When the camera pans back

I was driving to work this morning and had a thought... and I thought I would share that thought with you. Something to think about...

I love movies; they're very entertaining. Some of the most dramatic usually have a scene like this:

The hero, fleeing from an unseen danger with damsel in tow comes to a crossroads. After a quick evaluation of the sign and available paths, he chooses to go right. The camera follows him until he is out of sight then pans back to the sign. The snow falls off, and reveals a warning of danger ahead on the right path. Queue dramatic music (Dun dun duuuun). End scene.

It's not always snow, it could be branches or wind that reveals the pitfall about to ensnare our hero, but they never show them going down the safe path and the camera revealing the danger they avoided. I began to wonder if after the veil lifts and we watch the movie of our lives if the camera will pan back to reveal the warning sign we missed. There are plenty of recorded "pans" in the scriptures. The children of Israel doomed to wander the desert for 40 years because they murmured, when we can clearly see the camera pan back to reveal the warnings they received before they made their decisions to rebel.

Luckily for us our Heavenly Father also provides camera pans for missed pitfalls as well, though I'm sure they don't make for as exciting cinema. Take, for example, Daniel in the lion's den. I'm sure he was grateful not to be lion fodder because he chose to follow the commandments and listen to the Spirit. Nephi also when sent to Laban to slay him at the Lord's command avoided future hardship because he was obedient.

There have been plenty of times where I've seen the consequences of the path I didn't take. When money is low and we make the decision to pay our tithing, the checkbook balances itself and we have the money for the things we need. I could clearly see the possibilities if we hadn't - the camera pans and the snow falls away to reveal late payments, overdrafts, and bankruptcy. We can easily speculate on what could have happened if we had or hadn't chosen as we did. What could have been if we'd picked the right path instead of the wrong one, wishing we didn't have to deal with the consequences and suffer to our fate (shoulda, coulda, woulda?).

It seems to me that it would take a lot of faith to consistently listen to the Spirit, follow the commandments, and choose the path He intends for us without seeing what we avoided. What about the recovering alcoholic that chose not to take that drink? He went home sober and healthy without realizing that had he taken it, the camera pans back and the snow falls to show that he would have driven home in a drunken stupor and killed himself and someone else on the road. Or how about the woman with the gambling problem that walked away from the opportunity for easy money? The camera pans to reveal the sign... her life savings lost on that "sure thing". We can see how promptings have helped us find some hidden treasure, but how many times have we listened to the Spirit and unknowingly avoided suffering, danger, or contention? Where a bad feeling steered us away from trouble, but to us life went on as normal?

I did think, however, that it is possible to take a couple steps in the wrong direction, but listen to the Spirit before it is too late and go down the correct path. Again not as exciting or dramatic cinema, but worth considering.

Just wondering if anyone ever thought of it that way...