Winds!

Yesterday we traveled back from visiting my mum in Aberdeenshire. It wasn't a pleasant journey, I must add! The gusts of the wind blew the car from side to side, as the rain hammered down and the spray from the lorries caused my vision to be hazy. I had to grip the wheel very tightly and remain focused at all times in order to stay in my lane. At one point the wind was coming from all directions, it was extremely difficult to stay on my side of the road and to make it worse, I could see that I was coming up to 2 large pot holes. I had a decision to make. Do I keep going straight and hit the pot holes, but remain in control of the car, or do I try and avoid the pot holes, risking being blown off the road completely? It was actually a bit of a dilemma, as neither way was going to be great. 


Decision


So I decided to keep going straight, as to waver of course was going to be too much of a risk with how strong the wind was at this point. The pot holes werent as deep as I had originally thought and the impact on the car wasn't great. As we journeyed nearer to home, the force of the winds became less of a problem and was able to relax a little. I realised that I must have been really tense as my neck was sore and stiff. This made me think about my life. Am I "stiffnecked" when I am faced with an obstacle? Or do I use my knowledge and past experience to help me most of the way and rely upon the Lord to do the rest? Do I make the most of my trials? Or do I try to dodge them? There have been times in my life (not so long ago) where I have felt battered by the "winds and rain" and my ability to see my focus/goal has been blurred. It would have been very easy to move lanes and go off course. However by relying upon the Lord and my testimony of what I know to be true, I have remained on course. I still had to endure things that I would rather have avoided, however my Heavenly Father knows whats best for me and has given me the strength needed to complete that part of my journey in life. 


In Doctrine and Covenants 122:7, we read:

"And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."

I am grateful for my testimony that God loves me and knows me better than I know myself. He knows my potential and gives me experiences to grow strong and to be my best self. He will do that for you too because He loves YOU!