The mail box...

About a month or so ago I went with my companion, Sister Christensen, to a dinner appointment with one of my favorite families in our ward. The husband told us a story about how when he was a young boy he'd ask his dad, "Why is it raining outside?" to which the dad would respond, "It was something you did." He then went on to explain that whenever something in his life would go wrong that was far out of his control, he would make light of the situation by laughing it off and saying, "It must've been something I did." It's all about looking on the bright side of life.

After dinner, we got into our car and started to pull out. It was my turn to drive that day, and the weather conditions were not the best. It was pouring rain and hard to see because it so dark. I thought I was pulling out to the road when Sister Christensen called out, "MAIL BOX!" followed by a loud crunch. Oops... The family's mailbox had been in one of my blind spots and I totally knocked it over! It took me a while to process what had actually happened. I moved the car and got back out into the rain to go back to apologize and see if I could pay for the damage I'd caused.

 

 When the family opened the door the first thing I said was, "It was something I did!" followed by a sincere apology. They could only laugh and tell me how grateful they were that I was okay. 

Life is full of ups and downs. We all make mistakes. It happens! It doesn't mean that we are worth any less or that we aren't loved. Everything that comes our way is an opportunity to learn and grow. One of the simple lessons I learned from this experience was the reality of repentance. Repentance isn't meant to be a scary thing! It's how we change ourselves to bring us into closer harmony with God. It all depends on how you look at it. Are you willing to look at the bright side and admit that it was "something you did"? 

Joseph B. Wirthlin said, "The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life." He gave the greatest advice:

 Come what may and love it!

No matter what happens, it's our choice how we react.

Lucky for me, this family still likes me because we were invited over for dinner again! They had put their mailbox back together using clamps!

 

I learned another simple lesson from this experience! Just as the clamps were holding the broken mail box together, our savior Jesus Christ died for us to suffer not only for our sins, but to put us back together when we feel broken.

I know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, we can repent and be healed of feelings of guilt or shame. He is always there for us to help us deal with the challenges that we all face in life. He knows who we are and how to help us with our mistakes- even mistakes as small as knocking over a mail box. :)