Make time for the important

I can't believe that I spaced this.  I was supposed to post yesterday, but that didn't happen.  I could tell you about all the things that occupied my attention yesterday, but I won't.  I got busy and therein got distracted.

I recall hearing a sister speak in sacrament meeting one Sunday.  She confessed that she had been busy with so many things that she had allowed her temple attendance to slide.  I then reflected on how temple attendance is like anything else in life.  If you want to ensure what is most important to you fills your life, you need to make time for it.

I also recall attending the temple once when life was more hectic than it is now.  I had just moved after losing my job, and my neighbors decided to throw a party that kept me up well past Pumpkin Hour.  And then the next day my energetic nephew decided to be consternatingly contrary.

I needed the peace found only within the House of the Lord.  And I didn't want to wait for it.  And I also had some questions about where I was in my life at the time.  So I showered off all the grime and sweat from cleaning up my old place, put on my nicest suit, grabbed my hat, and away I went.

And I had a rather interesting and unexpected experience.

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My time in the temple

First, in my haste to hie me to the House of the Lord, I forgot some very important articles of clothing.  I realized my lapse while in the dressing room.  I put my suit back on and went back to the front area, thinking I could rent what I needed.

Instead I found myself like one of the five unwise virgins.  The temple had been recently renovated; there was now no more laundry and hence no more clothing rental.

I was quite befuddled with what to do next when my eye caught sight of the entrance to the initiatory area.  I then realized that I could still have a temple experience.  I entered the area and asked if help was needed, and of course it was.  The attendant gave me a robe and advised me to return when I had changed my clothes.

This is the part where it gets really interesting.  When I returned, the brother directing the initiatory work that evening asked whether I could stay for a half hour or an hour.  I selected an hour, to which he replied, "You are certainly an answer to our prayers this evening."  He then signaled a place for me to wait while others prepared for the work to be done.

While I waited, I thought about this brother’s comment and the context in which I received it.  I had made time for something important to me --- temple attendance --- and in pursuing that I encountered an unexpected experience that answered someone else's prayers.  I then realized something that had never before entered my mind.

What I had just experienced was an analogy to the singles life unlike any I had ever encountered.

A new question

I reflected on how my life is nothing like what I expected it to be.  I never expected to be as single as the day I came home from my mission for so long.  That part is old hat.

But what if that unexpected experience is the answer to someone's prayers?  I wasn't sure how to answer that question in part because I had never before considered it.  Still single today, I find myself entranced by its ramifications.

What if I am single because me being single is the answer to someone's prayers?

Well, it's certainly not the answer to my prayers.  I’ve been praying for the exact opposite for many years now.  I like to think that somewhere a spiritual and intelligent single LDS woman is praying that I’ll enter her life, but I don't really know if that is true.

Maybe the one whose prayers are answered is not my future companion.  Maybe it’s a couple worried about their child growing older without a spouse.  Or maybe a caring leader or even a really good friend with the same concern.  Or maybe it’s not connected at all with my companion.  Maybe it has to do with me doing something that is easier done while single.

I know the Lord has wanted me to be married for many years now.  But given that none of my past opportunities have worked out for me, perhaps the Lord is saving me for some other purpose.  Perhaps He is saying, “OK, Plans A through X didn’t work out, so while I am assembling the pieces for Plan Y, why don’t you make yourself useful doing this?”

That's a comforting thought.

When you make time for the important, you arrive where you need to be.  I still don’t have all the answers, but I know I am on my way.  And walking by faith is not bad at all.