The trouble with using stories as an example

Initially, it was what attracted me to Utah. I noticed how profound and memorable every visitor was to me. What I loved most was the way they used stories and humor to teach a point that way they did not even need to understand deeper levels to teach them because they did understand the things they talked about and that was a metaphor for things thry did not know.  A very good example was my real weakness. I did not understand obedience, justice and mercy until I watched a video entitled "The Mediator" it made perfect sense, and I also stored in my mind equalibrium figure or scale and towers and often in my mind when I needed a refresher of those difficult concepts I would recall those images.

But, the reason I felt the need to speak right now was because of multiple pings banging around in my head that need to be addressed. On Sunday a woman spoke up about a fear she had of praying for patience because of the many stories of how this was answered. But, eventually, she overcame that worry because she really really needed patience. She noted how her answer came in a manner that was suited for her. I may have just paraphrased a thing Heavenly Father told me in a private blessing, but that is exactly what differentiates life from stories, the solution is geared for us personally and not likely to be the same across the board. We notice and say so much when taising children of our own,  especially in discipline, one size does not fit all.

Previously, in a class our teacher was telling the marvelous story of the boy Joseph Smith and how he needed to kniw a thing and read how to get an answer, so he Prayed and  before his glorious vision he experienced something terrifyingly horrible. Another woman jokingly commented how it was good that did not always hapoen when we pray or far frwer people would dare to pray.

Now, the error of taking the story verbatim as a sort of carhartic alegory is that it would be sort of telling us that as long as it is nothing extremely important, or if are  an amazingly resilient person, then go ahead and ask God.  I am dealing with a fear of finding an appropriate time and place to pray.

Need to go shovel....brb