"Hold On"

I have recently read and re-read Sister Dibb's Conference address and have pondered on its simple and beautiful message. Sister Dibb says "Heavenly Father has not left alone during our mortal probation. He has already given us all the 'safety equipment' we will need to successfully return to him." The safety equipment she is talking about she later explains is "the scriptures, personal prayer, living prophets, and the Holy Ghost."

In her message she invites us to read the full accounts of the inspired vision of the tree of life and to ponder them. I accepted her invitation and did just that. As I read Lehi's account of the tree of life I was impressed several times by his description of the fruit of the tree. Lehi describes the fruit as 'most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted,' 'as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy.' He also describes the fruit as being 'desirable about all other fruit.' He expresses a great desire for his family to partake of the fruit also. I thought about Lehi's description of the fruit of the tree and I was deeply moved by its symbolism of the love God. How incredible his description of the fruit parallels each individuals thoughts and feelings when they experience this indescribable love. God's love is sweeter than any other kind of love. It fills our souls with joy beyond comprehension and when we experience this love we want all others to experience its magnitude and fullness that they too might be filled with joy.

Sister Dibb speaks of how important it is for each of us to use these tools that we have been given that we might be safe guarded against Satan's cunning ways. She explains that we must be diligent, obedient, and persistent in the cause of truth. We must be consistent in prayer, scripture study, following the words of the prophets, and living worthy of the Holy Ghost. Although these things are ever so simple and we speak of them often in casual conversation, we cannot over emphasize their importance in our daily lives. These tools are so important that Satan wants us to underestimate their power and the great influence they have in our lives. Never let him convince of this great lie. He knows what power they have in building individual testimonies and that is exactly why he would have you believe that they are not that important.

I want to share a very real personal experience that illustrates the truthfulness of Sister Dibb's message. I hope that none of you think differently of my after reading this experience that I had, but I felt impressed to share it so I will listen to that impression. Over the last year I have come to learn for myself how critical it is for my own personal testimony and salvation that I do not let a day go by that I do not cling to the rod of iron. Last year was one of the most trying (challenging) years of my life for several reasons that I will not go into detail about, but suffice it to say my testimony has never felt so tested in all of my life:

For several months I did not feel the spirit on a consistent basis and had lost some desire to go to church and to be around people that were on the strait and narrow path. I became annoyed when people close to me gave me spiritual advice and/or counsel about my situation. I felt unworthy to pray at times. I felt discouraged by my personal circumstances (being single, having a low income job, not using my degree, etc.). Months went by and my desire to study the scriptures was fading. I felt lonely and unsettled (anxious) much of the time. After a few months of feeling this way I began pondering why I was not happy and what it was in my life that had changed to make me feel this way. I slowly recognized that my scripture study had taken a back seat to all other priorities in my life and was more of a task on a daily check list than a spiritual feast. When this one thing, this one very critical thing, began to be a priority in my life (change of attitude in my approach to scripture study) and I was praying for the Lord to soften my heart at the same time I was blown away by how my life was changed. The Lord softened my heart through my sincere pleas to help me come unto him and to cling to the rod of iron (word of God) and my life has changed. Although my circumstances have not changed, I am listening to spirit, studying the scriptures with heart, and desiring to make God's will my own, and every part of life has been enhanced. All this changed because the Lord helped me to once again hold tight to the word of God.

I bear testimony that the scriptures are true and they possess all of the answers to any questions you have about life. I know that through holding fast to the word of God our lives can be enhanced and our capacity increased. I love this gospel and I know these things to be true.