Because the Gospel is Key

We all have a bit of a vacation hangover today, but it was so good to sleep in my own bed last night! This morning we jumped right back into our regular Sunday routine which meant family home evening and our Come Follow Me study time.

Kev had the lesson today and he invited us to think about spiritual lessons learned from our time in Yellowstone. Kev shared with us the fact that there is a delicate balance in Yellowstone, a balance between fire and regrowth, between the different animals in the food chain, etc. When the wolves were eliminated from the park nearly a century ago, that balance was thrown off, although it took decades for the effects to become evident. Reintroduction of wolves back into the park rebalanced the ecosystem and it is thriving today. The gospel connection Kev made was the idea of balance. We all need to work together and help each other.

He also talked about the devastating wildfires that ripped through Yellowstone in the summer of 1988. There was so much destruction that it was thought that the park would never recover. But the park bounced back in amazing ways. Within weeks there were new trees and other plants growing up from the ash. In spite of the magnitude of the destruction, the park not only regrew, it flourished. Repentance is like that. No matter how bad things are, there is always a way back.

For me, one of the things that stood out was how many spectacular things we saw and the fact that Heavenly Father created this amazing world for us. He created all it’s beauty and wonder for us to enjoy. Yes, life can be hard sometimes, or most times, but he made roses so that we could take time to smell them. Despite any and all difficulties we may encounter, we should take time to bask in the multitude of awe-inspiring things this world contains and be grateful for them.

Another gospel parallel I found in Yellowstone is the need to stay on the path. There are signs posted all over to stay on the boardwalks in order to prevent harmful consequences. But in most places, there aren’t actually rangers posted to enforce the rules. The gospel is like that. Our Heavenly Father has given us a path, one that we need to take if we want to make it back to him. He has also given us the agency to choose whether or not to stay on the path. But safety is only found by walking the road he has shown us.

Daniel spoke in sacrament meeting today. He had been asked to talk about his experiences in seminary. He used our vacation to illustrate what he felt was the most important thing he learned in those four years. There is no cell service in Yellowstone. All service drops off just about as soon as you drive through the gates. As a result, there were no texts, Group Me alerts, phone calls, etc. whenever we were in the park. He explained that while he was in Yellowstone, the effects of the world were diminished. He likened that to the need for us to stand in quiet places in order to hear the Spirit. The Spirit won’t compete.

I’m so grateful for this week that I got to spend with my family. I’m so grateful that we were able to experience and enjoy a few of the many wonders this world contains. And I’m so grateful that the gospel is a part of our lives, that all we do and all we are is inexorably intertwined with the truth with which we have been blessed.