“‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
“‘He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
“‘Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
“‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’” (Isa. 40:28–31)
The idea of walking and not being weary is a regular theme in my life. As an adult that has ADHD, saying I have varied interests with short attention spans is not an unfair observation to make. I often bite off more than I can chew and then pay the consequences for it as I struggle to keep my commitments. Unfortunately, I sometimes come up on the side of frustration or bitterness when I come up short, wondering where the promised help from the Lord is. After all, I am choosing to do good things! While this would be an ideal moment to review Elder Oak's talk on "Good, Better, Best," I want to instead turn to how to manage the "Best" once we have chosen it.
I was reading the account of Abraham giving the assignment of finding Jacob's bride and I found a pattern that I feel will help me effectively serve others within my own means.
Abraham puts his servant under covenant to find an acceptable wife for his son. He gives the basic plan to the servant but the servant has to figure out how to accomplish it. When the servant came to the well outside of the city, he prayed for guidance, outlined his idea of a plan, and the Lord brought Rebekah to the well.
First, like Abraham put his son's well-being in the hands of his servant, Heavenly Father puts the well-being of his children into my hands. I am covenanted to be the best representative of Christ on this earth that I can be.
However; when the servant got to the well, he prayed with a very specific plan that the Lord then executed. Did you notice that he stopped and drank the offered water before pursuing the plan? This is where I think my breakdown occurs. Often, I am so busy, I just do what I am asked to do in a service situation. I want the plan handed to me and when it isn't given to me, well, I launch into immediate action, doing things by the seat of my pants.
I think the lessons that are here in Genesis 24 for me are that I needed to ask the Lord if the assignment is mine to do, clarifying if it is what he wants me to spend my time on. I need to spend the effort creating a plan with him to get things done in the most efficient, loving, and effective way that does not drain me or take from my family time.
When I am running the race I need to understand the course layout and stop to drink the Gatorade!
Oaks, D. H. (2007, October). Good, better, best. Good, Better, Best. Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2007/10/good-better-best?lang=eng
