Angels Watch Over Us

I am a firm believer that God watches over us and sends His angels to protect us in times of need.

Last night was one of those times.

Yesterday we had our first big snowfall of the year. I was on my way out of town after the roads had been cleared and I thought it was safe to travel. I was very careful, driving well under the speed limit, not concerned about how long it took me to reach my destination as long as I arrived safely. As I drove along, I noticed that my car was riding a little rough. A flat tire, perhaps? No, it's not a flat tire... Perhaps it's just the snow and ice on the road. I convinced myself that my car was fine, and continued on.

I began to sing a children's hymn I had learned at church as a child many years ago. I felt a sense of peace and calm as I sang. It helped to ease my nerves as I drove along the icy roads. As I was about to finish the final verse, my car began to rotate. "Well that's odd," I thought to myself. I was on a straight road, traveling in a straight line. I nudged the wheel to correct my course. The car responded by rotating even farther in the other direction. Again, I tried to correct my course, but I quickly lost control of the vehicle, and I began to slide off the road - directly towards a house that was only a few feet from the road.

I began to pray aloud. "Heavenly Father, please help me, help me, help me, HELP ME!" I braced myself for impact, not knowing when - or if - I would wake up, as my car smashed into a pile of bricks stacked next to the house. CRASH!

I opened my eyes. I was alive. I was awake. Even more amazing, I was completely unharmed. I shut off the engine, grabbed my phone and got out of my car - which had stopped just two feet away from the house. I called my parents right away, to let them know where I was and what happened. I then called highway patrol, who sent out an officer to get my information and help me get a tow back home.

As I stood there and waited, I thought about what just happened. My knee jerk reaction was, "What the heck? Why did this happen? I was singing hymns and praying as my car slid off the road! Why didn't He help me??" This train of thought quickly derailed, however, as I realized just how much He really had intervened. Those bricks acted as a cushion. They slowed me down more gently than a wall would have. Had those bricks not been there - or had I missed them - I would have likely slid through the wall of the house, causing major damage to not only my car but someone else's property - damage that I would not have been able to pay for. Had I hit the house I would have also likely suffered severe bodily damage. Not only were the bricks there to catch the front end of my car, but some small trees stopped the rear end of my car from swinging into the wall of the house. "Thank you, Heavenly Father, thank you," I prayed.

How blessed I was! This was not a coincidence. I am certain that angels were there, guiding my car to safety.

Sometimes, the thought crosses my mind: "Why couldn't I have slid to a stop on the road? Did I really have to hit a pile of bricks?" I am quickly reminded, however, how fortunate and blessed I really was. It could have been much, much worse.

After the tow truck pulled my car out of the ditch, we were able to assess the damage a bit better. The front bumper was hanging by a thread and a headlight was dragging on the ground, the hood was scratched and dented in front, but that was it. How blessed I am. Everything else appears to be intact. No leaking fluids, no deployed airbag, no broken windows.

I am so full of gratitude toward my Father in Heaven for keeping me safe that night. I was blessed in so many ways. Not only was damage to my car minimal, but I avoided colliding with the house, which means they didn't even need to file an accident report, which would have resulted in increased insurance premiums and a bad mark on my driving record.

What did I learn from this experience?

1. Listen to mother! She told me it was too dangerous, but I went anyway. (My sweet mother didn't even say "I told you so!" She was just happy that I was ok.)
2. God really does love me, and He watches over me constantly.
3. God does not prevent every bad thing from happening, but when bad things do happen, He is still there to guard us and strengthen us during our trials.

Could He have prevented me from sliding off the road? Absolutely. Why didn't He? I suppose there was something I needed to learn from this experience, or perhaps this minor misfortune protected me from something far worse down the road. "What if trials of this life are [His] mercies in disguise?" ~ Blessings by Laura Story

God is omniscient; I will trust in his wisdom and understanding.

At Your Feet

While writing my last post, I was listening to Casting Crowns to drown out the background noise and hopefully provide a source of inspiration... It worked!

One thing I have recently learned is the importance of truly giving your life to God - fully trusting in him and submitting your will to His. This is also something that I have a very hard time with - especially when it comes to relationships. If I love someone - I don't want that to change! I want to be with them, to love them, to give myself to them... and there's nothing worse than being told that a wonderful relationship needs to end - especially when you have no idea why.

The song that struck me is At Your Feet by Casting Crowns. I was typing away, when I heard these lines:

"Here at Your feet I lay my future down
All of my dreams I give to You now
And I find peace, I find peace"

I stopped typing, and just listened. Can I do that? Can I really do that? Can I lay my future down at the feet of the Lord? Can I surrender all my hopes and my dreams? And even if I do - will I really find peace?

I know that this is what I need to do... But why is it so hard? Unfortunately, there's no happy ending to this story yet.

One thing I have learned though from past experience is that, in His own time, God almost always reveals the reasons for everything he asks us to do, and it all becomes crystal clear.

I hope and pray that I will find the strength I need to fully give myself to God, trusting in His infinite wisdom.

The Commandments of God Must Be Fulfilled

"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them..." ~1 Nephi 17:3

Wow. I'm sure I've never read that verse before.

I've been going through a lot of trials in my life... a precious relationship has come to an end, the war against my inner demons has raged on, and I have not been sure I could make it. I've turned to the Lord and to the scriptures for a source of strength, and this verse was exactly what I needed. The promise here is so simple... If we keep the commandments of God, he will strengthen us and provide a way for us to do what he has asked us to do.

Now, I'm not a wicked evil person, and I haven't committed murder or some other terrible sin, but there's far too much that I have not been doing. In church, we're taught simple things, such as: Pray every day, study scriptures daily, take care of your body by eating right and having a good sleep schedule, etc. etc. Now, I'm a fairly healthy eater, but that's about the only thing in that list I do well. The days I do pray and study the scriptures, there is a very noticeable difference - I feel so much stronger, like I really could do anything.

This week, and for the rest of my life, I am going to make an extra effort to do even the small things. I know that as I do, I will be blessed with the grace of God and be able to do that which I cannot do by my own strength.

Seek Ye the Kingdom of God

A few months ago, God blessed me with a (much needed) high paying job. It's a temporary position, however, and the fact that I will soon be laid off has been looming over my head ever since only a month after I got the job. I've been job hunting like crazy; I'm sure I've applied for a few dozen jobs by now. I've been so consumed with looking for a job that I've let it get in the way of other important aspects of my life, such as time for scripture study and personal prayer.

Today, almost randomly, the words of the Savior came to mind: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God".

"Huh," I thought. "I haven't really been doing that, have I?"

This passage from the book of Jacob in the Book of Mormon states it plainly:

"But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

"And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them..."
~ Jacob 2:18-19


Similar counsel is also given to us in the book of Matthew:

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

"And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

"(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
~ Matthew 6:25-33 (emphasis added)


I've decided that rather than spending every spare minute checking online job postings, I'm going to spend that time seeking after the Kingdom of God - pondering the words of the Savior and studying the words of His holy prophets.

I know that as I strive to be more obedient to God's commandments, He will watch over me and take care of me, leading me by the hand every step of the way.

The Worth of Souls is Great

For a period of time, I truly believed that my value as a person was merely the sum of my actions - good or bad. I believed that the more I sinned, the more worthless I became. The more I did good, the more worth I gained.

I have since realized, however, that this way of thinking is flawed. Every individual has infinite worth. Why? There are a few reasons.

Firstly, we are all literal spirit children of our Heavenly Father. The Great Creator is our father. This alone gives us infinite worth - we are His children, His precious jewels. He created us. We are His divine creations. He loves us.

Secondly, every individual has infinite potential. We have the ability to do so much good in the world. The only thing holding us back is ourselves. Fear is a paper wall. Take a step into the darkness, trusting in the Lord to light the way. Unlock your infinite potential, and show the world what you can accomplish with God by your side every step of the way.

"Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." ~ Doctrine and Covenants 18:10

God Knows Best

I was on the way home from work this morning listening to KTIS, the local Christian station, when another tidbit of inspiration hit me. It's something I've always known, but it really stood out to me this morning. The song playing was You Lead by Jamie Grace. I've heard this song dozens of times, but some of the lyrics stood out to me today:

"When you lead, I'll follow
Just light the way and I'll go
'Cause I know that what You got for me
Is more than I can see
So lead me on..."

It's true. God knows what is in store for us, and he wants to lead us there - all we need to do is let him. We just need to let go of our pride, trust that he really does know what's best for us, and follow his lead.

I've Been Inspired!

Have you ever had a sudden burst of inspiration, only to forget it later? I know I have - hence the inception of this blog.
Not too long ago, there was a discussion in church about how personal revelation and inspiration is like our very own personalized scripture. Just think about it - if the prophets of old hadn't recorded the revelations and inspiration they received, we wouldn't have the Bible!
God speaks to us - and, if we listen, we can hear him. Don't ignore those promptings! God given inspiration is a gift. If we ignore it, or allow ourselves to forget it, it's as if we are ignoring God.
I started out taking notes using Evernote, but - what good do they do there?! Hopefully, by posting them online, I'll be able to lift others and provide encouragement to those that need it.