Advantages of Getting Older

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Yes, there really are advantages to getting older. 

• I've lived long enough to see consequences of actions. Things that seemed to be bad at the moment have turned out to be good in the long run. For example, my poor health has helped my husband become very loving and supportive.

• I've learned whose advice I can follow. I've come to respect my husband's advice. I saw the counsel of the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints come true. They counseled for years to get out of debt, live within your means, avoid Home Equity Loans, and store food and necessities. Those that followed this advice were all right when the "Down-Turn" came. 

• I've learned not to worry if children do immature things. They are learning. Have faith in them. Give them time, love, a good example, good principles, lots of encouragement, and trust God to make up the difference. Children usually become great adults because of, and in spite of, our efforts as parents.

Faith in Future Blessings

I have always loved the story of Joseph being sold into Egypt. Even after his older brothers sell him into Egypt, he doesn't become bitter. He keeps trying to do his best and never loses faith in his Heavenly Father. Eventually, he becomes a ruler in Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh, forgives his brothers, and saves his entire family from starvation. (This picture shows Jacob, Joseph's father, before he dies blessing Joseph while his brothers watch.) Even though he was sold into slavery and thrown into a dungeon, he did not give up hope. In time, the Lord turned all the seeming detours into great blessings. 

I could not see the future blessings when we moved last May, and had to leave all our children and grandchildren. I couldn't see that our move would really be the answer to my deepest prayers. We especially wanted to help our youngest daughter with their baby, but we felt it was right to move, so we did. Now, instead of having to drive an hour battling the congested big city freeway traffic, sometimes icy roads, and pollution to visit them, they will be living just five minutes away from us. The Lord surely moves in mysterious ways. We never expected that they would move here, or that our prayers would be answered in this way. I could never have foreseen that moving four hours away would result in the opportunity to live close by each other and give the support we wanted, and they needed. I'm learning more and more to be like Joseph and trust the Lord's far greater wisdom. 

Feeling Loved when ill

Shortly after we were married, my health began to deteriorate and so did my self esteem. I had grown up being taught that my value was dependent on making others happy and now here I was barely able to move. I felt like a failure as a wife, mother, and church member. Though I had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a few years before and been taught that I was a daughter of God, I didn’t feel that anyone could love me – even God.

At first I desperately plead with the Lord to heal me. I even tried to bargain with the Him, promising all the things I would do, if He would only heal me. I felt I couldn’t be happy and be a worthwhile person unless I had the health to enable me to do things for others.

I read the scriptures and prayed alot. As I read scriptures, I came to see the Lord’s love for His people and His patience with their weaknesses. In story after story I saw the Lord guiding his people’s progress by allowing them to have difficult experiences. As I prayed about this, I began to understand that Heavenly Father’s love was always there– I was just shutting it out.

I started to look at my experiences from another point of view. I related my feelings as a mother to helping me  understand Heavenly Father’s love. Often I had to tell my children that they couldn’t do something or have something and they would reply, “You don’t love me!” The Spirit helped me to see that this is what I had been doing. I had felt that God loved me only if he gave me what I wanted–NOW! Like a young child, I had been demanding, sulking, and feeling unloved when I didn’t get what I wanted.