"Luck"

"He worked by day and toiled by night;
He gave up play and all delight.
Dry books he read, new things to learn,
And forged ahead, success to learn,
He plodded on with faith and pluck,
And when he won, men called it luck."

As I am preparing for my mission in the Independence Missouri Mission come February 20th, 2013, it has hit me that this is probably going to be the hardest 18 months of my life. Most rewarding as well but it is going to be hard work! I know I don't fully understand the work of a missionary quite yet, but I have been told by soooo many people these past couple months of the amazing and difficult journey it will be!

The poem above is from "Teach Ye Diligently" by Boyd K. Packer that my dad passed along to me. It talks about how throughout our lives, especially as members of the Church, we are continually teaching and it is designed to help us become better teachers, more like our Savior would teach. This poem in particular hit home to me that it is so possible to be that amazing teacher (or amazing missionary) that you envy or hear about. It requires hard work but it is so possible! Yeah, some people have been blessed with certain gifts that contribute to their success, but work is required. And to anyone that works, it can be given to them. It is not mere "luck" as we envy that "perfect person that just happens to be perfect without having to work a dime"..