maybe we should get them in a size bigger...

when investing in a new piece of clothing, and not just another thrift store impulse but something new and nice like a suit or pair of dress shoes, i sometimes have to remind myself that i no longer need to compensate for future growth. i'm fully grown now, and i don't need to think about growing room like our parents did when we were children. we can all recall the the late summer school shopping when our bodies were still growing, and all our clothes were bought a little baggy and our shoes a little bulky. surely we would grow. they might feel a little awkward and difficult to maneuver now, but in a few months we would fill them, and in a few months more we would outgrow them. with the foresight of the parent encouraging the process we would be allowed to flourish without restriction. being but children we may have had no idea how much or quickly we were going to grow, but with our parents having gone through the process themselves and having seen it countless times in other children, the future could be more or less envisioned. we would grow, and we would need clothes to fit when we were bigger. by buying a size bigger our parents would meet our future needs.
i have to think that the responsibilities placed on us follow a similar pattern. when they are first given to us they seem massive and unsurmountable. we clunk around in these cavernous clown shoes and wonder how we're ever supposed to fill them. but thankfully our Father gave them to us wisely, knowing we would grow. if we continue to bear them patiently, we'll arrive at the day when they comfortably cover and protect us on our journey. if we cast them aside and chose a smaller size, however, sooner than we wish they will be too small and will painfully restrict our progress.
right now i feel as if i'm a child anxiously fingering through the racks trying to select the clothing i will wear as an adult. should i buy a suit? should i buy scrubs? a set of work boots? and what size should they be? i'm not sure. i could don them all if i really wanted to, but what am i going to want to wear in 30 years? i don't know. but through the foresight of my parents, both heavenly and earthly, the future can be generally envisioned. through a careful process my garments will be chosen, and as i slip them over my head, layer by layer - college graduate, husband, professional, father, priesthood holder - they drape and swathe my tiny body. when i feel as if i'm about to drown in linens i hear the comforting words coming from somewhere above, "don't worry, son, you'll grow into them."