THE ROCKCLIMBER

"Brenda was a young woman that wanted to learn to rock climb. Although she was terribly afraid, she went with a group and they faced this tremendous cliff of rock that was practically perpendicular. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear and took hold of the rope and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, whoever was holding the rope up at the top of the cliff made a mistake and snapped the rope against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens. You know how tiny contact lenses are and how almost impossible to find. Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with who knows how many hundreds of feet behind and hundreds of feet above her.

Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping that she would be able to find that contact lens. Here she was, very far from home. Her sight was now blurry. She was very upset by the fact that she wouldn't be anywhere near a place where she could get a new contact lens. And she prayed that the Lord would help her to find it. Well, her last hope was that perhaps when she got to the top of the cliff, one of the girls that was up there on the top might be able to find her contact lens in the corner of her eye. When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye. There was no contact lens to be found. She sat down with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to come up the face of the cliff. She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and from throughout the whole earth". She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every single stone and leaf that's on those mountains and You know exactly where my contact lens is".

Finally the time came when it was time to go down. They walked down the trail to the bottom. Just as they got there, there was a new party of rock climbers coming along. As one of them started up the face of the cliff, she shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, wouldn't it? She had found the contact lens! But you know why she saw it? An ant was carrying that contact lens so that it was moving slowly across the face of the rock. What does that tell you about the God of the universe? Is he in charge of the tiniest things? Do ants matter to Him? Of course they do. He made them. He designed them. Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him this incredible story, he drew a picture of that ant lugging that contact lens with the words: "Lord, I don't know why you want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what you want me to do, I'll carry it for you". If God is in charge of the ants, don't you think He cares about you and me? One could learn a valuable lesson from that ant: TRUST IN GOD! We could probably all say a little more often, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. Still, if you want me to, I'll carry it for you".

-  Author unknown


What can we learn from this story? Several things as a matter of fact:

1. God answers prayer.
2. He uses others to meet our needs.
3. No request of Him is too small or too great.
4. Good sees and knows all things. What is important to us is likewise important to Him: "And not one hair, neither mote, shall be lost, for it is the workmanship of mine hand" (D&C 29:25)
5. When we feel inspired to do something we should do it, even if we don't understand why for God is working through us to bring about His purposes. Like Nephi of old who was commanded to abridge two sets of plates because 116 pages of the Book of Mormon translation would one day be lost, we should say: "....the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men.......for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey" (1 Nephi 9:6, 2 Nephi 33:15)
6. We should trust in God to bail us out of situations we have no power to resolve. He stands ready to help in all things. Like any father, He is devastated when we do not turn to Him in times of need. 
7. While we are climbing our mountains, we should remember that without God we can do nothing and that with Him, we can do everything.
8. All things and all creations on this earth God has created have a purpose. Remember that next time you are about to step on an ant. Be careful how you treat others for God might need to use them one day for your saving grace.
9. When your vision is blurry and you cannot see, God will provide the perspective and the lens you need to see your path clearly: "Behold, I will go before you and be your rearward...I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts....(D&C 49:27, 84:88). When we walk in darkness, we are not alone, God is on our left, and on our right, and before us and behind us. We are not alone.
10. God is a god of love. He cares for all his creations and we, His sons and His daughters, matter to Him the most. We are at the forefront of all His doings and all His concerns. When God showed Moses all the worlds He had created, Moses was astonished and exclaimed that man is nothing in comparison but God replied, 'No, you are wrong Moses, 'man is the underlying and over-riding purpose of all my work. Man's success constitutes my glory. Man is everything' (Ted Gibbons, OT Lesson 1, "This is My Work and My Glory")