“Peace and good tidings; good tidings and peace. These are among the ultimate blessings that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings to a troubled world and the troubled people who live in it, solutions to personal struggles and human sinfulness, a source of strength for days of weariness and hours of genuine despair. . . . The search for peace is one of the ultimate quests of the human soul.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland “The Peaceable Things of the Kingdom” Ensign, November 1996, p.82)
My life has been truly insane over the last four months. There are times when I could scarcely breathe as I have struggled to catch up with all my responsibilities which were pushed aside during my husband’s illness. Sunrises and sunsets passed without notice. Flowers grew and were choked out by weeds, noticed with only a passing glance and fleeting thought. My garden remained unplanted. Deadlines loomed, business opportunities presented themselves, financial woes grew and one day, a week ago, I stopped.
I simply stopped looked around and said to myself, I have to organize my life, my home and my career (or careers as the case may be.) The most important thing I could remember is that the Lord has no desire for us to live in a constant state of chaos, unrelenting pressure and sorrow. “Peace and good tidings . . .” very powerful words uttered by our Savior. There is hope to be found in the ancient words of scripture. There is peace to be found in the offering of daily prayer.
Let me explain. Eight or nine months ago I began begging my Heavenly Father for divine intervention in our finances. We were drowning and there was no other way to describe it. Then my husband became ill and things grew much, much worse. Three or four months ago an opportunity came to me and I blew it off without even checking with Heavenly Father. I prayed and prayed and prayed, begging for His divine intervention. The very same opportunity came via another source two months later and I very nearly blew that one off too, because of the vehicle in which the opportunity was being driven. But I stopped. I studied. I researched. And for the first time in months, I listened.
This opportunity was the answer to my prayers. I had been telling Heavenly Father, over and over, that I would work very hard if he would give me something that could work around my writing and my husband’s health. I know I was placing restrictions on the blessings I was asking for, nevertheless, this is what I asked. And when I asked about the presented business opportunity, the answer came very simply, “Yes.” And then my own words of the last eight months came into my mind.
So yes, peace and good tidings are indeed what the Lord will bring us if we will but stop, listen, think and act. Before we can do that, we have to get off the merry-go-round careening wildly out of control, take stock and turn to the Father.