Here is a thought for your Friday. We often look at the weekend as a time for relaxing, a release from the pressure of the work week. But sometimes the weekend is more stressful than the week is. When we have families with special challenges, or callings at church that make us want to hide under the pews, our weekend can be far from relaxing. At times like this I need to be reminded that the challenges I face are all for a purpose. They are shaping and stretching my soul.
When I was at BYU Idaho, back when they called it Ricks, I had an amazing professor who loved this quote. He had us memorize it. And so I present it to you today for some food for thought. Because we aren’t in this adventure called life for the short term, we are in it for spiritual blessings that the long haul will bring. And our Father in Heaven has more in mind for us than we can ever imagine. If you are facing a weekend of challenges, just remember this is a time for strengthening your Timber.
Good Timber
by Douglas Malloch
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
To read more of Patty’s articles, click here.
Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.
About Patty Sampson
Patty thrives on all things creative. You’ll often find her in the garden pretending she is a suburban farmer. She loves meeting new people, and is devoted to her friends and family. In her heart she is a Midwesterner even though life has moved her all over the country. She believes in “blooming where you’re planted” and has found purpose in every place she has been. She has a deep and abiding love for the Savior and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And she loves editing LDS Blogs because it is a constant spiritual uplift. Not many people can say their job builds their witness of the Savior.
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