Sometimes a message arrives that shines a light on how deeply the laws we talk about - like the Law of Polarity - are at work in everyday life.

When I read Audrey’s note, I couldn’t help but smile at how a simple plumbing problem became a doorway to miracles. Her experience is a tender reminder that nothing is wasted in God’s economy.

In her own words:

Hi Leslie!

I've been learning from your books, podcasts, and courses for several years now, and I've decided it's high time I start sharing some of my experiences with you. The experience I've decided to share today is about the Law of Polarity.

The Law of Polarity might be my favorite law that you teach.

I love knowing that when something "bad" happens, I can get excited to see the good that will come from it.

This law always makes me think of the story of Joseph who was sold into Egypt, and who was later sent to prison. Prison may have seemed like rock-bottom, but the prison was where Joseph met the Pharaoh's butler, which eventually led to Joseph becoming the second-in-command over all of Egypt.

Later, when Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and his brothers fearfully assumed Joseph would seek revenge, Joseph wisely said, "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." Joseph understood the law of polarity and God's incredible ability to turn a bad experience into a miraculous opportunity.

Here's my fun experience with the law of polarity in the past year:

Last summer, my family moved into a new apartment in Minnesota (so my husband could do a year-long externship to finish his degree). Everything about the apartment seemed great and in good working order.

Until one day when the neighbors who lived above us over-used their garbage disposal, and due to the way the sewage pipes were stacked, the contents of our neighbor's garbage disposal started backing up into our bathtub. It was a couple days before maintenance could get someone to come snake the pipes and fix the issue. In the meantime, the smell in our bathroom was unbearable.

While this was going on, I recalled the Law of Polarity, and I distinctly remember thinking to myself...

"I'm so excited to see what awesome event is going to happen because of this incident!"

Well, later that summer, the neighbors above us moved out. We were living on the first floor of a three story apartment, and there were two units above us. It just so happened that the neighbors in both of the units above us moved out around the same time. I was curious to see what new neighbors would move into the vacated apartments.

Now, I'm not always the kind of person to go out of my way to meet my neighbors. (Especially since I knew we were only living there for a year, so I wasn't very motivated to invest in friendships.) However, due to the garbage disposal incident, I thought to myself, "It's really important that I get to know the new neighbors right away, and get their phone numbers, so that if any plumbing problems happen again, it won't be awkward for me to call up the neighbors and tell them to please stop whatever they're doing before it gets worse."

So I promised myself I would go all-out to befriend the new neighbors as soon as they moved in.

That fall, a lady who I'll call Susan moved into the apartment on the THIRD floor, two stories directly above us. I met her right away, brought her a house-warming gift, brought up her packages that were left in the mail area, and went out of my way to be a good neighbor.

On New Year's Day, Susan called me and explained that her family tradition was that the first male guest to enter the threshold of a home on New Year's day would bring good luck to that household for the year. So she asked me if I could bring up my 6-year-old son to be their first guest of the year and enter their threshold.

While my son and I visited Susan's home on New Year's day, Susan asked me, "I was wondering, what church do you go to? My daughter and I have been church shopping." We had an awesome discussion about my church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and I was able to answer many of the questions they've had about the Book of Mormon.

Then in April, Susan's teenage daughter called me out of the blue and asked me if I had an extra copy of the Book of Mormon I could give to her, and that she felt compelled to read it. Then last month (in May), she attended our church with me. She said she's open to meeting with the missionaries in the near future, once she gets certain things in her life sorted out. Her mom Susan is open to coming to church sometime as well (once she gets over some current health challenges).

But wait, there's more...

Then, shortly after Susan moved in, another new neighbor moved into the apartment on the SECOND floor, directly above us as well. This neighbor was a young single mom, who I'll call Andrea, with a baby. I invited them over for dinner and a playdate right away. I learned that Andrea didn't have a car, so I offered to have her carpool with me on my grocery shopping trips.

As Andrea and I got to know each other on our shopping trips, one day it came up that I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Andrea said something like, "What a funny coincidence! I used to go to that church."

She explained how when she was a kid, her parents found out about the church through the 12-step addiction recovery program, and her family joined the church and was active for a few years, but then her parents relapsed and they all faded into inactivity during her early teen years. But she has maintained a positive attitude about the church and is open to being invited to church events.

I marvel at what an amazing miracle my interactions with our neighbors have been.

What are the chances that the two sets of neighbors who moved in directly above us would be people prepared and willing to learn about and benefit from my connections to the church? Nothing happens by accident.

Because that plumbing disaster helped me be willing to be a better neighbor and willing to participate in a miracle, I'm convinced God very intentionally placed those specific neighbors above me.

My family is about to move again (since my husband finished his externship), and I have yet to see what the outcome of my neighbors' stories will be. But I expect a happy outcome no matter what, and am grateful I got to participate in some of their miracles along the way.

Thanks so much for everything! I anticipate I'll send you more stories down the road.

Sincerely,

Audrey Jolly

Thank you, Audrey for sharing your sweet reflections! I love how you are looking for the good in your setbacks, and seeing God's hand in your life. Our Father in Heaven loves to be acknowledged, and how much more so when we see His hand, even in the hardships. 

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Have YOU discovered any hidden benefits in your adversities? Comment below or send me a message!