The Tow Rope

Years ago, when I was a single student attending BYU, I had an experience with a tow rope. It taught me to trust that all things will work together for my good. 

At the time, I was in a singing group and we had scheduled a Sunday fireside performance in Las Vegas (actually, Henderson) Nevada. I was driving an old 1971 Ford Maverick. It was summer and the Nevada desert was hot. We drove down and the fireside went well. The next morning I was ready to drive back to Provo, but had car problems. I needed to get the Maverick to a garage to have it repaired before I could start the trip back. They would tow the car, but would charge me (what I thought was) an exorbitant amount. Rather than pay the tow charge, I had a friend drive me to a hardware store where I bought a nylon tow strap with hooks. Then he towed me to the garage and the repair was made. 

As I drove back through Southern Utah, I was a bit angry at God. I was a poor starving student with a minimum-wage part-time job and going to school full-time. My reason for going to Vegas was to share inspiration with others. I wasn’t making any money on it. I not only paid for the repair, but I paid for a tow rope that I would probably only use that one time. Couldn’t God have helped me out, so I wouldn’t need to spend my hard-earned money? He could have arranged for the car to run fine. What had I done to deserve this adversity? 

Later that summer, I was camping in the mountains north and east of Provo. It had rained in the afternoon and the dirt roads were slick. A couple of young ladies were driving and got their vehicle stuck in a rut. They were eager to get back to town and were almost frantic. I told them I had a tow rope and would see if I could pull them out. I was able to and they drove off, appreciative of the help. 

If I hadn’t had the tow rope in my trunk, I wouldn’t have been able to help them. No other vehicles came by the rest of the time I was there. They would have been in a pickle. 

I was grateful I had bought the tow rope in Vegas earlier that year. I also used it other times when it came in very handy. And technically, it wasn’t that expensive, it’s just that I was pinching pennies in those days.

The moral of the story is that I can trust God. He knows what is in my future. He sometimes provides opportunities to prepare me so I’ll be ready for future events. What I saw as adversity was actually a blessing. I learned that God “doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world” (2 Nephi 26:24). 

Elder Holland taught: “Remember that God is on your side. He is not an angry, vicious God trying to trip you. He is for you—not against you. He is your Father. He is anxious to do everything possible to bless you.”

To be continued . . . with Part 70