The Miracle of the Gravel

Not quite 11 months ago, I signed up to serve two service missions for my church simultaneously.  The one mission I work at what we call 'the Bishop's Storehouse' and assist people in the filling of their orders for long-term food storage.  The other mission is with Family Search in Salt Lake City.  I dedicate a minimum of 12 hours a week proofreading and approving pre-typed records of marriages, births, deeds, etc. to enable others to find traces of their family history that will allow them to build their family tree.

Over the months while serving, small miracles occurred that helped build my testimony that Jesus is the Christ.  However, I cannot explain away the power of prayer and how this Christmas miracle has affected me.  On the Wednesday before Christmas 2019, as I departed my home headed for my part-time job, I stopped at the gate post and surveyed my driveway.  

Just last month, the grandkids for my birthday had brought 13 large buckets of gravel to fill in my large potholes that seemed to be growing.  But this day on December 18th, the holes were bigger than ever and there was no sign of the gravel that we had filled the holes with.  Those same holes had plagued me for many years while living here.  They seemed to be bottomless, ever-growing between gravel trips.  I did not know what to do.

As I seem to do so many times lately, I turned my eyes and heart towards heaven and pleaded with my Heavenly Father for his guidance and help so that I would know what to do in regards to fixing my driveway.  I sat for 5-10 minutes spilling my heart out about how I would like not to be troubled with a driveway that stood in water for many days after a hard rain, how it would be nice not to see my gravel disappear so quickly after having it spread.  I continued to pray as I moved on down the driveway and prayed all the way to work that Heavenly Father would help me to know what to do to remedy my drive so that anyone that used it would not be plagued by the deep holes and for me to have the wisdom to know what I needed to do.

Once at work, my driveway left my mind.  After work, I had some errands to do which included the grandkids and getting ice cream with them.  It was after 10 pm when I arrived home and as I started up the driveway, it looked different.  Then I stopped.  I brightened my headlights to see white all the way up the drive.  I had gravel on my driveway!! How could this be??!!?? I had earlier in the day asked the Heavenly Father to help me know what to do in regards to gravel and now I have a driveway full of gravel! I began sobbing and praising my God for his greatness and goodness.  My evening prayers thanked him for the miracle in my driveway.  

It is quite humbling to know that my prayers are listened to and often answered by my Heavenly Father who always knows what I need the most.  He knew I needed to be humbled and to know that I am not the only person who does kind deeds for others, often people I don't even know.  The most unique thing about all this is that evening when I was ready to write in my journal, the scripture at the bottom of the page was Matthew 25:40 "Inasmuch as ye have done unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

I don't believe in coincidences.  I believe that our lives are carefully orchestrated to get us to our final destiny - eternal life in the heavens above.  Trials and tribulations are given us to strengthen us that we might be strong like steel from a heat treat process, pure like gold from a refiner's fire.  We have agency to choose good or bad which changes our outcome, but we can make corrections along the way that will return us to the proper path.  It's the final outcome and our choice of good over evil that will help us attain eternal happiness.  I choose to walk in the light, the footsteps of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  What do you choose?