Time of Need

I have a test coming up this weekend in my American Epidemic class. I'm really not too worried about it. I'm very familiar with all the material we've been covering in class, have learned it previously in other classes, so hopefully I can do as well as I think I should.

However, I have a chemistry test in about two weeks and my mind shrivels at the thought of preparing for and taking another chemistry exam. 

As I was sitting in Stake Conference yesterday, one speaker shared a quote from a general authority, and it made me think twice about my attitude towards chemistry.

“When your time of need arrives, your time for preparation is over.”

I let the words sink in. I silently scolded myself for being so lackadaisical about my preparations for the exams. I do take the time to look over the review sheets, and I do all of my homework, but that is where my preparation ends. I enter the testing center with a small sliver of confidence and ten minutes into the test, that sliver has splintered into nothingness. My time of need arrives, and I desperately need more time to prepare.

So! I have decided that for this upcoming test, I am going to start preparing today. I am going to look at the review sheet earlier than the day before the test, and I am going to make sure that I completely understand every single concept and how it could be applied to different situations in the ever-so-confusing world of chemistry. 

There are other areas of my life that this can apply to. Maybe I need to be better prepared for someday becoming a mother, or a tragedy with a family member, or a health problem. But the one thing that comes to my mind most of all is being prepared for the Second Coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.
When our time of need arrives, when we need all the spiritual drops of oil in our lamps that we can get, our time of preparation is over. We need to have done the work and the preparation before we need it. Then, when our time of need arrives, it will be a beautiful day.