The time in between needs to be spent in preparation for this trip so my next post should show a finalizing of most everything.On a side note that does not wholly pertain to this trip, I would like to share with you another inspiring story I just experienced over the weekend. It is a perfect example of little miracles in our lives and a testament to the FACT that God truly does listen and answer our prayers. My friend Matt Thomas was in town yesterday so he and I randomly decided to go up into the mountains for a drive and a visit to one of our favorite locations on Earth. Well the last couple of miles of the drive are on a dirt road and the elevation is such that there is still snow, though not in too large of quantities. As we were pressing through the crux of the drive, the Ford Expedition we were in, slid into a deep snow bank and got stuck. We spent the next three and half hours that evening digging and trying all manner of ways to free the vehicle, but it was to no avail and we ultimately were soaked, exhausted, and fairly discouraged to the point that we decided to give it up for the night and set up camp and wake up early to start again. After about five or six hours of sleep, we arose and packed up and hiked back the mile or so to the vehicle which had sunk even deeper in the night. For the four hours that followed we dug and pushed and cranked with our come-along and managed to move the vehicle about thirty feet only to get it even more stuck than it was before. As the Expedition sank deeper and deeper into the snow, our hearts followed it as we became discouraged and were left at a loss in regards to what more could be done. As you may know, or have come to assume, I am a religious man who loves my God though I am frequently stubborn and prideful and, all too often, ignore or set aside His guidance in the ridiculous notion that I know what is best (something I have been working on all my life to be rid of). This occasion was no exception. All morning the thought would enter my mind that we should pray together to our God and seek His help, but I would brush it off with the excuse that my silent prayers would suffice. Each time this would happen, I would offer a prayer in my mind. Well, this continued for the entire morning, right up to the point when we sat with spirits dampened, even more than our soaked clothes, thinking we would have to hike a long ways back to the lodge where we had camped at to get additional tools that probably wouldn't even help anyway. Just before we decided to head back I finally gave in to the Spirit's whisperings and suggested that we offer a prayer. After all, what could it hurt? So I offered the prayer as humbly as this prideful heart could. Upon closing it, we looked up at each other and I said, "Shall we give it one last try?" Matt agreed that we should and jumped into the driver's seat. Now, I would have you remember that we had just barely tried before the prayer, but we were so high-centered that the wheels weren't even touching in some spots and the wheels just spun in place. He turned it on and I jumped back on the back of the suv. As he pressed the gas peddle, the vehicle began to move, as a matter of fact, it backed out as if it were on dry ground! As soon as we were out of the bank, we looked at each other with somewhat stunned looks and I said, in my bewilderment, "Uh, can you say, praise God.". Matt responded with, "You know...you could have suggested we pray yesterday." So we packed up and came home with no further incidents. I was reminded of a few lessons from this experience. Number one is that God is there and He DOES listen to our every word that is spoken sincerely. He wants to help us, but awaits the demonstration of our faith through the action of asking Him. My heart was in the right place in the sense that I did pray to Him silently multiple times, but He wanted to teach me a different lesson. God wanted me to show Him that I was listening to Him (and not just talking), and that I would obey quickly. Perhaps as my mom suggested, He is trying to train me for my trip when it may be necessary for me to heed His guidance immediately. As you can see, I have a long way to go, considering the fact that it took me four hours before I finally listened. Pride can be a painfully exhausting thing sometimes. Our Father loves His children and desires nothing less than their happiness. This can only come through our immediate obedience to His commandments and His guidance. It is my prayer that we can all be quicker than I was to listen to love. It will save us from a lot of unnecessary suffering and pain as I so adeptly discovered.
