Fire!

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Fire!

When I was growing up, each summer my family stayed at our cabin in Utah. One morning my friend Danny and I decided we wanted to clear an area in a nearby field so we could have a campfire. We began to pull at the tall grass, but we knew this would take the entire day.

I said to Danny, “All we need is to set these weeds on fire. We’ll just burn a circle in the weeds!”

I want to make it clear that both Danny and I were forbidden to use matches without adult supervision. Our parents had warned us many times of the dangers of fire. However, I knew where my family kept the matches, and we thought we needed to clear that field. I grabbed a few matchsticks, making certain no one was watching.

Back to Danny I ran. I struck a match and set the grass ablaze. It ignited as though it had been drenched in gasoline. At first Danny and I were thrilled as we watched the weeds disappear, but soon we saw that the fire was not about to go out on its own. We panicked as we realized there was nothing we could do to stop it.

Finally we had no option but to run for help. Soon all available men and women were dashing back and forth with wet burlap bags, beating at the flames to try to put them out. After several hours the last remaining embers were smothered.

Danny and I learned several difficult but important lessons that day—not the least of which was the importance of obedience.

There are rules and laws to keep us physically safe. Likewise, Heavenly Father has provided guidelines and commandments to help ensure our spiritual safety so that we can return to Him. It is my humble prayer that we may be blessed with the rich rewards promised to the obedient.