Life's Caravan
Recently, I had the chance to take a long road trip with my family. Road trips are the best because so many crazy things can happen, but you also have quite a lot of time to think. We had a minivan and a moving truck in a caravan from Utah to Washington.
When I began the trip I noticed quickly that it was easier for me to watch for the all clear so that when I changed lanes, or speeds, or anything it would be possible for the moving truck to follow too. I was watching in my rear view mirror for the ideal time to get over and out of the way. Things were going pretty smoothly. Every move I made was calculated and planned. If traffic was coming up quickly behind us I would wait and let them pass before making our move. My little brother was driving the moving van. Like clock work if I moved over he would quickly follow my lead. He would check his mirrors too, but my path was an extra insurance that he wasn't missing something in His blind spots. We also had a walkie talkie set and were communicating with each other throughout the trip to keep each other awake yes, but also to warn of upcoming hazards (like drunk drivers) etc.
Suddenly in my mind I began to think of all of the people who have gone before me. The ones who have calculated so perfectly each move to help me be in the right place at the right time. First I thought about my family. My parents live the gospel of Jesus Christ each day! Every time they chose to have family scripture studies it prepared me to have my own testimony. Every time they had family prayers I learned the value of communicating with my father in heaven. Every time they made me do chores or weed the garden they were teaching me the value of work. Every time we had game nights or movie marathons and spent time with family they were teaching me of its priority life. The Lord opened my eyes for a brief moment and I could see how my parents steps had affected my life!
Next I thought about my church leaders. The prophet is a mouth piece for God. He gets revelation and tells me things that are coming in the future so I know what to expect. In General Conference apostles and other leaders remind us the simple beautiful doctrines of the gospel. They plan their talks with the spirit to prepare us for each step in our life. In my minds eye I could see those brethren and sisters preparing those talks and trying to make them as powerful as possible to help show us all the way.
What about the pioneers. They paved the way for each of us too. I thought of my great great Uncle Harley Mowry. He was the last living member of the Mormon Battalion. What steps to he carefully plan so that we his posterity could follow? What did he want me to learn and to become?
I thought about Adam and Eve. They lived every step of this life and showed us exactly how to do it. They taught us about the importance of sacrifice, of service, of patience, and of choosing the Lord's will. They took every step even from the first choice they made so that we, (you and I) could come to the earth. They walked before me.
Finally of course I thought of our Heavenly Father and His love for us! He not only went before us, but He sent His Son to lead the way! Every move has already been made. The perspective of God is so perfect that He couldn't possibly miss the blind spots in our life! He prepares us as much as possible to face those blind spots if we trust Him and His perspective as we do all that we can to make the right choice.
My brother didn't stop practical driving principles. He never stopped checking His mirrors, or driving to the best of His ability. My way before him was just an extra thing. Some of the time I wondered if he even knew I was checking His blind spots for him. As we do our best to check our mirrors in life and move forward, we can trust in God who is setting up the perfect path before us.He sees what we don't see even when we don't know we need Him to. What a gift!
When I began the trip I noticed quickly that it was easier for me to watch for the all clear so that when I changed lanes, or speeds, or anything it would be possible for the moving truck to follow too. I was watching in my rear view mirror for the ideal time to get over and out of the way. Things were going pretty smoothly. Every move I made was calculated and planned. If traffic was coming up quickly behind us I would wait and let them pass before making our move. My little brother was driving the moving van. Like clock work if I moved over he would quickly follow my lead. He would check his mirrors too, but my path was an extra insurance that he wasn't missing something in His blind spots. We also had a walkie talkie set and were communicating with each other throughout the trip to keep each other awake yes, but also to warn of upcoming hazards (like drunk drivers) etc.
Suddenly in my mind I began to think of all of the people who have gone before me. The ones who have calculated so perfectly each move to help me be in the right place at the right time. First I thought about my family. My parents live the gospel of Jesus Christ each day! Every time they chose to have family scripture studies it prepared me to have my own testimony. Every time they had family prayers I learned the value of communicating with my father in heaven. Every time they made me do chores or weed the garden they were teaching me the value of work. Every time we had game nights or movie marathons and spent time with family they were teaching me of its priority life. The Lord opened my eyes for a brief moment and I could see how my parents steps had affected my life!
Next I thought about my church leaders. The prophet is a mouth piece for God. He gets revelation and tells me things that are coming in the future so I know what to expect. In General Conference apostles and other leaders remind us the simple beautiful doctrines of the gospel. They plan their talks with the spirit to prepare us for each step in our life. In my minds eye I could see those brethren and sisters preparing those talks and trying to make them as powerful as possible to help show us all the way.
What about the pioneers. They paved the way for each of us too. I thought of my great great Uncle Harley Mowry. He was the last living member of the Mormon Battalion. What steps to he carefully plan so that we his posterity could follow? What did he want me to learn and to become?
I thought about Adam and Eve. They lived every step of this life and showed us exactly how to do it. They taught us about the importance of sacrifice, of service, of patience, and of choosing the Lord's will. They took every step even from the first choice they made so that we, (you and I) could come to the earth. They walked before me.
Finally of course I thought of our Heavenly Father and His love for us! He not only went before us, but He sent His Son to lead the way! Every move has already been made. The perspective of God is so perfect that He couldn't possibly miss the blind spots in our life! He prepares us as much as possible to face those blind spots if we trust Him and His perspective as we do all that we can to make the right choice.
My brother didn't stop practical driving principles. He never stopped checking His mirrors, or driving to the best of His ability. My way before him was just an extra thing. Some of the time I wondered if he even knew I was checking His blind spots for him. As we do our best to check our mirrors in life and move forward, we can trust in God who is setting up the perfect path before us.He sees what we don't see even when we don't know we need Him to. What a gift!
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