Hold On!

My blog this week is inspired by this talk by Elder Russell M Ballard:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/stay-in-the-boat-and-hold-on?lang=eng

One of the hardest parts of life is seeing those you love struggle. You want to reach out and save them from their trials. But what will happen if you try to save someone when you are not in a position to do so.


Our extended family took a fun white water rafting trip a few years ago. As we went over one huge wave, my niece was thrust off of her seat and into the cold water. As we all screamed and watched her splash into the river, her dad calmly set down his oar, reached into the water, and pulled her by her life jacket back into the boat. 

Her dad could have chosen to jump into the water to save his daughter. He could have been swept downstream by the swift current right along with her, but he was smart enough to stay safely in the boat. His fast thinking kept them both safe, and the exciting adventure continued.

No matter how badly we want to save our loved ones when they are floundering, we cannot do so if we are not in a safe place ourselves. We cannot dive into the dangerous current hoping to catch them and then swim against the current back to the safety of the boat.

We need to hold on before we reach out.