Digital Only: Young Adults
The Lord’s Timing Really Is Better Than Ours
The Lord showed me that it’s sometimes in the process of waiting that we’re able to experience the greatest growth.
Have you ever been stuck, wondering whether you should move forward with your life or wait for the Lord to put things in place for you? If so, welcome to my world. But one experience helped me get unstuck as I trusted in the Lord.
A Shining Opportunity
During my first year of college, my professor mentioned a job opportunity for a copyediting position at the school. Having recently discovered my passion for editing, I wanted this job—badly. But I decided to wait and apply when I wasn’t taking classes.
When I went to apply that winter, I was disappointed to find that the team was no longer hiring for the position. I figured I had waited too long and missed my chance. Yet I still had this nagging feeling that I was supposed to have that job. I wondered why things hadn’t worked out when Heavenly Father seemed to be encouraging me toward it. Had I not acted soon enough?
The Lord’s Preparations
As I pondered the ways Heavenly Father helps me receive revelation, I realized that not receiving this job could have been a blessing to allow me to become more than I was before. Perhaps I needed to learn more before I was ready.
I decided to work on developing my skills, and although I was worried about postponing my application for the next few semesters, the Spirit assured me it was the right decision.
As I waited for the job to open again, I learned more about what editors do and strengthened my understanding of the English language. I gained confidence in my editing abilities and even picked up some other skills. Turns out, I needed all these skills before I would be seriously considered for the job.
Looking back, I know the Lord directed me during this time to help me develop the skills I needed to become a better editor. If I hadn’t felt prompted to seek the job in the first place, I might not have put so much effort into becoming a better editor.
The Lord said to Abraham:
“Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
“And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise” (Hebrews 6:14–15).
The Lord has multiplied me. When I applied for the job again, I presented an updated résumé noting all the new skills I had gained and was hired within the week. In the end, the Lord knew more than I did about when I would be ready for this job.
His Timing Is Perfect
The Lord needed me to be in the right place at the right time with the right combination of skills and knowledge to bless me with what I desired. Elder J. Devn Cornish, an emeritus General Authority Seventy, taught: “He knows each of us individually, and He loves us, every one. He wants to bless us.”1
If I had known when I didn’t get the job in the first place that I just needed to “rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7), I might have noticed sooner that the Lord was helping me shape myself into a more competent editor.
Eventually the timing was right. And when I got the job, I absolutely loved it. I found new friends in my team members, and we grew to trust one another’s judgment and help one another both at work and in life in general. I was so grateful for the growth Heavenly Father encouraged me to experience beforehand. Without it, I wouldn’t have been ready for this job!
“No” Might Mean “Not Yet”
President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, taught: “The Lord’s timing … applies to the important events of our personal lives. A great scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants declares that a particular spiritual experience will come to us ‘in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will’ [Doctrine and Covenants 88:68]. This principle applies to revelation … and to all of the most important events in our lives: birth, marriage, death, and even our moves from place to place.”2 Regardless of what we are waiting for, we can trust Heavenly Father’s timing and continue forward in faith.
Don’t give up on achieving the blessings you righteously desire, and don’t become restless if they aren’t coming as quickly as you expected. Instead, keep inching your way forward on the covenant path, collecting skills, confidence, and connections along the way. Consider what Heavenly Father may be wanting to teach you or how He is helping you grow as you wait for the blessings you seek.
If you’re continually stepping toward your goals and you have faith in the Lord’s timing, you’re on the right track. And one day, when you witness certain blessings in your life, you may find that when you thought the universe was telling you “No,” it may have just been Heavenly Father telling you “Not yet.”