“… but if ye are prepared…”

Posted by Frances | June 11, 2009 | 18 Comments

To give a little context for the story I am about to tell, I would like to set the stage with some background information, as well as one statement of absolute fact.

Fact first.

I hate lessons on preparedness. I hate Family Home Evening or Enrichment activities that involve putting together survival kits of any kind. My food storage is a box of fruit snacks in the bottom drawer of my desk at work, and a few stray Skittles in my purse. I would rather use the extra space in my house for shoes than for enough water to last through the Apocalypse. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but knowing I shouldn’t makes me feel this way even more. This is a fact.

And now, some background.

About a month ago, I decided to move to Washington, D.C. I knew in my heart of hearts, that place where you know things are true even when you don’t want them to be, that it was time for me to leave my (wonderful, by the way) life in Salt Lake and try something new. (As it happens, that was also a fact. What a truth-teller I am!)

I also knew in my heart of hearts that this uprooting and leaving behind and starting over was going to be hard. Really hard. Cry all the way from Cheyenne to Denver hard. And I was scared.

And now, the story.

A couple weeks before I packed my life into the back of my car and drove away from Zion (open cheek, insert tongue), I took a trip to Turkey. You know, nothing like an international vacation to take the edge off a cross-country move. (Maybe if I paid more heed to preparedness this sort of thing wouldn’t happen to me, but we’re not going there.) Despite the call of beautiful mosques, warm beaches and endless kebabs, the only thing I could really think about was this: Could I do it? On my own? Was I ready to start over? On my own? Would I survive? Alone?

(Also I was thinking: Is it too late to just change my mind and bag the whole thing?)

This is what I thought as my flight took off for Paris. Only my flight didn’t go to Paris. Not right away, at least. Instead we were diverted to Montreal due to a medical emergency on board. (It was a good one, too. Seizure! Cardiac arrest! Large group of doctors on board en route to medical volunteer mission in Romania! Life saving procedures performed!) The good news was, we all got extra snacks for our trouble. The bad news was, the delay caused me to miss my Parisian rendezvous with my travel companion, who was flying in from another city, and I was now faced with the prospect of arriving in Istanbul alone. In the middle of the night. Alone.

The only thing I could really think about was this: Could I do it? On my own? Was I ready to go forward? On my own? Would I survive? Alone?

(Also I was thinking: Is it too late to just change my mind and bag the whole thing?)

And then, quite suddenly, I had one of those “enlighten your understanding” experiences.

First, this scripture came into my mind: “… but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”

Second, I realized that this small challenge was preparing me for the bigger challenge that loomed ahead. If I could survive one difficult thing on my own, I could survive another.

Third, I came to understand that this call to be prepared is not an arbitrary directive designed to fill basements with wheat and hearts with guilt, nor is it simply a commandment we are responsible for carrying out alone. Beyond all that, it is a covenant and promise from a loving Heavenly Father who wants nothing more than to see us overcome and succeed.

As we prepare ourselves, the Spirit whispered, the Lord goes about quietly preparing us as well, preparing us for those things we cannot see and those things we believe we cannot bear.

We shall not fear because our ultimate preparation is in the hands of God.

I made it to Istanbul safely. On my own. I made it to Washington, D.C. safely. On my own. I made it because I wasn’t really on my own at all.

As for my food storage. Well. One thing at a time, my friends. One thing at a time.

Comments

18 Responses to ““… but if ye are prepared…””

FoxyJ
June 11th, 2009 @ 1:18 pm

This is just what I needed to hear. I dropped out of grad school this week, and tomorrow we’re moving to another state. And I just found out I’m pregnant. So even those these are good changes that I know are right, I’m still scared. Thanks for reminding me that I don’t have to be. Now I’d better go pack my house…
Strollerblader
June 11th, 2009 @ 1:37 pm

I just love this paragraph:
“As we prepare ourselves, the Spirit whispered, the Lord goes about quietly preparing us as well, preparing us for those things we cannot see and those things we believe we cannot bear.”

I’ve always hated it when people will look at someone else’s trials and say something like, “It’s good that *she’s* the one that got that trial. I could never handle it.” Well, duh, I’m sure she didn’t think she could handle it either. It’s not like you get a choice!

A great essay and very timely for me, too.
Heather O.
June 11th, 2009 @ 2:54 pm

I’ve got some wheat you can have .
courtney
June 11th, 2009 @ 3:05 pm

Thank you for this excellent post. We are in the process of moving from Utah to D.C. as well, and this was such a wonderful, lovely post that I really needed to read.
QueenScarlett
June 11th, 2009 @ 3:50 pm

This reminds me of my fav scripture Phil 4:13. It’s fantastic.

You’re right… we’re not ever really alone. Thank you.
Tay
June 11th, 2009 @ 5:01 pm

Your story was definitely a fantastic example of the Lord helping us prepare for bigger things. Good luck!
Katherine Rollins
June 11th, 2009 @ 5:42 pm

We have 8 children, and have had to move many times. We have spent countless hours in airports, waiting for the inevitable delayed flight. But with children, I had to learn to prepare myself and them for the possible and probable waits. We always take food with us. We always are glad we did.
I like knowing that there is food in the basement. It doesn’t matter how many shoes you have if you are hungry. We live on last year’s food prices. We grow a garden and preserve what we can. I thank the Lord, because He helps us to be prepared, so I don’t have to worry about hungry children.
jendoop
June 11th, 2009 @ 6:31 pm

This is so true and you expressed it well, really getting to the heart of preparedness.

It makes me think about spiritual laws and temporal laws and how all things are spiritual to the Lord, even temporal things like wheat (((shudder))). You gained an insight into the spiritual side of the law, taking a step closer to that nifty food storage shelf that dispenses the oldest cans of creamed corn first.

(I shuddered even though we have buckets of wheat. But no grinder. If the apocalypse comes we’ll be gnawing away at that wheat until the second coming.)
Melissa M.
June 11th, 2009 @ 11:05 pm

Frances, I loved this post—it made me smile. You are a witty and thought-provoking writer. I wish you all the best in your new adventure.
And I am going to buy some more food storage.:)
Maralise
June 12th, 2009 @ 12:08 am

I’m with you Francis. My food storage consists of the canned food I brought with me from the States, none of which my youngest allergic-to-many-things child can eat, all of which can fit in (and not fill up) a small European-sized cupboard. I’m a fan of the one-thing-at-a-time philosophy and am currently working on my ….hmmmm….ummmm….procrastination preparedness? Yeah…that’s it.

Thanks Francis for this post. I loved it.
Jenny
June 12th, 2009 @ 6:48 am

Lovely, Frances.
The Lord prepares us for many things. Do we listen? I’m working on paying heed to the promptings that come.
Red
June 12th, 2009 @ 7:33 am

I’ve always kind of made fun of food storage “fanatics” and smugly embraced the belief that spiritual preparedness is more important than actual, physical food storage.

Which I still think is true: relying spiritually on the Lord and being open to His counsel and guidance is the best form of preparedness.

But after we moved into this home a couple years ago, I started getting the feeling that it was time to do food storage. So I gathered extra cans and boxes of the food that we normally eat and stocked my basement.

THEN MY HUSBAND GOT LAID OFF. It was like an Ensign article or something: timely food storage, thanks to a little spiritual prodding from the Lord. Thankfully, he got a job before the food storage was gone. But now I feel less smug and more grateful for a church organization where an “it’s time” whispering translates to practical, full cupboard. Would it have been so easy if I hadn’t sat through countless food storage classes as a young adult? I doubt it. Preparedness blessings all around.
Anon for once
June 12th, 2009 @ 8:17 am

Preparedeness comes in many forms doesn’t it. Right now we are living off food storage and savings as hy husband is not working. If we had to we could probably survive for nearly a year until it all runs out. I am glad beyond description that this is the case.

However we can also ride other storms if we are spiritually and emotionally prepared. In a couple of weeks we will be having a life changing experience happening in our family, one I thought would never come and that has surprised both of us. It is ahead, we know the date and we are praying we will be ready for it. It will affect our whole family for a few years and we pray that they are ready to accept the changes too.

We never know what is around the corner or how we will cope with something. I see putting one spiritual foot in front of another every day as the most important type of preparation as we never know when we will be asked to run the marathon.
Merry Michelle
June 12th, 2009 @ 11:39 am

Wonderful post!
I think it may be the Eastern European blood in me, but to me food = peace of mind. If my fridge is bulging and my pantry is stuffed, I am wealthy. And no one can walk into my house without being fed something. There is some sort of cosmic connection to breaking bread and peace for me. Ironically, I believe that one reason we have food storage is so we can share with each other when food runs out. It bothers me that some feel it’s necessary to buy guns to “protect” their food storage. Is it really theirs?
m&m
June 12th, 2009 @ 12:11 pm

Beyond all that, it is a covenant and promise from a loving Heavenly Father who wants nothing more than to see us overcome and succeed.

You ARE a truth-teller. This part hit me particularly hard. That and:

As we prepare ourselves, the Spirit whispered, the Lord goes about quietly preparing us as well, preparing us for those things we cannot see and those things we believe we cannot bear.

Whew.

I’m feeling sad that you moved before I got to have that cake with you, though.

I hope you love the East coast. I sure did.

p.s. FoxyJ! Hugs to you! (Whew — that’s a lot all at once.)
Suvi
June 13th, 2009 @ 10:33 am

Lovely post, yet again frances! Glad you are a regular now

I’m glad you brought up this principle of preparedness… I’m in a place right now where I feel that whisper of the Spirit telling me it is time to prepare, although for what I am not sure. I just finished school and am trying to find a job, so I have this down time where I am looking for a job, which is frustrating, but also feels like a huge blessing of time to get my spiritual house in order. Oh dear, i hope that doesn’t mean I’m going to die. I’m hoping that I’m preparing for marriage or some fantastic, world-changing job. But only the Lord knows what it is He is preparing me for.
Nan
June 13th, 2009 @ 12:36 pm

Welcome to the big time!! And what a great post to start off with too! Well said and much appreciated. Love You!
Leslie
June 13th, 2009 @ 6:05 pm

great lessons frances- thank you for your post. I love you thoughts on why we are taught these things because he wants us to overcome and succeed- Amen!