Hold On!

God is so good! A little while ago while I was going through a rough time I was counseling with a friend about what I was going through and he asked me, “What would the Savior say to you right now if you met up with Him?” This was a question that I had never thought to ask myself. And even though I had been going through a tough time I was amazed at how fast the Spirit answered that question for me. “Hold on!” Then he asked, “What else might He say to you?” The answer that came as swiftly as the first was, “Don’t look at how others are dealing with their lives, they’re not you.”

I have a personal policy that I will try to get back to any friend who texts me or calls me as soon as I can. I was able to do that this morning around 2am. I had a friend call me and they needed to talk and get some things off their chest. I listened and gave my opinion on some things. But I received the strongest impression that I needed to ask the same question to my friend. So I asked, “What would the Savior say to you if He were to walk up to you right now?” His reply was along the lines of “Why are you doing this? What is happening?” Then I asked again, “But after all that, what would he say to you?” “He would tell me to hold on, that I go this and that he believes in me.” I was amazed that he would receive a similar answer to mine.

The principle to hold on has come up a lot in the gospel. We are told to hold on to the Iron Rod. We are asked to cleave to our testimonies. Our spouse is someone we need to cleave unto and no one else. Holding on can be one of the best things we can do in times of trial. But it is not the same thing as “hanging in there”.

Elder Kevin W. Pearson said, “Enduring to the end is a hallmark of true discipleship and is essential to eternal life. But when trials and challenges come our way, we are often told to simply “hang in there.” Let me be clear: to ‘hang in there’ is not a principle of the gospel. Enduring to the end means constantly coming unto Christ and being perfected in Him.”

We are not meant to just “hang in there”. We are meant to hold on. And I think that there is a difference. Hanging in there is waiting for the next best thing to come along. Holding on takes effort on our part. We are exerting our strength to stay connected. We are trying not to be separated from the Iron Rod. When Jesus extended His hand to Peter on the Sea of Galilee, Peter had to hold on to be rescued, not just hang on there. Effort was required on both parts. The Scriptures and the Savior will always be there for us, we just need to reach out and hold on.

My friend who asked me this amazing question answered after I told him that the Savior would tell me to hold on that, “Not only that, but He is there holding on with you. You can’t lose this fight if you allow Him to fight it.” He’s all over me and He’s keeping me alive! God is working it out for me!

God is willing to talk to us if we are willing to listen. We can find Him in the Scriptures, in our prayer time, and through others. He lives and He answers our prayers. It is important to know that these answers will be in His timing and may not take they form we expected or wanted, but they will come and we need to be humble enough to accept them when we receive them.

Hold On!

God Bless until next time!