Thank Goodness for Maps

I have been totally and completely reliant on maps.google.com since we moved to Arizona. I feel so much more confident about going someplace if I have checked google maps, printed out the directions, and checked the street view to see what side of the street it’s on:

I’m starting to recognize some streets, and memorize if they go north/south or east/west. I’m becoming more familiar with the different kinds of streetlights and road markings. Sometimes I feel like this is a different country because when you drive south towards Mexico, the signs change from miles to kilometers and meters:

I would not feel very comfortable going somewhere in this new city without checking a map, getting a little guidance first. Thank goodness for guidance in life’s journey too. Elder Nelson said,

“[God] provided a guide—a spiritual road map—to help us achieve success in our journey. We call that guide the standard works, so named because they—the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—constitute the standard by which we should live. They serve as a standard of reference, as are standards of time, weights, and measures that are kept in national bureaus of standards.” (Living by Spiritual Guidance)

I am totally and completely reliant on my spiritual guides. Without them, I would often be lost. Thank goodness for maps in the scriptures. Elder Nelson calls these maps “the standard by which we should live.” Elder Bednar calls them “patterns:”

“A pattern is a plan, model, or standard that can be used as a guide for repetitively doing or making something. And the scriptures are full of spiritual patterns. Typically, a scriptural pattern is broader and more comprehensive than a connection. In the Doctrine and Covenants we find patterns for preaching the gospel, for avoiding deception, for constructing temples … and for a variety of other purposes.” (Elder Bednar – A Reservoir of Living Water)

The patterns and guides in the scriptures help and comfort me when I feel nervous or anxious or unsure. So do all the people who love me. I’m thankful for parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends, cousins and teachers for leading and guiding me. Most of all, I’m thankful that the Lord answers my prayers when I seek guidance.

“For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy ^aname’s sake lead me, and guide me.” (Psalm 31:3) 

This scripture reminds me of “I am a child of God…and so my needs are great. Help me to understand his words, before it grows to late. Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do, to live with Him someday.”

“Be thou ^ahumble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.” (Doctrine and Covenants 112:10)

I know the Lord is extending his hand to us, to lead us and comfort us.

Love to everyone who reads this!