Marcus's Belief Sketch

Books sprawled out in each direction; my hips sink lower into the mattress as I lean to grab another book. This one reads, “…one is worthy, all promises will be fulfilled in the Lord’s due time. Those promises and blessings that are not realized in this life will be fulfilled in the next…”. I reach for another marked with a yellow sticky note; “…securing it by his faith, to spring up in the last days, or in due time…”. Another book from my pillow, “…in the own due time of the Lord…”. I slam the book shut and grab a magazine flipped open to an old discourse; “…according to the own due time of the Lord…”.

Nothing. Months spent searching and years pondering, I still don’t have any answers. My entire life seems to be circling around these three words: in due time.

I remain seated on my bed. I look at the clock – a couple of hours have already passed. A couple equals two, I think to myself, two hours. I replay some of the phrases in my head from the texts: …in this life…, …in the last days…. I'm confident in understand the significance of time; how things “take time”, and how I’m supposed to “have patients” and even the indication of time frames. Nevertheless, it’s infuriating to not understand this specific time frame: in due time. 

Seriously, what the hell does it mean? I lay back defeated. Who am I kidding; hell wouldn’t know. 

Cameron's Characterization Entries

There she sits looking intently at her computer screen. Her blonde hair flows down her back like a river and rests just above her waist. Her piercing blue eyes follow the words she reads back and forth, back and forth in a typewriter like fashion. She sits at a table of four, but the seats next to her are empty. Maybe it’s the white earbuds hidden under that golden hair that sends such a social signal. Maybe it’s the concentration. Or maybe, it’s her beauty that causes the boys to be so reserved around her. Nevertheless, her presence is known by many in the room, but they don’t dare disturb her.

The sun shines bright in the west as the golden hour approaches. The boy rushes inside to grab that which he has been waiting for all day. “It’s almost that time!” he exclaims. Excitedly, he digs through the excess of toys that mom had just cleaned up off the floor. Pushing the dump truck out of the way, then the tractor, then the Legos, he seeks his prized possession. Toys now scattered across the surface of his bedroom floor, frantically searching, he can’t find it. “I need to show dad” he sobs, tears streaming down his face, baby teeth wrapped around his bottom lip. “It’ll be ok” his mother responds patiently anticipating the arrival of the boy’s father. Finally, the rumble of the white work truck makes its way up the winding road. His dad jumps out of the car with the boy’s baseball mitt in hand. “Ready to play?” the father says cheerfully. Tears on the boy’s face are immediately swept away. “You found it!” he exclaims, jumping for joy.

Moonrocks, Nevada. A place where any urbane would dread, but for he who loved riding dirt bikes, it became a heaven on earth. The boy looks down at the orange and black plastics that garnish the interior engine of his KTM and appreciation floods over him at the return to the high desert. He’s wearing a helmet, pads, and most importantly, riding boots. He’s got a thirst for speed, at times too much according to the boy’s mother. Excitement flowing through the teen’s body he mounts the maniacal machine. “Remember,” the boy’s father tells him “you crash and there will be no more riding for you.” He gives the boy a stern talk, reminding him that he has hemophilia. “Yes father, I know” the boy responds with annoyance and he blasts off with no hesitation.

Marcus' Personal Essay: In Due Time

In Due Time (a possible title for my personal essay): Being comfortable with my own timeline and not worrying about social pressures of the “standard” timeline for life occurrences. 

-      Construct a basic understanding that there are social pressures at BYU and within the Church of Jesus Christ that cause young adults to fear “falling behind”. There is no such thing.

-      Certain points that were considered “late”: being comfortable with myself, going less active and becoming associated with the gospel, progression within the mission, starting my undergrad as a transfer student, joining athletics, dating, etc.

-      There are specific details about ones lives that cause them to take paths that stray from the expected – this isn’t wrong, but a path of understanding oneself and their potential.

-      Explain what “in due time” means under a worldly definition as well as an eternal definition. There is a big difference between what we see on this earth and what we try to accomplish in the time given, compared to the time we have to prepare in the eternities. 

-      Being able to adjust your timeline based on experiences as well as understanding your relationship with God and the paths he has opened for each of us.

Julie's Extraordinary Experience

• During the summer of 2018, I faced a lot of doubt—doubt in regards to my career, marriage, and whether I should go on a mission. 
• My parents and friends, scared of the stereotype of the English major who can’t find a job, were reminding me that I needed to be more serious about my career decision. 
• After much thought and prayer, I decided that I was going to go to school for just one more year before leaving on a mission.
• However, I still felt unsettled about my choice of career. I thought I had settled on editing—but every time that I tried editing fiction, I was miserable.
• The aftermath: After months of frustration and praying about my career, I had a dream one night where a friend told me that understanding and revelation come one step at a time, not all at once. After that, the pieces slowly fit together. I soon started dating my future husband (who I wouldn’t have met if I had gone on my mission earlier). I was offered an internship where I was surprised to discover that my strengths lay in editing nonfiction. My view of revelation and God’s role in our individual lives was forever changed by that whole experience.