One of my favorite phrases in the Book of Mormon that is repeated twenty-three times is “the goodness of God.” The phrase has so much breadth and depth of meaning to it. It is used at times as an invitation, a state of recognition, a state of observation, a state of amazement and a state of summarizing all that is wonderful about God. Whenever the phrase is used it demonstrates love, righteousness, blessings, opportunity,  protection and mercy. Captain Moroni even threw in one more adjective by calling it “the exceeding goodness of God.” (Alma 60:11). Let me share a few examples of that exceeding goodness I have observed.

A few years ago, our family and some children from another family were performing
some Saturday service for a widowed neighbor. As always it was a great experience to work together and it felt even better to serve with more people. Together, we did some yard work and cleaned up a bunch of fallen fruit. When we had completed the project, I told all the kids from both families, we would go get ice cream at the Dairy Queen. A ward member, Earl Beecroft, was driving by and stopped in front of the house just as my wife also pulled up to the widow’s house. Both of their cars were stopped in the street as they spoke together for a minute.

My wife and Brother Beecroft concluded their conversation and Brother Beecroft started his truck to head east down the street. Unfortunately, just moments before he took off in his truck, I told all of the kids who had performed the service about the ice cream. I told them, “run to my wife’s car and jump in and she will take you for ice cream cones.” About seven kids were all running toward her car which sat stationary in the street, facing West right next to Brother Beecroft’s truck, which faced the opposite direction.

Every boy ran behind Brother Beecroft’s big diesel truck, except little Henry. For some reason, even though it was a longer route to my wife’s vehicle, he decided to circle the big truck and run right in front of the truck. As Bother Beecroft put his truck in gear and began to accelerate little Henry was getting to the front right corner of his truck. The truck was running and moving forward as little Henry made a final turn in front of the now moving truck. I watched little Henry’s path in horror from a distance of about 150 feet away while sitting in my truck. Fear overwhelmed me as I began to lean on my horn as I watched this inevitable disaster about to happen, knowing little Henry was in serious trouble.

As I frantically lay on my horn, somehow Brother Beecroft, despite his loud diesel engine and his truck already moving forward, stopped his truck and paused. He had heard the horn and paused just enough for little Henry to clear the truck. Henry ran in front of the truck and even ran a few yards to the east, the direction the truck was heading, as he felt the truck moving forward and toward him. Henry did not stop as he cleared the front of the truck and turned west toward my wife’s car. He then jumped in her car ready for ice cream, never even realizing the Lord had just preserved his little life.

From my vantage point I still don’t know how Henry cleared the front of the truck,
because Brother Beecroft’s truck was moving forward. If Brother Beecroft would have taken off with normal acceleration, little Henry would have been smashed. Somehow Brother Beecroft’s acceleration was slow and somehow, he reacted rapidly enough when he heard the horn to stop before hitting little Henry. In a remarkable and miraculous way, a loving Father said, “it is not Henry’s time.”

I don’t know that little Henry will ever appreciate or truly know what happened that day, but I know. I had just witnessed a miracle. I had just watched a loving God preserve a family’s precious little boy.