but better things come to those who wait on the Lord.
Once a year every employee is asked to participate in an employee satisfaction survey. I'm sure many, if not all, of my fellow Corporate Americans have participated in a similar survey. What I've noticed throughout the years is that the larger a corporation, the longer it takes to digest the results of the survey and come up with a plan based on that feedback. It turned out to be no different in this case as we had taken the survey several months ago and only now were we about to find out the results. The creators of the poster no doubt understood the length of this process and demonstrated their empathy by using the following tag line as the teaser: "Good things come to those who wait."
Now there's a phrase we've all heard a lot. We humans have a tendency to want to distill our knowledge and understanding into small phrases like that. It helps us keep better track of important things. Short phrases are easier to remember and we can file them away for later use. Parents, in particular, have an entire arsenal of such sayings: "If you keep making that face it will freeze like that." "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." "I brought you into this world and I can take you right back out." In fact, we hear these little sayings so often that we don't usually venture much farther than their surface to look for meaning. But for some reason this phrase on the poster that day made me pause and think.
As a software developer something that is at the forefront of my mind at all times is context. In order to understand something you have to put it in context. For example, if someone asks you to define the word "red" you need to know if they are talking about the color or the past tense of the verb to read. Life is all about context and comparison. So in order to understand how good things come to those who wait I needed to put it in context.
My 1st grader is learning about the concept of compare and contrast and I thought I'd employ that same strategy. Find something that compares and something that contrasts. For comparison we have another saying: "Patience is a virtue". For contrast: "Opportunity only knocks once.". On the one hand we are being told that there is value in waiting and being patient. On the other hand we're being told that we need to seize opportunities without hesitation. So which is it.
The answer is both. And neither. If that confuses you, remember that you have to put it in context. There are situations where patience is called for and situations where you need to carpe the heck out of a particular diem. The trick is knowing which is which. For help with that we can turn to the scriptures.
In the 4th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants we see this principle at work. In verse 4 we are told that "the field is white, already to harvest". That would suggest we need to act soon or risk missing an opportunity. However verse 6 counsels us to "remember...patience". So how do we patiently act quickly? The key lies in understanding that patience is not simply passively waiting. It is recognizing that we are not in control of the timeline, the Lord is.
In the Book of Mormon we learn that the prophet Alma waited for a long time before his son Alma repented, but he was not just biding his time. He was actively praying and working to bring his son back to the Gospel. For those of us struggling with a righteous desire that has not yet been granted there is a quote from Elder Jeffery R Holland that will help: "We must constantly remind ourselves that He is God and we are not." He knows what each person needs and when they need it. If we stay faithful and obedient the blessings will come at the right time.
Good things come to those who wait, but better things come to those who wait on the Lord.
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