On the Road to Eternal Life

We were having our morning prayer, and John was asking and pleading with the Lord, “Open my eyes so I can see. Please show me my sins so I can repent. What do I lack? I know I am sinful and full of unbelief Moroni 7:37. I don’t know what all of my false beliefs are; teach me. I want to see your face and be in your presence” D&C 93:1. I’ve heard John confess his weaknesses many times before the Lord. He has a pure heart and a great desire to come unto the Lord. The thought came to me, “Pray that John will be patient with the process.”

Then an analogy came to mind:

Once in a while, we go to Grandma’s. The children are excited to arrive and don’t like waiting two hours to get there. Along the trip we hear things like, “When are we going to be at Grandma’s house? How many more hours? Are we almost there? What mile marker is Grandma’s exit? How much longer? What time is it?” We answer the questions the best we can, but sometimes the questions keep coming. After a while, the questions become tiresome.

Without added delays, it takes about two hours to get to Grandma’s. There’s nothing wrong with the van, the road is in good condition, progress is being made, and we’re going in the right direction. But it still takes two hours to get to her house. The Lord wants us to ask him lots of questions, but not the same ones over and over and over and over again. Once he’s given an answer, we need to be content with His timetable. He’s leading us just as fast as our spirit will go. Impatience with our progress actually gets in the way and is frustrating.

Patience is not to be confused with complacency or following bad directions. There are many things we can do to postpone the ride. Some fail to arrive because they don’t even decide to make the journey.

When going somewhere we’ve never been, we can get lost if we follow the instructions of one who’s never been there. Looking at a reliable road map can give us an idea about where we’re headed and what can be expected.

Blindness can also cause big problems. Without my glasses, I can’t even see the road signs that have been provided. If we don’t pay attention to the signs, we might head in the wrong direction.

There are other things we can do to lengthen out the trip: extra potty breaks, stopping to play at the park, going to the store, eating at a restaurant, etc. Unnecessary detours can also waste valuable time.

The Holy Ghost is like a GPS (global positioning system - a form of satellite navigation). No matter where we are, we can type in the final address. We might be minutes, hours, or days from our destination. He can see our position and will guide us. There might be long stretches of monotonous scenery, steep inclines, busy cities, winding country roads, sharp turns, and dark nights. He’s always present giving us instructions as needed.

If the radio is too loud or we’re not paying attention, we might not hear him and miss a critical exit or turn. When we miss a turn, the GPS lets us know. The quicker we realize our mistake, the sooner we can get back on track. He calculates the necessary course corrections to get us heading in the right direction again. We might even see scenery and experience roads that were not part of the original travel plans. If, in our arrogance, we turn off the GPS thinking we know where we’re going, we can get really lost.

So, turn on the GPS, type in the address, open your ears and eyes, and get ready for the ride of your life.

As I shared the analogy that was coming to mind, John smiled with tears in his eyes and said, “Ya, that’s it.”