Hitting a curve ball

Baseball pitchers throw curve balls because they are hard to hit - the ball "drops" just before it gets to the batter and the batter is robbed of that satisfying "crack" which sends the ball sailing out into the stands. Instead there is a mightily embarrasing "swish". Sometimes the batter even loses his balance a little bit after swinging. It's funny. Watch.

The secret to hitting a curve ball is to wait to swing until you see the curve. Hank Aaron said, "I can wait on the curve ball because I know the pitcher can't throw the fastball by me."

I was thrown a curve ball today. I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen, and it didn't happen that way at all. It is all okay in the end, and I didn't lose my balance in any embarrassing way. I have been given an opportunity to forge new friendships, learn new skills, love and serve new people, and conquer new challenges. Instead of working in the Relief Society, I will be the Copperfield Ward primary secretary for the next while.

I learned a valuable lesson today. Wait. Wait for all the facts before you have everything all cut and dried inside your head. And while you're waiting, hush. Just wait and see, and for pete's sake, hush.

I was listening to my Hymns cd in the car on the way home from the church today, and these words especially struck deep into my heart:

In ev’ry condition—in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,
At home or abroad, on the land or the sea—
As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand,
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.

 

Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

 

(How Firm a Foundation, Hymns, #85, verses 2 and 3, bold italics added by me.)

 

It will be good. I'm going to hit this one out of the park.