The Ride of My Life

by Kari Pike

Is it just me, or do any of you out there occasionally find yourself caught off-guard by unexpected hair pin turns along life's highway? My husband and I encountered an impressive s-curve last week when he suddenly, meaning not by choice, found himself walking out of his employer's office to begin the process of becoming self-employed.

As romantic as the possibilities might be, having your husband arrive home at 10:30 on a Friday morning is usually not a good sign. One of the last things Doug wanted to tell me was that he had to change jobs, again. The thing is, as soon as I heard him come in, I knew. My usual flirtatious and teasing comments stuck in my throat. I swallowed them down, took a deep breath, and just listened. The fact that he walked in the door while I was in the middle of my scripture study proved to be a great blessing. I am grateful for the comforting reassurance the presence of the Holy Spirit brings us. I recalled the counsel given by our Prophet that, when faced with adversity, we should stay calm and pray. Later, as Doug was lying on the bed trying to gather himself together, I told him he had three hours to be depressed and then I intended to kick him into gear. Doug chuckled and thanked me for my generosity. We attended a sealing that afternoon and the feeling of comfort and reassurance we received was humbling. By 3:00 Saturday afternoon, Doug had an e-mail account, a cell phone, and business cards in his company name. By Tuesday afternoon, he had a six-month contract with one client and several hourly contracts with other clients. Doors opened and blessings poured in.

So why, on Wednesday, did I feel as though I were drowning? I've experienced this before. I call it the "Surviving the Hurricane and Drowning in the Puddle Afterwards" syndrome. I've begun to recognize that my personal challenge lies in remaining faithful to the end. I rely fully on the Lord when things are really tough...like in that recent Country song, "Jesus Take the Wheel," I know I don't have the ability to steer on my own. But I find that I tend to get in the way when I think the crisis is over. Kind of like, "Hey, sorry I bothered you. I know how busy you are and I know better now, so I'll just take back over." Then I skid in a puddle. And I crash.

When Doug returned home from meeting with his new clients, I reached out to him and said, "Give me a big hug and tell me things are going to be okay." He took me in his arms, looked into my eyes, and with a small smile said, "Back at ya." I looked up at him in disbelief. Then we both started laughing, and hugging, and I got the biggest kiss! (After I hit him!) The sun started shining again and when I went outside to get the mail, I noticed a spot of green among the black leaves of our frost-bitten ficus tree. I walked under the tree to get a closer look. There, under the canopy, close to the trunk, healthy green leaves showed promise of continuing life.

I've given the wheel back to the Savior. If I let Him steer the course, I can experience the beautiful sights and revel in the joy of the journey, instead of worrying about when and where the next curve or puddle will be. So, the next time you see some crazy woman hangin' out the window, throwing her hands in the air, and yelling "Yee Haw!" you'll know it's me, revelling in the ride of my life.