The teenage driver was speeding along a busy city street when her car began to shudder violently.
"What's that?" she asked.
Her father sitting in the front passenger seat replied, "Slow down, get to the right lane and stop as soon as you can."
When modern conveniences break down, we find ourselves losing some of our comfort level as well as facing an unwanted interruption in our daily routine. Even the scripture, "if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" (Doctrine and Covenants 38:30) sometimes doesn't seem reassuring in the early stages of an emergency.
In this instance the father knew exactly what was happening with the car, having experienced similar situations in his travels.
"You've got a flat tire," he said. "Pull over here, put on your emergency flashers and let's hope we've got a fully inflated spare tire."
Other than the annoyance of being delayed, the father and daughter dealt with their predicament. Luckily the spare tire was inflated, and the tools were available to make the repair. Afterward, reflecting on this incident, the father and daughter were grateful they had come through their "adventure" relatively unscathed. They had been able to stop without endangering themselves or others, had found a safe spot to work without impeding traffic, and were soon able to be on their way again — albeit a bit slower this time.
Had the young driver been alone, the result might have been a lot different. Certainly, it would have been a bit more traumatic for her. Sometimes we need the counsel and advice of another who has faced a similar situation and can guide us through our predicament, much like the father with his daughter. Or, left to our own devices, we are sometimes wont to muddle through wishing we had help from someone to guide us.
The time to prepare for an emergency is not when it stares us in the face. We can endure such only if we have sufficient physical and spiritual reserves in place. We also need to have the confidence to accomplish those things that are required of us. While we cannot prepare for every emergency, we can do those things necessary that will ease our way through it.
President Gordon B. Hinckley has counseled, "There are seasons in our lives, seasons when we can prepare and work, when the sun shines and the air is warm. And there are other seasons when the storms of life would beat upon us and destroy us if they could. Summer is the time for preparation against the harshness of winter" (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 470).
As we face challenges, let us remember that we can do so with the help of others and with the companionship of the Holy Ghost if we will but seek guidance through prayer and other means to draw nearer to God.
President David O. McKay remarked in a conference address in April 1958, "We may resolve to let all our sorrows and weaknesses go with the passing time, but we know that every thought, every inclination has left its indelible impression upon our souls, and we shall have to deal with it. So live, then, that each day will find you conscious of having willfully made no person unhappy. No person who has lived a well-spent day will have a sleepless night because of a stricken conscience."
We might not be totally prepared for some particular emergency, but we need not surrender hope as long as we have confidence in ourselves and a helping hand from Lord, the Holy Ghost and others.