Ether 2: 16-25

 

How has the Lord prepared you to cross your "great deep"?

"16 And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water.

17 And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish.

18 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.

19 And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.

20 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.

21 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded.

22 And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?

23 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.

24 For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.

25 And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" (Ether 2: 16-25)

And here's the commentary entitled: "The Lord will prepare me to cross my “great deep.” : 

"Sometimes, crossing the “great deep” is the only way to fulfill God’s will for us. Do you see similarities to your life in Ether 2:16–25? How has the Lord prepared you for your challenges? What is He asking you to do now to prepare for what He needs you to do in the future?

See also L. Todd Budge, “Consistent and Resilient Trust,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2019, 47–49."

The Lord has indeed prepared me for my own challenges. I've been prepared for my work now as a teacher in Nursery because the Lord inspired to take Caregiving Training 19 years ago. I've been able to easily do my caring work for my 2-3-year-old students because of this training. My stiff neck challenge also prepared me for this work. Started doing yoga for the neck, shoulders, and back because it's recommended by my nephew (who is in the medical school) when I consulted him to get my stiff neck healed. Yoga did heal my neck and from then one I've been doing it often until I stopped. And then because of the training I'm going through at the moment, I decided to get back to doing yoga again. In addition to my Caregiving Training, Yoga has been helping with my energy because it's making me more conscious of my posture so that I'm keeping my good posture while doing my movements. It's making me breath more deeply as well so all parts of my body is getting the nutrients that they need more than ever before. That's why I'm feeling I have more energy. My body is indeed stronger now more than ever before. The movements I am doing as I care for my students are just additional exercises that help to keep my body strong and healthy. More walking to get to the Nursery building and back to the main school campus plus all the caring movements caused a one-inch-decrease in my waistline measurement. Everything is indeed happening for my own good. The Lord has a hand in everything. He knew exactly what I needed to be prepared for my challenges and He would tell me in my mind and in my heart what to do way ahead of time through His Spirit. I'm so grateful that I was able to listen and follow that prompting from the Spirit to move forward with that decision to take Caregiving Training. My fellow teachers who don't have this training are having a hard time with the physical movements it takes to care for our very young students. On the other hand, all my physical movements are giving me more energy and strength because I'm doing them properly according to my training. How abundantly blessed I am indeed! I wish to be able to share my secret to having more energy with my fellow nursery teachers especially if given the opportunity...