"Things aren't always what they seem"

 

For he shall give his angels charge over thee,

to keep thee in all thy ways.

 

Psalms 91:11

 

God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face.

 

God is God

He knows what He is doing.

When you can’t trace His hand,

Trust His Heart.

 

We are only given the burdens God knows we can carry.

If your burden is heavy trust that He has given you great strength.

 

.... You have His power within you to sustain you. You have the right to ministering angels about you to protect you. Do not let Goliath frighten you. Stand your ground...

 

Gordon B. Hinckley

 

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.

The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room.

Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it.

When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied,

"Things aren't always what they seem"

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor,

but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest.

When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears.

Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen?

The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused.

The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die..

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.

"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion,

I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.

Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune,

I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it." "Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of

death came for his wife I gave him the cow instead.

Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things 

don't turn out the way they should.

If you have faith, you just need to trust that

every outcome is always to your advantage.

You just might not know it until sometime later...

May we all believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord’s promise “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, … my Spirit shall be in your heart, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”  In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith…..