Better late than never!
I went to Provo last weekend! :)
And I saw my girls.
We went to the Gonzaga vs. BYU basketball game. AND it was AMAZING!
Now I have two main life metaphors, [in typical Michelle form] but before you judge too harshly, remember that I had 8+ hours of lonely drive time in which to think about them [You know... during the short time that I wasn't singing my heart out].
Metaphor #1: "Trials are Raisins??? What?? I Was Sure They Were Bran..."
Gonzaga beat BYU by 5 points.
BUT it was the most amazing and exciting game because Gonzaga is ranked first in the nation and BYU isn't even ranked this year. (Why did you leave us, Jimmer??) The score didn't even matter!
They were tied in the last two minutes and the entire crowd was on their feet screaming. The excitement was paramount!
Why? Because it was a challenge.
The game would have been awfully boring if Gonzaga had just slammed BYU and had an easy win, and vice versa. Games are not exciting if there is no challenge.
Thus we have our metaphor. Opposition.
This life would not be worth living if it was a free ride, if no challenge ever got in our way, if everything was easy. We wouldn't be able to enjoy the high times if we didn't have the low times. Plus, the low times are when we tend to learn the most.
Apparently our trials are blessings. What the heck is that about? :)
It's like our Father wants us to learn and grow and enjoy life or something like that.
Life Metaphor #2: Windshield Wipers in a Rainy World
[Can't you just hear the cliches already???]
The drive home on Sunday was really sketchy. It was pouring and visibility was super awful. Sometimes I literally could not see 2 car lengths in front of me. Maintaining the correct speed of my wipers became a priority. It was especially scary when someone would cut in front of me kicking up a spray of water that acted like a wall that blinded me completely for a few seconds. Passing semis was also pretty terrifying.
I came up with multiple metaphors for this. But basically, the windshield wipers are those things that we need to be constantly doing that keep us from being completely blinded and ending up in a ditch... Or worse, in North Dakota!!! [Say that like Hermione says "Or worse, expelled!]
Yep. These are the primary answers. But basically, it all comes down to enduring, to living each day with purpose and on purpose.
Sometimes a huge semi or a jerk in a Suzuki with a loud muffler will cut in front of you and make it really hard to see. This is like a trial or even something unimportant that comes into our life. It is so important to keep our windshield wipers going every single day. And not to focus on the trial, but on the Atonement and the hope it gives us to overcome and to change.
Julie B. Beck taught me something at a women's conference in Rexburg a few winters back. She said that our trials and our circumstances DO NOT define us. Not unless we let them. They are not who we are. I have never forgotten this.
And of course, anything in too large of a dose is not good. If your wipers are going too often with not enough rain, it does that loud screechy thing.... Ain't nobody got time fo' dat! We cannot just sit at home and read our scriptures and pray. We have to act on our promptings and go and do!
I know that doing these things can make the biggest difference in our lives. Sometimes, [most of the time] I am really hard on myself. I forget to count my victories and only count the things I mess up on. But I know that when we do what we can and put the rest in the Lord's hands, we will become better people and we will increase in happiness. I know that "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven." I know that we can do this and that we can succeed.
I suppose that is enough cheesy metaphor stuff. :) Remember the Raisins!
Much Love!!
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