Speaking of Trials: Pies and Saddles

Usually what determines our faith,

is when we witness some supernatural evidence

of God's hand in our life...

whether through the change of heart 

in ourselves or others,

a miraculous healing,

an answer to an unspoken prayer,

and those tender mercies spoken of by 

Nephi ch 1 vs. 20...

"...but behond, I, Nephi, will show unto you that 

the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom

he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them 

mighty even unto the power of deliverance."

There are many stories of faith derived from the early saints of the Church

especially noted are those who crossed the plains to reach their destination

of  Salt Lake City, Utah.

I recently heard this story from our Relief Society President,about a tender mercy--

There was an older woman travelling in a trek company.

She was so worn-out and poor-in-spirit

that she decided to stop where she was,

sit down and die in the wilderness.

When word of this got to one of her daughters,

that daughter walked back to find her mother.

On the way, the daughter found an apple pie 

on the side of the trail.
A miracle!

She picked it up, took it to her mother

and together they ate the pie;

then the mother finished her journey to Salt Lake

without incident, feeling God's love for her.

The RS Pres. shared another story from that time--

Orson Brown recorded :

In the fall he and his sons, Alex and Jesse, who had been members of the Battalion, went to California to collect from the government the pay for the Battalion. Winter set in before their return and they suffered terribly and nearly starved to death. The last few days they subsisted upon soup made by boiling the buckskin and leather from their saddles.

Did you get that?  They were sustained by eating boiled leather.

Apple Pie or Boiled Leather?

Each of the persons involved were in need of sustenance--

physically and emotionally.

All parties' prayers were answered--

they made it to their destination.

BUT

which would you rather have?

I know when I am faced with trials

that I pray over,

I want

apple pie.

But more often than not,

I'm boiling my saddle.

That is not to say,

I've never been given apple pie--

I have!

Oh have I!

Yet, many of my pleadings are answered

by a pot of boiling water--

as in,

"help your self."

Recently, I was having a time of it.

I had prayed about something specific,

and Mr W gave me a blessing.

In the blesssing,

I was told among other things to

 "be more optimistic"

"to have hope in the future"...

So for the rest of the week,

I tried to think of the blessings I have

to remind myself that yes,

I've had apple pie before.

I really wanted more apple pie.

But I was worried I'd be eating leather

whether I wanted to or not.

So I stopped thinking of apple pie altogether

and started thinking of ways to cook leather.

Just when I was about to start the boiling water,

I looked up

and there sat an apple pie.

Heavenly Father loves us.

And we may look around at others' miracles and wonder

where our apple pies' are...

where is God's hand in my life?-- we think.

I don't have the answer as to what constitutes a

pie day 

or 

a saddle day.

Is not the foundation of trust in our Heavenly Father
believing that He is aware of our needs,
and answers our prayers with complete
omniscience?--
that He knows when to send an apple pie
and when to send a pot of water
for our own good?


Yet, don't we look at someone else's apple pie
and wonder why we don't also have what they're having?--
 don't we wonder if the Lord is aware of us or loves us
to the same degree as another?
Do we remember that we are His children and that He doesn't have favorites?

Can we trust in His love for us...
even while we're eating our saddle
and wishing it were a warm slice of pie with a cold glass of milk?


Thoughts??? Do you eat mostly pie or 
have an acquired taste for leather soup?