Wait...

I just talked to one of my friends the other day.  She's a waitress at an Italian restaurant here in Marion, and we were talking about how hard she works just to get tips at the end of the day.  I've had other friends who are waiters/waitresses and I guess they get paid less than minimum wage because they make the bulk of their money on tips and such, so in order for them to make money they need to wait on other people well enough to receive a good tip.

To wait on a table is a very active job that requires a lot of patience, attention, remembrance, cleanliness, diligence, stamina, and even personality.  Likewise, the scriptures tell us constantly to "wait upon the Lord."  I think too often we feel like we need to stand around and passively wait for the Lord to do His thing before we do anything.  In reality, to "wait upon the Lord" is an active process that requires us to be diligent, obedient, faithful, service-minded, hopeful and patient.

The Lord expects us to do our part.  In modern day revelation, we learn this important principle:

"For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.  Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; (D&C 58:26-27)"

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a passive Gospel, but one of action!  As we actively wait upon the Lord and continue in patience, then we will see the blessings of heaven opened unto us.  Watch this video of Dieter F. Uchtdorf talking about an experiment performed at Stanford University in the 1960's:

"Keep the commandments; trust in God, our Heavenly Father; serve Him with meekness and Christ-like love; exercise faith and hope in the Savior; and never give up." ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf