And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

Luke 23:54-56

Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

Matthew 27:65-66

For Christ…went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometimes were disobedient.

1 Peter 3:18-20

We spend a great deal of our lives wondering and waiting.

We don’t know why God sent us here at this time and in these circumstances. But we do know He loves us.

I love this comic called Judas. It looks at the character of Judas and asks, what if he was part of God’s plan all along? What if he did what he did for a reason? What if he condemned himself to accomplish a greater good – even without knowing it? It’s a powerful story that brought me to tears.

I have no idea what happened to Judas after he died. He did a terrible thing. But the message of the comic – that God can use our mistakes to bring about great good – harmonizes with the scriptures. Adam and Eve eating the fruit led to all of us being born. Joseph’s brothers selling him into Egypt led to saving Egypt – and themselves – from starvation. If I weren’t so tired, I could probably think of more examples.

We will give God greater ability to turn our sins to good if we spend more time in prayer. Prayer can be a form of meditation that helps us clear our mind. Having a clear mind allows us to find greater inspiration. I know when I have prayed the most regularly and fervently, I have made the most improvement as a person.

One thing that I need to remind myself to do is take out the earbuds occasionally. Sometimes when I’m on a run or bike ride or doing dishes, when I take out my earbuds and have a little chat with God, I find inspiration and motivation to do good things. I can better identify where I need to improve. No self-help book is as helpful, no memoir is as motivating, and no fiction book is as refreshing as those moments spent in heartfelt prayer.

It’s good to take a moment and write this down as a reminder.