Hold On Thy Way

“Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.” (D&C 122:9). Sometimes when everything is crashing down around us, all we can do is to hold on our way. And that is enough. We may feel as though we are lost at sea, driven with the wind and tossed, and the fear and the dread and the terror may all but compel us to abandon ship, but jumping off the boat and into the stormy waters can hardly count as an improvement. As hot as the frying pan may feel, the fire is hotter still. We may feel that our strength is completely spent, and we can no longer hold onto the edge of the cliff and feel that we must let go, but although our fingers are shaking and our muscles are screaming, letting go will not make things better. We have to hold on, as bad as holding on may feel, because letting go is worse. Abraham held on, even as he laid his son upon the altar. Moses held on, even as he walked into the Red Sea with the armies of Pharaoh at his back. Christ held on, until the very last drop of blood was squeezed from His body. Our days are known, and our years cannot be numbered less. God will be with us forever and ever. If we hold onto our peace for long enough, then we will find that eventually the things we were fighting about no longer matter. If we hold onto our temper, then we will find that eventually the things that were angering us will no longer matter. If we choose to hold onto our faith, then we will find that eventually our doubts will no longer matter. And if we hold onto our way, then eventually we will find ourselves kneeling before our Savior, ready to enter into the rest of the Lord.