Proceed with Caution



Nasty California Fog.



Driving around town here has been crazy lately. Never in my life have I had to drive through, or even really deal with fog. At first it was pretty sweet, just another new adventure for my companion and I to experience. However, it didn't take long for me to realize how dangerous this natural phenomenon could be. My morning drive had gone from a menial, mundane occurrence to a dangerous journey in which I had to pay close attention to everything around me preceded with caution.

The whole experience brought a scripture to mind. The first prophet in the Book of Mormon, Lehi, speaks of a prophetic metaphorical dream that he had, in which he describes people moving forward on a path that leads to the tree of life. While thus traveling, they were set upon by an ominous fog that was a critical challenge to their progression. His son Nephi writes,

"And it came to pass that there arose a ^amist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were ^blost."

1 Nephi 8:23

Later Nephi defines the mist of darkness as "the temptations of the devil" (1 Nephi 12:17). This is where the revelation came to me...

How often are we traveling on the road of life, and the path gets foggy and we have a hard time seeing our way through? With even the slightest bit of temptation, a normally easy journey can become quite difficult. Our destination that was once so clearly seen becomes hazy and sometimes not visible at all. It is true that when the temptations of the devil enter our lives, it can be hard to stay on the path of righteousness, and get to where we want.

Jesus Christ himself said,"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and ^apray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him."

3 Nephi 18:15

Just like driving in the fog, when going through life we have to watch and pray continually. We must be vigilant and observant to any danger that could and will likely appear. We have to make sure that we are always being careful that we are staying on the pathway we want to be on, otherwise we wont be able to make our way through the thick fog. When we are watchful, making sure to pray and read our scriptures daily, we will receive guidance from our Father in Heaven through the Holy Ghost and be able to wade our way through the thick darkness and reach our ultimate goal of eternal life. If not, we run the great and all too fatal risk of being tempted and led astray by our adversary. Because our Heavenly Father is interested in our own personal happiness and our final destination, he has prepared a way back onto the path when we get lost. We can, through atonement of Jesus Christ, turn back and land safely on that path so we can continue. I testify, as one who has seen the thick fog of temptation close in, that if we go to Him in prayer, and ask for help, He will lead and guide us. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.