Life Choices

About a year ago my husband and I were vacationing in the Redwoods of Northern California. We were celebrating our ten-year wedding anniversary. The weather was perfect and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous! We took the scenic Highway 1 up the coast towards the city of Fortuna. The road was significantly more windy than we had anticipated but we tried to look past that. As the evening drew near we pulled up a map to determine the quickest route to our destination. We decided to take what we thought was the best choice. As we drove through, the road became more narrow, windy, thick with trees, and on top of it all it started to rain. We didn't encounter many cars along the way and we began to feel very nervous about the drive, particularly when it began to downpour. We decided to say a prayer. I was prompted to pull up the GPS on my phone and guide my husband as to when to anticipate the sharp turns. This put him and I at ease because we knew what to expect. After what seemed like forever, we made it out of the ravine safely.

You can say that life can be that way. Sometimes we can encounter difficult paths because of choices we made or just from the natural order of opposition. Do you rely on your own abilities and understanding? Or do you seek assistance? In terms of the divine you can say that God has given us the Gift of the Holy Ghost to act as our personal GPS. We learn from the scriptures that He does not leave us on our own.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)

"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:5)

In his most recent general conference address, President Thomas S. Monson spoke about the importance of choices, saying: "The choices we make determine our destiny."

Much like our experience along dark and stormy roads, the everyday choices we make, whether we think they are big or small, chart our course either to safe or unsafe paths. Had we planned better ahead of time, maybe we could have avoided what could have been a very treacherous road to our destination. Why is it important to plan our destination before hitting the road?

On the road of life, President Monson further counsels us to have an understanding of our eternal destination so as to make righteous choices. Otherwise we may find ourselves in the precarious situation that Alice found herself in when she met the Cheshire Cat for the first time.

"You will remember," he shares, "that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. As she contemplates which way to turn, she is confronted by the Cheshire Cat, of whom Alice asks, 'Which path shall I follow?' The cat answers, 'That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.” (Thomas S. Monson, 2016. Choices).

There is nothing wrong with not being sure about a decision. There is also nothing wrong with making mistakes along the path of learning. The Atonement of Christ is available to all to correct the deviations made on our way to eternal progression. I believe we often think we know what is best for us and think that the decisions of our life are to be made on our own. If our Father in Heaven has provided a lifeline why would you choose to not take advantage of it? Maybe it is pride, ignorance, or plain foolishness that we don't seek Him, but He waits patiently and lovingly for you to seek His wisdom.

"Wherefore...seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works." (Jacob 4:9)

 May you have faith enough to humble yourselves in prayer with a willing heart to obey whatever counsel God reveals to you. It is okay to not know the answer to everything and to rely on God to guide your steps. I promise that the more you learn to rely on His infinite wisdom, you cannot go wrong. Whatever you ask, if you ask in faith, you will receive divine assistance.