Spiritual Crocodiles!

Here is a story from Boyd K Packer's life.

We stopped at a water hole to watch the animals come to drink. It was very dry that season and there was not much water, really just muddy spots. When the elephants stepped into the soft mud the water would seep into the depression and the animals would drink from the elephant tracks.

The antelope, particularly, were very nervous. They would approach the mud hole, only to turn and run away in great fright. I could see there were no lions about and asked the guide why they didn't drink. His answer, and this is the lesson, was “Crocodiles.”

I knew he must be joking and asked him seriously, “What is the problem?” The answer again: “Crocodiles.”

“Nonsense,” I said. “There are no crocodiles out there. Anyone can see that.”

I thought he was having some fun at the expense of his foreign game expert, and finally I asked him to tell us the truth. Now I remind you that I was not uninformed. I had read many books. Besides, anyone would know that you can’t hide a crocodile in an elephant track.

He could tell I did not believe him and determined, I suppose, to teach me a lesson. We drove to another location where the car was on an embankment above the muddy hole where we could look down. “There,” he said. “See for yourself.”

I couldn't see anything except the mud, a little water, and the nervous animals in the distance. Then all at once I saw it!—a large crocodile, settled in the mud, waiting for some unsuspecting animal to get thirsty enough to come for a drink.

Suddenly I became a believer! When he could see I was willing to listen, he continued with the lesson. “There are crocodiles all over the park,” he said, “not just in the rivers. We don’t have any water without a crocodile somewhere near it, and you’d better count on it.”

There are physical crocodiles and there are spiritual ones. Boyd K Packer goes on to tell how these spiritual crocodiles can kill and mutilate our souls! They destroy our peace of mind and those that love us.

It is somewhat against our nature especially when we are young to listen to the guidance of others (our parents, teachers, older siblings, Prophets...etc). But there are times that what they are saying is so very important for us to listen too our very existence could depend on it!

Some of us are appointed to be those guides and help others to safety. You one day will be too. IF you listen to them. If you listen you will learn how to listen to the best guide of all! The Holy Ghost! If we as your guides can train you to listen to those spiritual communications, you WILL be protected from the spiritual crocodiles. But only you are capable of that choice to listen. Use it wisely.

Spiritual Crocodiles