Mud Miles and the Atonement

February 1st the Denver Metro area had its first heavy snow storm, which dumped about two feet of snow. Let's just say it wasn't a great time to walk or drive in whiteout conditions. I still had to drive to school and I managed to nab this picture of the open space right behind the College.

When Colorado gets two feet of snow and persists with freezing temperature it takes a really long time for the snow to melt. We finally hit 60 degrees yesterday and I thought it would be a great idea to walk the open space, but I was wrong. When two feet of snow melts it doesn't seep into the ground and creates some of the muddiest trails.

I'm not afraid of a little mud so I tried to venture out onto the trails, sloshing and slopping my way along. I continued down the mud mile almost slipping and falling, but I went forward never the less. The mud was so soft in some places it almost seeped up to my ankles and I had to tug on my knee to pull my foot out. I made it half way and the trail only got worse.

I made it as far as the fence and turned back, it wasn't worth getting stuck in the mud when nobody is around to pull me out. Thankfully I struggled back to car and wiped off my shoes and pant legs in the white snow. As I sat in the passenger seat of my car with my legs dangling over the seat I reflected on how life is filled with many mud miles. When we walk the mud miles, the mud sticks to us and it makes it harder to move forward. Sometimes the mud seeps up to our knees and we have to dirty our hands to get out. Then there are times we are in over our head in mud and unable to get out without help. Sometimes we are so focused on walking the mud miles we fail to recognize the blessings in life. If I hadn't paused on the trail I would've missed seeing the beautiful mountains.

Sometimes we need something to look forward so that walking the mud miles is easier. Thankfully we have a loving Savior and his Atonement makes it possible for us to repent and return to him. Without his help we would continue to be stuck, but we have to be the one extend our hand and admit we need help. When we admit we need help the Savior will take us by the hand and pull us out and wipe the mud from our eyes and restore our sight. Things we didn't see clearly before the trial are made clear and we continue down the road of life with new insights of the trial we just overcame.