Are We There Yet?

The Road Trip

Over Thanksgiving break, we went to Montana to visit my wife's family. The image above shows how our typical family trips go in the car 😉. I wish it all were headbanging and jamming out to music.  We've had our fair share of, "Wait, why did we decide to make this trip again?" 

On the normally ever-progressing journey home, we get home in about 9 hours, not including stops. This time around, there were not only stops for food and “I gotta go potty!” but also for countless live karaoke sessions, FaceTime conversations, booger picking (and eating), nail-biting,  head-scratching, swearing, and...you get the picture. Why? We were stopped on I-15 for a little over 2 hours and could observe all the aforementioned from other people. 

When all was said and done, we got home in over 13 hours with 3 niños 5 and under.
Impressive, right?! Yes, you could say we were relieved to get home. Here's a little bit of the rundown: 

Snow on roads✅

Sliding on roads✅

Low tire pressure (again) ✅

“JT bit me!”✅
😭😭😭✅
"I'm hungry!"✅

“Laikyn’s bothering me”✅

“Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you aaaaarrrrreeeee!” ✅

Stopped on I-15 for hours✅

😡😡✅
Didn’t successfully exit for an alternate route✅

Couldn’t get in the house because of wrong key and garage doors frozen shut✅

If you want to try being isolated in a car for that long while maintaining saintly composure, be my guest. I didn’t do very well. I got frustrated. I was anxious. I wanted to be home. 

We eventually did get in the house after no luck waking up some neighbors for hot water. I never knew hot cocoa could work so well thawing out ice! It was either that or having my son and I go número uno 🤷🏻‍♂️. Alas, we entered the abode! After much-overtired crying, we finally were able to rest. 

The most frustrating part of the trip was not necessarily the route but what happened along the way. There were many different obstacles that proved to be frustrating, to say the least. We had moments where we were completely stopped and not progressing -- we even had to take a route back at one point to find a quicker way to I-15 farther South. 

"Why didn't I just take the alternate route in the first place? I could have bypassed all of this garbage without a problem." Those were some of the thoughts going through my head. I could have led my family to the better, more efficient route at the time and I let them down. 

One of my great weaknesses is focusing so much on the past that it can cause problems in the present. For example, getting angry at something that is over with such as the route rather than moving on and living in the present. I allowed this to get me angry and in turn, caused me to act in a way that wasn't ideal. 

You see, I didn't feel either way to be the correct route -- I was left to my own judgment. "You pick." We had been looking at the updates sporadically as we were driving on the I-15 closures but got varying reports as we neared the time of choice on whether to choose the alternate route I had envisioned. We finally agreed with one of the reports from a reputable source and figured it would open by the time we got there. We were sorely mistaken although other reporters were more accurate to the time it was actually opened. 

He Lets Us Choose

Oftentimes, we are given choices that are both good and we must use our best judgment to make the decision. Interestingly, the choices we make between two good things can seemingly backfire and teach us valuable lessons along the way. The main thing is that the choices are following priorities and are leading somewhere.




Unfortunately, at that time and place at a standstill on I-15, my priority was ME. Yes, I wanted my family to be safe and return well, but at the forefront of my mind was myself. I was concerned about getting home so I could relax and watch a football game. I wanted resting time for myself before going to bed and attending church the next day. And, that was the problem. After I got home, He took some time to chasten and teach me: 

. . . and the ball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him. Therefore, as they were unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore afflictions, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty (Mosiah 1:15-16).

The words "but were driven back" kept replaying in my head. Before, I imagined that while Lehi and his family were on the ship that despite the storms and hard obstacles that came upon them -- because of a lack of heed and diligence -- that they were still moving in the right direction. I thought that the Lord would only give them more speed and ability in the right direction. I was wrong. They were driven back -- not side to side but back. They were going the wrong direction yet it may have seemed to them for days that they weren't. It wasn't until it got really bad that they turned and changed; they gave more heed and diligence. 

Matthew 8:23-27: And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

The ship was covered with the waves. There was a great tempest. The disciples were probably thinking, "Why did we come out here again? We could have prevented this!" Not to mention what might have been waiting for them at the shore. Maybe they had some previous plans that could not be met because of the choice made to cross the sea and now be met with treacherous waves. I'm sure they were frustrated and of course fearful. Add to that the declared Messiah was asleep through it all.

He didn't rebuke them for following Him into the sea, rather, He rebuked them for their lack of heed and diligence that they gave unto Him. I can picture him thinking, "Yes, I brought you through this great tempest to try your heed and diligence unto Me." Christ, I'm sure was tired, but His priority was to help His disciples come to know Him and the Only True God and help prepare them for eternal life -- the greatest of all the gifts of God. Sometimes the best places to teach are moments of frustration or going against your will and what you see is ideal or in this case, avoidable.

"In a paradoxical way, afflictions and sorrow prepare us to experience joy if we will trust in the Lord and His plan for us" (L. Todd Budge).

What the Lord asks is rarely convenient nor is it void of frustration, but what He asks can help an individual "progress in their journey." I recently heard these words from a missionary serving in California who had President Oaks visit. President Oaks said these wise words:

"You know it is personal revelation/prompting when it is inviting you to do something you don't necessarily want to do."

Like being tossed to and fro on the sea was not convenient; it taught them a valuable lesson. Not only does Christ have power to calm the raging sea, but when we turn to Him and give heed and diligence unto Him then He can help us to be calm and still while progressing. We can have utmost assurance that He will provide a way and it will work out. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that it will always be void of hard times.

If you remember, Alma had an old friend named Amulon that gained favor with the Lamanites and was put in charge of Alma and his people. He started to inflict great persecutions on Alma and his people. He even charged that those found praying would be put to death. They didn't choose these hard things to come upon them -- they were trying to follow the Savior. Yet, in order to get to where He wanted to take them, they had to go through treacherous waters at times. The wonderful promise is: If you give heed and diligence unto Me, then I can help calm the storm so that you can bear it and keep progressing.

   

 I couldn't choose another route when I was stuck on I-15, but I could choose how I reacted. Too often I am like Laman and Lemuel and murmur because it isn't going how I envisioned. I often forget that part of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is His enabling power to calm the storm and make the burden light so that I can bear it with ease. Rather than calling out and asking for help through the thoughts of my heart like the people of Alma, I continued to murmur.

The murmuring didn't stop as I got home. I didn't want to go to church the following morning. I would think of an excuse to not go. I ended up going. I was taught much. I had a family in my ward bear testimony of how they lost many of the buildings they had worked so hard to upkeep (https://www.ksl.com/article/46682962/13-displaced-9-units-damaged-in-beaver-apartment-fire). They were devastated along with many that lost their place of residence. He then testified that the Lord had blessed them with miracles and no lives were lost; that He was easing their burdens.

Although we are put through trying times that test our ability to be a witness of God at all times, and in all places, and in all things, He makes it possible to see clearly and help us stay afloat. All He asks is that we give heed and diligence unto Him -- show Him that we love Him. As we do this, I know we can be strengthened beyond our own ability or what we thought was possible on our journey home.