Looking Up

I will admit that taking 16.5 credits and holding down two jobs this semester has been eating me alive. So much to do, and not enough time to do it (hence the lack of posting on this blog--I take all the sleep I can get).

Sometimes the fact that I can't physically accomplish everything I need/want to do is discouraging, and despite my efforts, my spirits get bogged down every so often. So this morning before I went to class I listened to Elder Carl B. Cook's talk from this last conference entitled, "It Is Better to Look Up." A certain passage particularly resonated with me:

Experience has taught me that if we, like President Monson, exercise our faith and look to God for help, we will not be overwhelmed with the burdens of life. We will not feel incapable of doing what we are called to do or need to do. We will be strengthened, and our lives will be filled with peace and joy.³ We will come to realize that most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance—and if it is, the Lord will help us. But we must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction.

So after reading this, I mustered my courage, said a prayer, and walked out to face the day.

This afternoon I was trudging home through the rain to take a nap; it was one of those interesting weather situations when it's raining and the sun is shining at the same time. Out from under my umbrella something off to the side caught my eye; I turned and looked up to see a perfect rainbow arching across the sky. Suddenly it was a beautiful day. I was grateful to the Lord for giving me that gift "to please the eye and gladden the heart"(D&C 59:18).

Truly, "it is better to look up."

Photo credit: jan.gosmann on flickr