Mynnette's Musings: Where am I going?!

The Dual Parable of Augusta, KS

 

                One afternoon I received a call from the sister missionaries serving our ward to ask a favor.  They were in need of a ride from their residence in Haysville, KS to Arkansas City, KS to complete splits with the sisters in that area.  The distance between the two cities is 30 miles. 

Sister Nelson, Sister Reynolds, and I started out from Haysville and, guided by Sister Reynolds as to how to get to her residence, arrived there safely about 45 minutes after leaving Haysville.  Hugs were exchanged and goodbyes were said as Sister Clark replaced Sister Reynolds in our car for the journey back to Haysville. 

We left Ark City confident that we were on the right track and knew our way home.  About 5 minutes into our journey, we received a call from Sister Reynolds asking if we knew our way back.  We assured her that we were confident in our knowledge of how to get back home.  We continued on, talking about the gospel and having a wonderful time. 

We came to the end of the road we were on and I realized that because we had missed a turn, we had ended up in Augusta, KS, some 40 miles north and east of our intended destination.  I reassured the sisters that I knew how to get back, as I have friends who live in Augusta.  I also told them I was confident that I knew the quickest way back. 

Instead of heeding a feeling that I had to continue to a major road, I took the first left turn that I knew to be a quicker way back southwest.  Upon coming to the crossroads where I needed to turn, we found a sign that told us that construction work was being done on the road and we had to turn back. 

I made an executive decision to take a dirt road leading us west so that we would not have to go all the way back to the highway we had left.  It was a bumpy, dirty and sometimes scary journey to travel that dirt road in a minivan.  I had to be very careful not to go too fast, not to hit potholes and not to hit other cars traveling the opposite direction.

We finally arrived at our intended destination, Haysville, 1 ½ hours later than planned.  The sisters had just enough time to go inside and discard their items before we again hit the road and went to their dinner appointment.

When I got home, feeling a bit foolish, I decided to ponder on what I could have done differently in the situation.  I realized that Sister Reynolds had had a prompting from the Spirit to call us and we should have heeded that prompting as she did in making sure we knew where we were going.  I also realized that had I listened to her then, we would not have ended up in Augusta. 

The other lesson I learned was that I do not always know the correct way back and should listen to the Spirit, who does.  If I would have heeded the prompting I had to go to a major road instead of taking my shortcut, we would have arrived still late, but not as late as we did.

This is how our lives sometimes turn out.  We are on a course that we feel is the right path for us.  While on this course, we may receive counsel from parents or leaders asking us if we need help or giving us suggestions.  We have the agency to choose whether or not to accept this counsel—and we should!  If we don’t, we end up very far away from where we should be. 

If we then realize that we should have listened, we have the opportunity to repent.  The Spirit will guide us to the fastest way to repent, and we should heed it.  If we do not, we end up with another road block in our way, having to turn around once more.  We will end up treading a much more difficult road in order to not have to back track to the beginning of where we realized we went wrong. 

Oh, may we always listen to those righteous friends who have our best interests at heart!  May we be open to the Spirit’s guiding influence to help us back when we stray so that we may one day live again with our Father in Heaven and our Savior in perfect happiness.

Related scriptures: Jacob 4:7, Ether 12:27, Mark 13:33, 1 Corinthians 10:12, 1 Nephi 15:25, Alma 12:9, D&C 21:4, D&C 84:43, D&C 93:48, Deuteronomy 7:12, Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 23:22, 2 Nephi 8:1, 2 Nephi 9:29, Alma 5:38, 3 Nephi 28:34, Exodus 19:5, Exodus 20:12, Leviticus 26:3&21, Deuteronomy 20:30, Joshua 24:24, 1 Samuel 15:22, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Zechariah 6:15, Luke 11:28, John 7:17, John 15:10, Acts 5:29, Psalms 38:18, Proverbs 28:13, Isaiah 55:17, Ezekiel 16:61, Matthew 3:2-11, Luke 13:3, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 2 Peter 3:9, 2 Nephi 2:21, Jacob 3:3, Alma 5:31, 3 Nephi 9:22, D&C 18:13, D&C 58:43, Moses 6:57.

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