there are no such things as coincidences.

When I step back and see a whole chain of events and what had to happen in order for something to else to happen . . . I often find myself amazed at how many "coincidences" are involved. It's brought me to conclude that if we are trying to do the right things, God uses us as instruments to move forward his plans and designs.

Two stories to try and help illustrate this. As well as the concept of karma:

About a month ago I was running late for a date. When I got to my house to get ready Bee Money was outside my house. We talked a little, but I told him I was in a hurry. He came in for a drink of water and without really thinking about it I asked him if he needed a ride anywhere. He said yeah, just down the street a bit. We started driving, and Bee was talking to me about some stuff that had happened on the Internets. We ended up about 7 blocks north and 7 blocks east, obviously not exactly "down the street." Because of being so far away I came back home down 4th east. As I drove past a friend's house I saw something in the middle the street and the thought came to me, "That looks like an iPhone. It's probably so-and-so's." I flipped around my car and picked it up out of the street. Sure enough it was their phone and I ran up to their door and knocked. Dejectedly they answered the door and I asked them if they were missing their phone. They looked at me like, How did you know? And I handed them the phone. They were so grateful that I had found it.

In that series of events a lot of things had to happen in order for me to find that phone. Bee Money needed to be at my house. I needed to ask him if he needed a ride. He needed to take me far from my house. I needed to drive on that road.

Here's where it gets pretty crazy.

Tonight, I was running late for my basketball game (in which we got destroyed) and I ran from my car to the basketball court. After the basketball debacle I was frustrated and I cringed when I found no phone in my jacket pocket. I have an iPhone and I have a considerable amount of useful data on it. I could live if I lost it, but it would be really really really nice to not lose. And I've never ever lost a phone before. I checked my car to see if I had left it there, checked the ground I ran across to the courts on, checked the basketball court again and went to the lost and found. Nothing.

I basically said this prayer: God, if there's anyway I can get that phone back, please let me know.

I figured one of two things happened. I dropped it while I was running in and someone picked it up, or someone grabbed it during the game.

Enter Eric.

Eric is a good friend of my roommate Austin, and we've hung out some. After I gave up and went home, I walked into my family room and he was sitting there with Austin and said, "Hey, guess what I found." And there was my phone lying on the table.

There are no such things as coincidences.

Eric saw my phone (probably about 20 minutes after I dropped it) lying in the grass by the courts and picked it up. It was about dead, but because I don't have a passcode on my phone he was able to charge it and call the last person I had called. Then looking through my texts he realized he knew most of the people I had just texted and realized that he knew the Daniel that owned the phone.

I really hope you're seeing how crazy this all is. Of all the people. The timing. The fact that he could charge my phone. I am so grateful for Eric being in the right place at the right time. 

Doing good leads to good. God can use us as instruments in his designs. God and Christ are real and they love us. 

There are no such things as coincidences. 

a new name.

I've thought about this a few times before, but it was brought again to my attention while reading in Alma.

Often times when a group of people, or person makes a covenant with God, or experiences a change of heart they want a new name.

They feel that they are a new person, that who they were before they repented is no longer who they are now. So why not have a new name?

Or God has made a covenant with them and with that covenant they are given a new name. I feel it's symbolic of a new person as well. It shows a rededication or a change. Through the Atonement we can be reborn in Christ. We become a new person, a person distinct from who we were before. This happens every time we repent.

Anyway, some examples of "new names" that I can think of are:



Abram and Sarai becoming Abraham and Sarah after God covenants with Abraham.


The Lamanites who were converted by Ammon, Aaron, Omni and Himni want to have a new name to distinguish themselves from the unrighteous traditions of their fathers. They take on the name Anti-nephi-lehis.


Jacob is renamed Israel by God before he fathers the twelve tribes of Israel.


Saul is given the new name Paul after his conversion to Christ.



Just some food for thought.