When you have a black eye

As I have started this process of marketing myself, I have become increasingly aware of my lack of appropriate headshots. My selfie skills are embarrassing, and most of the photos I have of myself are with my kids. As they should be, I tell myself...yet I am ultimately left with no great photos for my website/marketing materials. Since Scott just recently acquired a new camera with his birthday money, I decided to ask him to take a few (hopefully good) shots of me last Sunday. The Saturday prior, however, we played in an amazing ultimate frisbee tournament where I made a sweet defensive play, resulting in broken sunglasses and a black eye. A really black eye.

While I considered Scott's suggestion of doing purple cat-eye makeup on the other eye, it was painful and swollen, and we decided to put it off. So many things in life are like this! How often do we make plans - good plans, great plans even - only to have them thwarted by a black eye? Now, I realize that my need to get a good headshot is completely piddly compared to real life problems, but I was grateful for the reminder that my plans don't have to go as planned.

This is something I tell my kids all the time. I see them struggle, I see their frustration when their plans don't work out, I see them hurt. I can see how black eyes work in their favor, even when they can't. How much easier would it be if they trusted me all the time? If they allowed me to guide them through difficult things, believing that I truly have their best interest at heart? **Sidenote: I'm actually really glad they get to make their own choices...waaaay too much pressure.

I believe that God has a plan for each of us and it's sometimes really difficult to understand how that plan makes sense. We just want to get our headshots, dang it! But God is concerned with us becoming the best we can be. He loves us enough to allow our plans to get messed up, just so we can build something better. I love this quote from Elder Bednar's address:

"Many of the lessons we are to learn in mortality can be received only through the things we experience and sometimes suffer. And God expects and trusts us to face temporary mortal adversity with His help so we can learn what we need to learn and ultimately become what we are to become in eternity."

If you have a black eye this week, I promise it will heal. You will be a better version of yourself because of those messed up plans.