Noah

When we are prepared we shall not fear and our hard times will be moments of rejoicing, for God always keeps his promises when we do our part.

Last night I was talking with someone and heard the popular saying "when it rains it pours". For some reason in my head I instantly thought, "yeah, just ask Noah". As I thought more about that I realized how well he learned that lesson and prepared for the times of torrential rains. We often talk about how Noah started building the ark when there wasn't a cloud in the sky and was mocked for it. Yet in the end it was a good thing he got a head start on the job, for when the rains came and then poured I can only imagine the peace and confidence he felt as he loaded his family into the safety of his gopher wood ark.

Today I think that we all have similar experiences in a way. We have the "good times" in life and then we have the "floods" of trials in life. What I want to do better is to prepare for those floods. I want to start my ark now rather then later so that when hardship comes my way I too can fill that peace as Noah did and figuratively get into my "ark" of testimony, trust in the Lord, hope, faith, and a solid relationship with God through months of daily meaningful and personal prayer. Only then can we say to ourselves "come what may and love it". May we all follow the adage quoted by President Monson this last conference, "When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past." May we do as President Eyring suggested and draw courage from being prepared. When we do so we will be far more prepared for the rains of life and will be able to grow and even enjoy those moments of hardships in our lives for we, like Noah, will be able to step confidently into our own arks prepared in the Lord's way.