Opposition

This past week started out great.  I have been putting together the latest edition of my extended family newsletter, and was all set to have copied off on Monday and then in the mail by Tuesday or Wednesday.  Alas, my schedule on Monday did not permit me to make it to the my favorite copy venue until just before it closed,  so I waited until Tuesday to pick up the copies.  That afternoon I was struck by some sort of nasty, messy and somewhat painful flu bug, so after work I went home and straight to bed for 12 hours, only taking enough time out to throw some chicken breasts in the oven for the rest of the family.   I chose to sip on some warm apple cider instead.  Wednesday I felt a bit better, but not very energetic, so after work I went and visited the local Cub Scout pack meeting, then went back to bed with a book.  I finally got all most of the newsletters into addressed envelopes on Thursday evening and Friday morning while waiting at DD1’s  regularly scheduled Doctor’s appointment, and was set to mail them on my way into work.  Alas, when we returned to the car after the appointment, we encountered a flat tire.  Sigh.  As indicated in yesterday's post, DH was kind enough to come and rescue us with the air compressor to inflate the tire and then rush off to work, but by then I was almost late to work too, so the letters did not get mailed to my loving family until Saturday, nearly a week later than planned.

 So, am I gratefully for opposition?  Stomach aches and flat tires?  Not particularly, but supposedly they have helped to make me a better/stronger person?   More patient and compassionate for others when they are ill?  Protection from some other form of danger, physical or spiritual?  Who knows.  I do know that we were all meant to experience opposition, so that we can learn the good from the evil and the joy from sorrow, and from the pain.   And so we can appreciate health.  I have also been personally promised*  that if I do my best, I  will not be kept from doing much good in this world.   

 

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.

2 Nephi 2:11


* In my patriarchal blessing.