Strap it On!

I recently was able to get a new knee brace while I was home for the holidays.  It isn’t a pair of P.F. Flyers, but I feel I am running faster and jumping higher.  Interestingly, I found while wearing it, the value it has seems unnoticeable.  While I have it on my leg feels fine and feels it doesn’t need any support.  But that changes when I take the brace off.  My knee feels unstable, and walking down stairs again becomes a scary prospective.  It occurred to me this morning how the brace acts as a living analogy in my life.  It is easy to overlook the value of something used often in our lives.

Just before the break I was able to take a walk up around the Temple here in Provo.  While crossing the street near the temple I noticed a car coming to the intersection.  I was talking with my sister Beth on the phone, and jokingly asked her if she thought the car was going to stop.  At that moment, the thought came to me that no, the car was not going to stop. 

And it did not, at least not at the stop sign.  I took a step backwards just as the car came to a stop right where I would have been.  The car was close enough where I could see the old lady’s lap, but not her face as it was obstructed by the roof of her car.  I heard a “oooo,” and then she took off.  I couldn’t tell if it was an “ooo [I didn’t see you, sorry!]” or a “ooo [creepy guy just snuck up way too close to my car!].”  Either way, we are still both alive.  Sometimes I wonder if it is a full time job for my Heavenly Father to keep me safe.  But then I remember—it is.

In many ways the brace on my leg works a lot like my diligence in following the Spirit and direction from God I find in my life.  When I am diligent, life seems to go smoother and without wrinkles—I don’t get hit by cars.  I begin to think because all these other things are going well it won’t hurt if I let a few of the small things slip.  As soon as I let them slip I find that just like my knee, I am lacking a vital support which lubricates the machine of my life.  So, I take the brace out, strap it on, smile, and have a good day! I know as I do what the Lord expects of me, He is there to help me overcome the things I cannot.