Digital Only: Young Adults
Who Are We Putting Our Trust In?
When we were stranded in the mountains after our car got stuck, I learned a valuable lesson about trust.
My husband and I were traveling to his parents’ home after a camping trip. With little cell service, we decided to use our GPS. We turned it on and set it on the shortest route to their home.
With just an hour or so to go, the GPS directed us to turn left onto a dirt road off the main highway. Though we were a bit confused by the directions, we trusted in the GPS and continued along this route. Before long, we were navigating some muddy sections on the road due to the scattered rain showers. At each puddle we encountered, we considered turning around, but we pushed forward. We felt we’d gone too far to turn back.
We reached a puddle that was so large, we got stuck.
We were alone in the mountains (besides wild animals). We hadn’t seen more than a couple vehicles since we’d left the main highway.
One thing was certain: there was no way we could get our car out of the mud on our own. In that moment, I was terrified. And in hindsight, there were some important parallels about trust that I drew from this experience.
Trust the Prophet
The GPS seemed like a reliable source to follow. But despite our wariness of the muddy path, we continued to trust the GPS’s directions and were eventually led astray. This reminded me of moments where we may be tempted to trust other sources more than God: social media, society, or even a friend. While their ideas may be appealing at times, we can’t always trust that what we see on social media is truth.
We do know, however, that the prophets and apostles of God only declare truth and will never lead us astray. Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified: “We are distinguished as a Church to be led by prophets, seers, and revelators called of God for this time. I promise that as you listen and follow their counsel, you will never be led astray. Never!”1
Trust the Spirit
Second Nephi 32:5 says, “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.” When the GPS led us off the main highway and onto a dirt road, we felt unsettled. Truly, the Spirit had warned us that we should turn around. But we chose to trust the GPS more.
Had we listened to the Spirit, we would’ve turned around and found ourselves safely at my in-laws’ home in time for dinner. This experience reminded me that ignoring the warnings of the Holy Ghost can lead to figurative “rough roads” where we frequently question if we are on the right path and may even get so far that we feel stuck. Heeding the promptings of the Spirit, on the other hand, can give us confidence that we are on the right path, even if the road still has some bumps along the way.
Trust in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ
Thankfully, there is always a way forward with Christ. Through Him, we can repent. We can pray to God for help to move forward in the right direction. And then we can try again to listen and act on the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
When we prayed to God for help after getting stuck, He brought peace to our hearts, and we trusted His prompting. Then we acted in faith. We walked a quarter of a mile to find a spot where we had cell service and could call our family. We told them what had happened and were able to give them a good idea of our location. Then we waited.
Near midnight, after being stuck for more than six hours, our family arrived to help. I felt an intense measure of relief and joy as we made gradual progress down the mountain toward their home, where dinner was waiting for us.
The Savior’s love and sacrifice provides the kind of relief, joy, and peace I felt when my family arrived—but His relief is much longer lasting. He is “the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by [Him]” (John 14:6). I know that as we follow the prophet, listen to the Spirit, pray to Heavenly Father, and act on and trust in promptings, we will be able to enjoy the confidence of knowing we are on the right path toward our heavenly home.