Monday, January 17, 2011

Dead End, now what?

So if you haven't picked up the book or seen the movie "Life Lessons From Fathers of Faith: Inspiring True Stories About Latter-day Dads" it is fantastic. I liked one story recounted in the movie by President Matthew Holland of his father, Elder Jeffery R. Holland. 
They were going on a family trip to St. George and he and his father went to go see the Colorado River and exploring. It was getting late and they were hurrying home and Elder Holland couldn't remember the way back very well and when they came to a fork in the road they prayed. Both felt inspired to turn left. They did and ten minutes later they came to a dead end. 
I was like what a dumb story to put in with these inspirational ones.
He goes on that as he turned the truck around and went down the other fork they drove for 30 or 40 minutes before Matt asked his father why? We felt inspired and it was a dead end. Elder Holland insightfully taught both his son and I an important lesson. He said that as they have been driving it looked unfamiliar and he feels that he would have driven for maybe 20-25 minutes and would have turned around sure that they were lost only to discover that the other way was a dead end and would have wasted valuable daylight they needed to make the journey safely. He felt that they were inspired to go down the wrong road first as to affirm their knowledge that even though the second was as unfamiliar as the first that it was indeed the correct road.
All of my questions about why were answered in that brief story about how the Lord works.
How many times have I felt that a path has been right and sought the Lord's will so that I would do what He wanted and ended up at a dead end. It is nigh unto defeat of the worst kind. So why? It is to assure me that I am going to be moving in the right direction. I may need to spend time in a detour so that I can be at the right place at the right time. I may need it to know that I can now go forward with faith that I am moving in the right direction. I feel that the Lord's tender mercies do not always lead us where we think they will at first, but they will lead us where we need to be in the end. There are no dead ends as long as we would turn around and turn ourselves to Him. He will not lead us astray.

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