Wrong Turn

After spending the day in Rexburg helping Stephanie get settled into her dorm and taking care of other things, I headed back to Idaho Falls a little after 9:00 PM. As I approached Idaho Falls, I remembered from my past visit that if I took the Lindsay Blvd exit, I would end up by the temple or the hotels. If it was the temple, I knew I could get to the hotels from there. Either way, I felt confident and safe. It was dark at the end of the exit and I turned right. As I proceeded down the street nothing looked familiar to me and I couldn't see the lights of the temple to get my bearings. I kept driving and could tell I was driving along the river and kept thinking I should run into Broadway at least. I went for what seemed 5 miles and could tell I was getting further way from the city. I could tell I was driving parrallel to the highway because I could see the other cars. I thought I was on a frontage road that might take me back to Rexburg. It was so dark and kind of scarey. I began praying that I would know what to do and drove a little further when I got the impression to turn around and go back to the highway I just exited off of and take the Interstate to Broadway. This I did. I was never so glad to get to the highway. Days later I looked at a map and realized I should have turned left instead of right. When I turned right I was driving parrallel to the Snake River and Interstate 15 headed toward Montana!

As I have thought about this experience, the overpowering darkness reminds me of the darkness one must feel when they have strayed from the teachings of Jesus Christ. It was very simple for me to get in the overpowering darkness, all it took was one wrong turn. By the same token it is very easy to stray from the teachings of our Savior, it takes one wrong turn. This wrong turn, if not recognized immediately and corrected, can very well lead us down a path we don't want to go. I am thankful I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and who blessed me with the guidance of the Holy Ghost that night, and always, so I could find my way back to where I needed to be, back where I felt safe and secure. Though this was a frightening experience, I learned a powerful lesson.