Jet Mariano

Tag: Trust in the Lord

  • MIT8 – Bad breaks and trusting the Lord

    Super Harvest Moon rising through thin clouds over the Draper Utah Temple. Double exposure, short telephoto (70–100 mm f/2.8) on tripod.

    Excerpt
    Setbacks aren’t a verdict; they’re the venue. What feels like a bad break can become a disguised doorway when we trust the Lord’s larger view.

    Intro
    Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that “bad breaks need not ruin a good man or a good woman… so often in life opportunity comes disguised as tragedy,” and, “trust the Lord, for He sees your possibilities even when you do not.” Those lines met me this week. Sleep was thin, appetite gone, heart stretched—but even the stretch nudged me heavenward.

    Perspective
    There are no super heroes in IT—no capes, no instant rescues. Systems fail, humans tire, plans bend. The real test is not whether I dodge hard things but whether I meet them with faith, honesty, and steady work. Joseph didn’t waste Egypt, and Job didn’t waste ash and silence. I don’t want to waste my own classroom of adversity.

    Practice (today, not someday)

    • Whisper a prayer of trust: “Lord, I choose to keep trying.”
    • Do one quiet act of goodness for someone who can’t repay you.
    • Write a single line of gratitude for help you didn’t expect.
    • Sit in a patch of light—outside or by a window—and breathe until your shoulders lower.

    Final Reflection
    Worry took sleep and appetite, yet the Lord met me in the stretch. He didn’t remove the weight; He strengthened my will and widened my view. A bad break does not define me; how I walk through it, with Him, refines me.

    Pocket I’m Keeping
    “Proving is strengthening.” When the wind rises, roots go deeper.

    What I Hear Now
    Be steadfast. Keep moving toward Me. I know how to carry you.

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  • Line Upon Line

    The Taylorsville Utah Temple at dusk, framed by golden wheat and roses. A reminder that spiritual harvests come “line upon line, precept upon precept” — in His time, His way, His will.

    There are weeks that pass quietly, and there are weeks that rearrange your spirit. In the span of just seven days, I’ve walked into the Taylorsville Temple three times. Each visit has been different, but together they’ve built something remarkable — a deepened layer of understanding, given to me line upon line, precept on precept.

    I think of my journey from 1981 up to today as “college-level” preparation in spiritual learning. Now, here in Utah, the Lord has been giving me what feels more like a “doctorate-level” education: His time, His way, His will.

    It’s like watching the stars appear at night.
    First one little light shines over there
    in the western sky, and then another,
    and then another — until finally, look for yourself…

    A whole wonderful endless universe
    began with one little star.

    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    That is how He lifts us, that is how He teaches His children.
    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    Like a summer shower giving us each hour His wisdom.
    If we are patient we shall see
    How the pieces fit together in harmony.
    We’ll know who we are in this big universe
    And then we’ll live with Him forever.

    But until it happens…

    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    That is how He lifts us, that is how He teaches His children.
    Line upon line, precept on precept.
    Like a summer shower giving us each hour His wisdom.

    (From Saturday’s Warrior, 1973 — Words by Doug Stewart, Music by Lex de Azevedo)

    Final Reflection

    Tonight in the Celestial Room, I prayed not to impose my will but to listen. What I felt wasn’t a grand vision but a gentle whisper — a reminder that revelation unfolds step by step, not all at once.

    Life keeps unfolding in ways I don’t always anticipate. Some lines remain unanswered, others open unexpectedly, but together they form a pattern that teaches me to trust the timing.

    Line upon line, I see how the Lord has been shaping my path. What once felt scattered now begins to come together in harmony — not all finished, but moving toward His perfect design.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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