A high school student learned a valuable lesson as he took a college entrance exam a few months ago. The night before the test, he read through the instructions he had received. He verified the time the exam would start. He sharpened his pencils. He put his calculator in his backpack. He felt ready for the early-morning test.
The next day, as the test began, the teacher invited the students to use their calculators on the math section. The young man pulled his calculator out and pressed the power button. But the screen remained blank. He tried again. Nothing. And then the shocking reality hit—the batteries were dead, and he had no replacements! He would need to do the math section the old-fashioned way—with paper and pencil.
He learned something that day—and it had nothing to do with math, science, or reading comprehension. He learned about the value of preparation. He thought he was prepared, but when the crucial moment came, he faced a problem he had not anticipated. He learned that sometimes being prepared means foreseeing the unforeseen.
Most of us have found ourselves in similar circumstances. We feel comfortable about our lives until a disaster or misfortune makes food, fuel, or resources hard to come by. And it’s not only tragedies that require our preparation—sometimes an opportunity arises, and we find that our lack of preparation may have closed doors and limited our future.
So how do we prepare? By focusing on things of greatest worth. By placing more value in people than in things. By reading and pondering words that strengthen us spiritually. By taking care of our emotional and physical well-being, living within our means, and enriching our minds through lifelong learning. All this and more will bolster our ability to get through the challenges and seize the opportunities.
The rain falls—and the sun shines—on all of us to varying degrees throughout our life.1 Now is the time to think carefully about the future and how to create our best life. Now is the time to prepare.
-Lloyd D. Newell
1. See Matthew 5:45.
May 1, 2016
Broadcast Number 4,520
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductors
Mack Wilberg
Ryan Murphy
Organist
Richard Elliott
Host
Lloyd Newell
Let All the World in Every Corner Sing
Ryan Murphy
I Will Follow God’s Plan
Vanja Y. Watkins; arr. Nathan Hofheins
Toccata
Georgi Mushel
O Light of Life!
Mack Wilberg
Tonight, from West Side Story
Leonard Bernstein; arr. Sam Cardon
Praise the Lord! His Glories Show
Robert Williams; arr. Mack Wilberg