Boundaries With God

My sister recently shared this experience with me. After the complicated and difficult delivery of her seventh child she bled a river. She was given several units of blood, but her situation was dangerous. She was finally allowed to go home with the counsel to take it easy, but by the time they let her out of that hospital bed she was restless. Besides, she had a household to run. She continued to bleed heavily at home off and on. Over the weekend she became weak and knew she was losing the battle for her health. At her request her husband gave her a priesthood blessing (the equivalent of praying over her). In the blessing the Lord said that he does not often intervene but that he usually lets life take its course. He told her that he would save her this time, but next time he would let her die. He cautioned her to be more careful in her choices.

Accountability

As our world changes it is important that we take responsibility for our own lives. God does intervene sometimes, but many times he allows us to experience the natural consequences of our own choices and even the impact from the choices of others. He knows that is the best way for us to learn and to mature and to improve our character. If he were to constantly rescue us he would be robbing us of our growth opportunities. He loves us too much to do that.

God is going to hold us accountable for our actions, so it is time that we prepared ourselves for the trials ahead of us. We must shoulder the responsibility for our own lives and the welfare of our children. When the plagues of the seventh seal are unleashed upon the earth and we are caught unprepared and off guard it will be our own fault and we will not be able to blame God. We will have to suffer through it as best we can, so I suggest we do our best now to get ready. Then Heavenly Father will look down upon us in our times of preparation and he will smile and say approvingly, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Bad Things Happen

Heavenly Father lets bad things happen to good people. If you don't believe me watch the news or maybe just ask Brooklyn. Brooklyn is an eight year old girl who is fighting one of the rarest forms of cancer from which there is no hope of rescue. I am not as smart as Heavenly Father because if I could rescue Brooklyn I would. She and her family have discovered a tremendous amount of courage and endurance inside themselves, and yet they wonder why God let this happen to them.

Just because bad things happen to us doesn't mean we get to pass the buck. We have to take charge and assume responsibility in spite of Murphy and his law. Those who succeed at Murphy-proofing their lives know that bad things will eventually happen, and so they make smart choices to prepare for the inevitable.

They buy car insurance so they are covered in case of an accident. They have life insurance in case the worst happens, their family won't be left heart broken and broke. They exercise and get the right kinds of food and the right amount of sleep because they know Murphy could give them a host of reasons to need to see a doctor, but they are one step ahead of him. They don't live paycheck to paycheck, putting things on their Visa or Master Card. They have a cash reserve for emergencies. They have more than just three or four weeks worth of food in their home. They are prepared, so they don't need to worry.

Bad things happen all over the world all the time. Murphy's Law predicts that bad things will eventually happen to each of us. Don't just hope for the best. Be wise. Be faithful. Be accountable. Take responsibility for your needs. Prepare yourself and your family with every needful thing. Set your house in order. Get prepared. Be ready. The good news is we can do this! We can be ready.