The Parable of Being Lost

Have you ever been lost before? Maybe when you were little and you couldn't find your mom at the store, Or perhaps, like me, you've also been lost while driving. Lost meaning you know you could EVENTUALLY find you way back home, but you just don't really know where you are in relation to where you want to be...so you spend a lot of time "wandering".

Well, last week I was trying to get somewhere, but I got "lost". It was dark, I was tired, and alone. I'd like to tell you that my directions were poor or incorrect, therefore I was not able to reach my desired location... but that is not true. They were actually quite good directions. The problem was that I was trying to do too many things at once and I had pride in my heart. Let me start at the beginning...

I grabbed the directions off the counter without really looking at them and jumped into the car. It was already dark and I was driving alone. I thought I kind of knew where I was headed, so I figured that I would just look at the directions when I needed them as I was driving. However, I soon found that it was kind of difficult to drive, read directions and road signs all at the same time IN THE DARK.

Then I got a phone call.

So now I was having a phone conversation, trying to figure out which street I needed to turn on, AND looking for the street at the same time:)

Trying to do too much at once... I accidentally made a wrong turn.

About 30 seconds later, I realized that I had made a wrong turn. It didn't seem like a big deal because I thought I could just turn around and get back on the main street. However, when I turned around I found that I couldn't get back to where I had been. It seems crazy, I know. I hadn't made any other turns or gone very far... It still kinda blows my mind:) But like I said, it was dark and I hadn't really been observant.

Instead, I found myself on a VERY small road in the middle of nowhere! When I say nowhere, I mean so desolate that my cell phone had lost reception and there wasn't a house in sight.

I know it is kind of cruel to stop the story there...but really, I am here typing this... so OBVIOUSLY I didn't die or anything serious like that.

HOWEVER,

I would like to tell you some of what I learned from this AMAZING experience. I learned A LOT and actually I am convinced that I needed these lessons more than I needed to arrive at my desired destination. So that is why I am typing this... because I never want to forget the things I learn:)

ANYWAY,

Moral of the Story: IF WE DON'T TAKE TIME TO STUDY THE DIRECTIONS,THEN WE PROBABLY WON'T GET TO THE PLACE WE WANT TO GO.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately...

Sometimes I feel lost in life. Alone on a dark road. Not sure exactly which road to take. Not sure how much farther I've got to "drive". Not sure if I've missed an important opportunity. Unhappy with places that I am because they aren't where I want to be. Frustrated with myself for "taking wrong turns". Afraid of the darkness ahead because I'm not sure exactly what awaits there that I cannot see.

I've also been thinking about the directions I have been given to help me in life. How sometimes I get busy and distracted and think that I can just read my scriptures quickly or pull them out when I think I need them and be okay.

I want to testify that the scriptures can bring us peace when we feel lost. They can give us direction. They can open our eyes and minds to ideas and thoughts. They can bring us happiness...but only if we take time to study and read them:)