The Sound of Music

So I like watching the same movies over and over. I prefer watching the same movies over and over. If it comes to seeing a new movie and watching a movie I've seen 100+ times, I'd choose the familiar. Weird, I know. But it's comforting to me. (Now Ben on the other hand watches movies mostly to know what happens. "If I already know the ending, why would I watch it?" Fine. I see his point. But I am in another school of thought.)

One of these movies is The Sound of Music. I love it. I love Julie Andrews, the music, the script, the cinematography, the characters, the acting, the location. The whole kit and caboodle.

Yesterday I put it on while I was making dinner. Pesto Pizza on french bread, that was divine by the way. I was more listening to the movie, but I think I know every camera shot so it's practically watching it. Anyway, I saw a new lesson as I watched.

It's the scene where Maria's praying in her bedroom, before Liesel climbs through the window. She just found out from Frau Schmidt that Captain von Trapp is thinking very seriously of marrying Baroness Schrader. Her prayer:

"Dear Father, now I know why you send me here: to help these children prepare themselves for a new mother, and I pray this will be a happy family in Thy sight."

Now, as we all know, Maria marries Captain von Trapp. So this "now I know" moment was right, but wrong. But in where she was wrong it was better than she expected.

These "now I know" moments are true to life I think. My life anyway. My freshman year of college I wondered if I should be a history major. I prayed about it and fasted. I received an answer flipping through the Doctrine and Covenants:

"It shall be given them even according to the prayer of faith... And, verily I say unto you, that it is my will that you should...obtain a knowledge of history, and of countries, and of kingdoms, of laws of God and man, and all this for the salvation of Zion."

I felt overwhelmed and grateful, "now I knew" what major the Lord wanted me to do. History. Eventually I transferred to BYU to pursue this degree.

One day at BYU while sitting in the Maeser building in my History 200 class, I felt strongly that if I studied history it would help no one. I questioned and prayed and felt to change to elementary education. And in retrospect deciding to teach has been one of the best decisions I ever made.

I didn't have to ponder long about my first prayer to know why the Lord originally wanted me to do a history major. He wanted me to pursue history because He needed me at BYU. He never said he intended me to stay a history major.

I thought I understood the Lord's whole will in the answer He first gave me. But as it turns out, there's more layers to every story and every answer. His ways and thoughts truly are higher. And better.