Time and Eternity

People who know me know that I absolutely love my Family. People who know my family know that they are the bomb (seriously...best family ever). I've got two top-notch parents and two amazing brothers and three fantastic sisters (plus all of their stellar spouses). There's about a four year gap between the first four and my brother and me. I'm the youngest of the family. My brother, Brett, and I are only two years apart and we are super close. Best friends. We've played basketball together, had life-changing experiences together (see my post: A Refining Experience), gotten Slurpees together, listened to tunes together, played pool together, and everything in between. What can I say...he's a good egg. I'm way close with every single one of my siblings but Brett and I have simply been through a lot together.

This past Saturday my brother, Brett, was married to a gem of a lady, Robyn, in the Spokane Washington Temple. My whole family was gathered together to celebrate the great event...except for me. I was here, in Dillon, Montana as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I am as happy as can be! Why am I so happy if I missed out on the wedding of a life-time? Because I know that I am where I need to be.

RobynBig. Happy. Huzzah!

Spokane Washington Temple

It has always been a desire of mine to attend Brett's wedding and when I first came on my mission a fear of mine was...what if Brett gets married while I am away? I really wanted to be there! But as I have served the Lord I have come closer to Him. I have been able to develop more faith and understanding in the way that He does things. We need to remember when the Lord said, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). Christ knows that timing is everything and let me tell ya...he's got it down to a "T". But sometimes...we think that we know more than He does. No good! True faith in God is to trust in Him AND His timing. When we allow our will to align with His, miracles happen.

It is God's will that Brett and Robyn are sealed for time and eternity and on September 24th, 2011 that happened. I know that he and his wife are now married forever. Not just until death. Their marriage is eternal. In a holy house of the Lord (the Spokane Washington Temple), they made an eternal convenant (or promise) with God. That is so happy and good! Eternal marriage means everything to the Lord. "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Here is a great video about eternal marriage and the blessings from it.

This is why I am as happy as can be even though I just missed out on my brother's wedding. I know that the wedding happened in the time that it needed to happen. I also know that I have my own obligations to attend to here in Dillon. I am needed here. My family is needed there. But the beauty of it all is that God is everywhere and He is looking out for each and every one of us. He takes care of everything in His own way and in His own time. I would have loved to be at the wedding...but I don't want to be anywhere but right here, right now.

God is eternal and He has it all figured out. I know that I am where He needs me to be and I know that Brett and Robyn Lee are where they need to be. And we are happy.