-By Kennedy Rohwer
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
How amazing is that scripture to think about? That it doesn’t matter what things are thrown in our way or what hardships we’re asked face, because of our Savior Jesus Christ. His atoning sacrifice really does overcome all things and because of that, we have nothing to fear.
This scripture has been extremely close to my heart the past few months as I’ve experienced a few things that have tried and tested me severely. Life is hard and unfair and can beat you down, but as funny as it sounds, when these times come around I feel like we not only feel the lowest lows, but we also have the ability to feel the highest highs.
Back at the beginning of February on a super rainy night, three friends and I were leaving to go from our university to Vegas for a weekend trip. I decided to drive because none of my friends had access to a car. Before we even made it out of town, we were driving down a narrow, unlit street when I had the worst moment of my life.
It was raining really hard. This old man, wearing a dark raincoat with the hood up, arms full of groceries walked right out in front on me. I remember so vividly the impact and seeing his body roll into the street. I was not even sure at that moment what had just happened.
I remember pulling my car to the side of the road and running out in the pouring rain, kneeling by the man’s side screaming “Please wake up” and “Please be ok” over and over again. It was one of those things that you only expect to see in movies. It was terrifying- to say the least, we were all scared and in shock.
During this time, we had many people stop to make sure we were ok, including two people I like to consider my earthly angels. While we were sitting in my car, soaked from the rain and waiting to get my information back from a policeman, a sweet lady walked over to us to make sure we were alright. Even though we assured her we were fine, a few minutes later she came back to our car and told us she wasn’t going to leave us and welcomed us into her and her husband’s truck.
That was such a tender mercy and we were all convinced that Heavenly Father had placed them in our path that night. It wasn’t until a few weeks later when the lady, whom we now consider a close friend, explained her experience that night. The words she used are better than I could ever try come up with, so I want to share what she said:
“We were headed … to dinner at Café Sabor. But then I told my husband to turn on First East to go to Le Nonne, which normally I would never say because we weren’t dressed up and didn’t have reservations. When we got there it looked super busy so we just kept on driving along First East and that’s how we happened upon the accident.
We both felt strongly that we should stop even though it appeared that several others had already stopped. After getting out and helping and seeing that things were under control, I got back in the truck. That’s when I heard the Spirit tell me, ‘Don’t leave those girls!’ That’s when I came to your car and asked you to come to the truck with me.”
She continued explaining to us that she knows they were led to us that night, and I have no doubt that she is right. Right after the accident happened, my friends and I said a prayer asking not only for the man to be OK, but also to have comfort in this awful situation. And I believe this couple was an answer to our prayer. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father was looking over us that night and was fully aware of everything going on.
Later that night, back at our apartment after receiving priesthood blessings, the detective showed up. He and let us know that even though there was nothing we could have done to prevent the accident, that the man I hit had passed away in the ambulance on his way to the hospital. I was heartbroken! But there was a feeling of peace and calm around us. Once again, I felt that Heavenly Father was aware of me and was surrounding me with people to bear me up.
I remember the next day sitting alone in my room crying. I felt so overwhelmed with love. At that moment sitting in my room, I literally felt the arms of my Savior wrapped around me. I felt like so many worldly things were being thrown at me, yet I couldn’t feel any of them. It was when I felt lost in the world, that I was able to find myself in Christ. I’ve come to realize the importance and power of having a foundation of faith in the Savior. He was my continuous rock and anchor- because of my faith in Him, I couldn’t sink.
Sometimes it’s hard for us to find the beauty in heartbreak when we’re experiencing hard things. We feel like everything’s going wrong and that we’re so alone. Sometimes we feel helplessness because we’re so caught up in everything happening that we aren’t able to see the Lord’s hand in the process. In my situation, it took me hitting a low point to allow myself to see Him. When I did, He was everywhere.
I don’t even think I could count all of the tender mercies I received because of my faith in Him. The next few weeks I honestly did better than I ever imagined I could. I moved on with schooling, work, etc. and I was able to find peace. But I know that none of that was because of me. Obviously, it was still hard, but Christ was lifting me up. Without Him, I wouldn’t have had the strength to endure. Through this experience, the Atonement of Christ became so real to me. He was mending my broken heart and carrying me when I couldn’t walk. I’m so grateful for my Savior.
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