Lessons

Because I sometimes benefit from the many blogs and websites out there that post lesson helps and ideas, I thought I should give back.  So, I'm going to start posting my Relief Society lessons.  Hopefully, in the future, I can get them up BEFORE they are scheduled to be taught so they can actually help someone else out.  :)

George Albert Smith #18 Stay On the Lord's Side of the Line

**            This past Labor Day, Dave and I decided it would be fun to rent UTV’s, or Razors, and explore the desert volcanoes west of my parent’s home in Flowell, Utah.  Although not initially thrilled about the idea, Keaton, 16, quickly recognized the power, and speed, his little 2 seater provided.  Dave and I warned him several times that in his excitement and fin his speed and recklessness were becoming quite dangerous, and could turn tragic.  After one particularly hair-raising incident, we finally banned him from driving.  With Keaton in a passenger seat, and our blood pressure returning to normal, we proceeded on our explorations. 

After several hours, hot and tired, we stopped by a volcanic outcropping for lunch.  As we rested, Keaton convinced us to let him take the Razor, with his young cousin, to explore.  Soon after, Dave followed with the other cousins, while I stayed behind talking to my parents.  After a while, I thought I could hear faint calling sounds.  A few minutes later, both vehicles returned, Dave looking grim, and Keaton hand, purple and muddy, dangling uselessly.  He had rolled the Razor, breaking 3 bones in his hand. 

We count ourselves fortunate, as his cousin was hysterical but unhurt, and Keaton’s hand will heal.  However, it cost us about $4500 in medical bills, and Keaton’s grades have suffered, and he had to quit both golf and quidditch, not to mention the pain he endured.

**            Today’s lesson is Stay On the Lord’s Side Of the Line.  The Lord has given us commandments so that we can resist evil and find happiness.  

In the manual, we read:

George Albert Smith’s grandfather George A. Smith served for many years in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and in the First Presidency as a counselor to Brigham Young. George Albert Smith often repeated the counsel his grandfather used to give to his family: “There is a line of demarcation well defined between the Lord’s territory and the devil’s territory. If you will stay on the Lord’s side of the line you will be under his influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to the devil’s side of that line one inch you are in the tempter’s power and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly because you will have lost the Spirit of the Lord.”

George Albert Smith said that he used this counsel throughout his life to guide his choices: “When I have been tempted sometimes to do a certain thing, I have asked myself, ‘Which side of the line am I on?’ If I determined to be on the safe side, the Lord’s side, I would do the right thing every time. So when temptation comes think prayerfully about your problem and the influence of the Lord will aid you to decide wisely. There is safety for us only on the Lord’s side of the line.”

**            In our situation with Keaton, the line was crossed.  What are your thoughts on what went wrong?

We always want to stay on the right side, the Lord’s side, of the line.

George Albert Smith said:

“All safety, all righteousness, all happiness are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you are keeping the commandments of God by observing the Sabbath day, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you attend to your secret prayers and your family prayers, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you are grateful for food and express that gratitude to God, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you are honest in your dealing with your fellow men, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you observe the Word of Wisdom, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. And so I might go on through the Ten Commandments and the other commandments that God has given for our guidance and say again, all that enriches our lives and makes us happy and prepares us for eternal joy is on the Lord’s side of the line. Finding fault with the things that God has given to us for our guidance is not on the Lord’s side of the line.

[The Lord has said]: “I cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;” not with the least degree of allowance. Why? Because He knows that if we partake of sin we lose a blessing that we would enjoy if we did not forsake the pathway that leads to that blessing.”

**            In our case, it is easy to see what was lost—money, fun, and achievement.  Often, it is only many years down the road that the lost blessings from not keeping the commandments become apparent.  Likewise, we may not realize how blessed we have been from obedience until many years later.

This lesson has four main purposes:

·      Remind us how serious the Lord is about His commandments and counsels

·      Invite us to look beyond the rules and restrictions and see the big picture of why they are in place

·      Suggest a strategy to do better

·      Make us more aware of the tactics Satan uses

George Albert Smith said the following:

The Lord, in His kindness, seeing the attitude of His children, and knowing that they would need guidance, gave to us the Ten Commandments, and other commandments that have been given from time to time, to help us to find happiness. You observe people running to and fro in the world, seeking happiness but not finding it. If they would only pause long enough to accept the Lord’s advice happiness would follow, but they will find it in no other way.5

When I was a child I recognized, or thought I did, that the commandments of the Lord were His laws and regulations for my guidance. I thought I recognized in the disobedience to those laws that punishment would follow, and as a child I presume I may have felt that the Lord had so arranged affairs and so ordained matters in this life that I must obey certain laws or swift retribution would follow. But as I grew older I have learned the lesson from another viewpoint, and now to me the laws of the Lord, so-called, the counsels contained in the Holy Scriptures, the revelations of the Lord to us in this day and age of the world, are but the sweet music of the voice of our Father in heaven in His mercy to us. They are but the advice and counsel of a loving parent, who is more concerned in our welfare than earthly parents can be, and consequently that which at one time seemed to bear the harsh name of law to me is now the loving and tender advice of an all-wise Heavenly Father. And so I say it is not hard for me to believe that it is best for me to keep the commandments of God.

**            This image illustrates this concept so well, except that our parents are our Heavenly parents.

GAS said:

Every once in a while we hear somebody say, “Oh, I wouldn’t be so particular. The Lord is not going to be very severe with us if we just go part way.” The one who is talking that way is already on the devil’s side of the line, and you do not want to listen to him because if you do, you may be misled. Nobody talks that way who has the Spirit of the Lord. The Lord himself has said that we must keep his commandments: “There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated.” The gospel of Jesus Christ is to teach us how to earn that blessing.

**            Let me illustrate this principle with a story I came across yesterday while reading on a site about Canyoneering.  The writer of the website is an experienced canyoneer, who created this site to share information with other hikers about various places to hike and do so safely.  In the story I read, he had met a man, and they decided to take a trip together to do the upper middle of Left Fork and then finish with the Subway. The time table is mid-November, the starting point, about 6000 feet in elevation.  Prior to leaving, the friend had refused to rent a wetsuit, but finally relented and decided to get one.  The hike starts with several miles in, in a foot of snow.

            As they drop into the slot, Dave is puts on his wetsuit, but his friend won’t.  The friend says he’s hot and doesn’t need it.  After Dave points out that there is ice on the water, he puts on a wetsuit top, but no bottoms, and no neoprene socks.  Dave tells him, well, you are in for a treat.

After about 20 minutes, the friend can’t feel his legs or feet, and is fast descending into hypothermia. So, they stop, and the friend puts on his bottom. A while later, they come out of a slot, and the friend falls in the water and can’t get up.  At that point Dave notices that the friend has lost one of his boots.  Dave tells him he has to find the boot, because no one can hike with him without boots.  They can’t find the boot, they have at 9 miles left on the hike, and the friend is in a critical situation. 

So, how does this story relate to the quote I read previously?

·      We can’t just obey part way

·      If we don’t listen to him, we are being misled

·      The Lord’s has said we have to follow his rules.

·      If we don’t follow completely, we can get in real trouble, real fast.

**            I’ve already talked about this book, WHY, a book of questions about WHY we should keep the commandments. 

Have random people open the book, and read a question, and discuss the blessings of keeping that commandment.

If we will follow the advice and counsel that the Lord has given, our pathway will be one of happiness. It will be a pathway, perhaps not of ease and comfort always, but in the end it will terminate in the presence of our Heavenly Father, and glory, immortality and eternal lives will be our portion.

The trick, however, is that the adversary tries to lead us astray with his deceptions and subtleties.

GAS said:

There are two influences in the world today and have been from the beginning. One is an influence that is constructive, that radiates happiness and that builds character. The other influence is one that destroys, turns men into demons, tears down and discourages. We are all susceptible to both. The one comes from our Heavenly Father and the other comes from the source of evil that has been in the world from the beginning seeking to bring about the destruction of the human family.

We will all be tempted; no man is free from temptation. The adversary will use every means possible to deceive us; he tried to do that with the Savior of the world without success. He has tried it on many other men who have possessed divine authority, and sometimes he finds a weak spot and the individual loses what might have been a great blessing if he had been faithful.

**            A few weeks ago, there was a story in the news about Stansbury high school and a big controversy with their homecoming dance.  Did anyone see it?  Apparently, about 1/3 of the girls who came to the dance were sent home because of dress code violations.  The dress code, stated, for example, that the dresses needed to be at or near knee length, not have plunging necklines, not be strapless, etc.  The students were outraged; the parents were outraged.  The parents interviewed, without exception, proclaimed their daughter’s dress to be within the dress code, that the dress code was vague, and that their daughter was modest and beautiful. 

             I was very intrigued by this.  I wondered why the mothers tried to push as close to the vague boundaries as possible, instead of encouraging their daughters to stay well away from that boundary.   

           My son recently attended homecoming with a young lady as well.  I know he would not have been comfortable had his date dressed like the Stansbury high school girls.  I also knew that I did not have to worry about how this young lady would dress.  I knew what her standards would be, because I knew who her family was.

The following is quoted from GAS:

Let me … read from Nephi:

“And there shall also be many which shall say, Eat, drink and be merry, nevertheless fear God, he will justify in committing a little sin.”

I want you to note that: “He will justify in committing a little sin.” That cunning adversary knowing that if he could only get a man or woman to do a little wrong, that far they had gone into his territory, that far they were in his power.

“Nevertheless, fear God, he will justify in committing a little sin, yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this. And do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the Kingdom of God.” [2 Nephi 28:8.]

Isn’t that just exactly what the devil says to the children of men today as plainly as it is written here? Oh, commit a little sin, that won’t do any harm, lie a little, that won’t do any particular damage, the Lord will forgive that and you will only be beaten with a few stripes and at last you shall be saved in the kingdom of God. That is what he says to the man or the woman who has been taught the Word of Wisdom when he says, oh, drink a little tea, that won’t hurt you; use a little tobacco, that won’t make any difference; a little liquor won’t do any harm. These are little things; he always does it a little at a time, not all at once. That is what I would like us to remember. … It is these insignificant insidious whisperings that betray mankind and that place us in the power of the devil. …

How can we help young people recognize and overcome these messages and influences?

·      The line is not vague; it is not fuzzy.

In a Church News article from 2009 entitled Not Even Once, Wendy Watson Nelson says:

I believe it is time to counter the insidious and relentless attack on our families and nations by dramatically increasing their spiritual strength!  How can we do that?  One answer may be in the words I saw as I was driving along a remote country road. Three words on a large sloping barn roof caught my attention. I believe those words could spiritually strengthen our families and our nations, if properly applied.

The three words on the big sloping roof of that old barn were:  Not Even Once!

Think of what could happen if we each determined that from this moment on, there were certain things we would never do, or never do again -- NOT EVEN ONCE!

For example, imagine the strength to our nations that would flow if just 10 families in each village, each town, and each city around the world made and kept a commitment to NOT EVEN ONCE abuse a child or a woman–in any way

NOT EVEN ONCE to lie, or cheat, steal. Not even once!

NOT EVEN ONCE:

to take illegal drugs 


to look at anything pornographic 


to be sexually impure! Not even once! 


Does this sound impossible? With the help of God, it is not!

God is the Father of your spirit and mine. He knows us so much better than we know ourselves and He can strengthen us to avoid spiritually corroding influences. All we need to do is to ask for His help in making and keeping these commitments.

What are some things WE, as sisters, can commit to NOT do, NOT EVEN ONCE?

·      Criticize, lash out, gossip

**            Another way we can resist evil is by choosing to subject ourselves to the influence of the Lord.  We will respond to the influence we choose to associate ourselves with. 

Consider the following story from GAS and the moral he draws from it: (Quote 4)

I remember a number of years ago a good man who was at that time chairman of the board of control of the Universalist Church of America. He came here to visit [Salt Lake City] and attended two of our Sunday schools. In one of the [children’s] classes he became much interested. Eventually, when the [class] was about to close, the superintendent said, “Wouldn’t you like to say a few words to the [class]?” … He said, “I would like to say a few words.” He said, “If I could only live in the atmosphere that I found in that little … class in this Sabbath school this morning, I couldn’t help but be a good man.”

I have thought of that a good many times. We choose carefully the atmosphere that we breathe, that we may live in health. But sometimes, in our carelessness, we place ourselves in subjection to immoral influences that destroy our resistance of evil, and we are led to do things that we ought not to do and would not do if under the influence of the Lord. If we would only be humble, if we would only be prayerful, if we would only live in such a way that each hour of our lives we could truthfully say, “Father in heaven, I am willing and anxious to do what thou wouldst have me do,” our lives every day would be enriched as we go through this earth experience.

GAS said:

We choose where we will be. God has given us our agency. He will not take it from us, and if I do that which is wrong and get into the devil’s territory, I do it because I have the will and power to do it.

**            Has anyone traveled to a third world country, such as Mexico, etc?  What I often find when I travel to a third-world country, is that I find myself much more worried about my safety, and freedom.  I worry that the people there may not respect the rights that I value, and often, I even worry that those in authority, such as the police, may not obey the laws.  Many places, I won’t travel too, because they are too dangerous.  When I hear of Americans who come to a bad end in those countries, I always wonder what they were thinking in going there.

I don’t even enjoy crossing borders between countries.  I always feel like something is going to go wrong.  I feel stressed, like somehow they are going to find contraband or a problem with my ID, and am always relieved when I am through the border.

Similarly, spiritually, we don’t want to go to that “other” country.  We don’t want to even flirt along the border.  We will be happiest and most peaceful when we stay well within the Lord’s boundaries.

GAS

How careful we as Latter-day Saints ought to be to live every day of our lives that we may be influenced by the power of the Lord, and that we may be able to turn aside from those things that have a tendency to break down our power to earn the celestial kingdom.

See that your feet are planted upon the rock. See that you learn the desires of the Master toward you, and, knowing those desires, see to it that you keep His laws and commands. See to it that the purity of your lives shall entitle you to the companionship of the Holy Spirit, because if you are pure and virtuous and upright, the evil one will have no power to destroy you.

**            What are some of the places or circumstances when you feel no desire to do evil?  What can we do to create such an atmosphere in our homes, our workplaces, our communities, and our personal lives?

Returning to Wendy Watson Nelson;

The Not Even Once principle can be applied to doing positive things as well. Imagine if every family, that was committed to the Not Even Once precept, determined that there were certain things they would never miss an opportunity to do! Not even once!

For example, to Not Even Once miss an opportunity:

to teach a child 


to help someone in need 


to forgive someone—someone who may never repent or apologize for the pain they have caused 


to be kind—especially to someone who isn't 


It's really quite simple: Spiritual strength comes to those who focus their lives on following God and serving Him and their fellow men and women.

What can WE as Sisters, commit to never miss an opportunity to do, NOT EVEN ONCE?

**            This week, I want you to think about this question:

What commitment am I willing to make to God and to myself, that I will never do, or will never miss an opportunity to do—from this moment on—NOT EVEN ONCE?

GAS:

I pray that we examine ourselves and find out which side of the line we are on; and if we are on the Lord’s side, stay there, because that means eternal happiness in the companionship of the best men and women that have lived upon the earth.

Fall Break

Whew.  We've been home from Fall Break for almost a week, and I'm just now getting a minute to write about it.  We had both a VERY challenging trip and a fun trip.

To start with we had made the decision two months ago to leave for Fall Break a day early, Wednesday, because we got a better deal on frequent flyer tickets that day.  This was before Keaton broke his hand on Labor Day.  Unfortunately, due to Keaton's unfortunate accident, among other things, he had missed too much school for the term for us to feel good about him missing class on Wednesday.

So, we decided to change Keaton's ticket, and have Dave stay behind and come (space available) with Keaton at 5:00 pm.  That was an extra cost, which turned out to be only the beginning of our troubles.  I left the house with the kids at 5:00 am--just minutes after we told them about the trip.  They were all stunned and sooo excited to be going to Florida and "Harry Potter World".  Except Carson.  We had told the kids we were going to my parent's house in Flowell for break.  Carson was so disappointed to be going to Florida instead of Flowell, he through a major tantrum about it.  It was kind of disconcerting, in a funny way.  Flying with the 3 younger kids has been less than a treat in the past, to put it mildly.  I was fairly worried about doing it alone.  What do you know, but all the seats had individual media screens.  One swipe of the card, and we were set.

Until we got to Atlanta, where we had to change plans.  We had to run from concourse A 1000 feet to concourse B, only to discover that during the flight, they had changed the gate, and we had to run back to concourse A, where we had just come from.  Same gate even, 25A.  Even though we had an hour, the reason we had to run was because the kids didn't have seat assignments!  By the time we got back and got their seat assignments, they were put on row 44, while I was up in row 21!  I thought, well, have fun with that.  Meaning the passengers, not my kids.  I didn't hear any trouble during the flight, but I learned later that Makenzie and McKay might have had a fist fight over the iPod.  At least no one knew who the parent was.

Keaton headed to school, where he discovered that most of his teachers were gone early on break.  I was pretty ticked to find that out after all hassle we had to go through to have him there.  Dave and Keaton got to the airport on time, but the plane was full!  Keaton had a seat, but Dave didn't.  The only solution was for Keaton to come alone, which he did, arriving in Orlando at midnight, and then taking a taxi, alone, to the hotel.  Believe me, that is quite an accomplishment for him.

Dave, on the other hand, had no choice but to take a flight to LA, then to Atlanta, then Orlando, arriving Thursday morning just in time to accompany us to Universal Studios.  You can be sure Dave was a jolly companion that day!

It was great fun.  We all LOVED Hogmeade.  We drank lots of butterbeer, and bought wands and Quidditch shirts.  Makenzie wouldn't let anyone help her with her wand choice, because as you know, that is a personal bond between the wizard and the wand.

After a few days there, we went Fort Lauderdale, where we took an airboat out on the Everglades (a World Heritage Site!!) and went to the beach in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.  I loved the Art Deco architecture of the shops and hotels along Miami beach.  So retro.

The return flight was about like the flight there:  Dave had to stay in Florida for work, none of us had seats together.  Boy, were we glad to get home.

Dressing the part

 One of the things that make India unique is that there are so many aspects of the  at are so jarringly out of place with one another, that they seemly cannot co-exist.  A Ferrari and an elephant used as transportation on the same street, for example.  One point of contradiction we have discovered is the disjunct between the culture being very conservative Hindu, Muslim, Sikh (and other religions) on the surface, but with sometimes blatant sexual undertone that is demeaning, even dangerous to women.

In Indian culture, for example, it is unacceptable for a couple to kiss, hold hands, or basically touch in any way in public.  On the other hand, it is quite common for women to be pinched or grouped by perfect strangers when moving through a crowd.

Because of the cultural norms,  the charity where we will be working in India requires all of the women and girls who work there to wear the traditional Indian salwar chameez.  The salwar is a loose, comfortable pant.  The chameez is a long tunic worn over the top.  Many times, this outfit is worn with the addition of a long scarf wrapped around the shoulders and sometimes draped over the head.  The charity provides a selection of salwar chameez for us to chose from.  Makenzie is very excited about wearing them.  Because we want to conform to the culture while we are there, I am also going to make us a few outfits to take along for our travels in India before and after we are at Rising Star.  I've just started Makenzie's first one--it is going to be blue satin with gold trim and a gold scarf.  She's planning to wear it for Halloween, so I've got to hurry.  

Mine are going to be more simple, and warmer--it may be India, but it will be cool up in the Delhi area.  I'll post some pictures after I have them made, hopefully in the next few weeks.  In any case, none of them will be as pretty as the one pictured here!  But, we do hope to buy some for a good price in India.

Besides respecting the culture, by dressing in a very conservative way, we hope to avoid encountering a problem with inappropriate contact from Indian males.  This problem is called "Eve teasing" in India, a term which puts the blame on the woman, the victim, as if it is her fault for just standing there.  It is, apparently, common in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.  As it is more common for women traveling alone, I hope that having Dave, Keaton, and our India driver and guide along, we will not encounter anything of that type.

So, that is a worry, but not the only one.  Because of the extreme poverty of millions of people living together alongside some very wealthy people, there is a lot of crime.  Certainly more than I am used to here in Alpine.  Dave, in fact, has ordered some special pants with numerous, hidden, kevlar pockets.  These pants were developed specifically for travelers to India by a couple who realized the need for such a thing after having the bottoms of their pockets, purses, etc, sliced open by pick-pockets.  

On the other hand, from what I've read, many people are also so kind and generous, they would give their guest their last bite of food, and feel bad they couldn't do more.  While it may be hard to sift through which is which, I'm hoping we see some of that side of India, too.

Stay tuned for pictures of the salwar chameez coming in (hopefully) the next few weeks!

India Tour Bus

I'm getting ready to book our tour bus for India.  Hmmm, which one to chose?  Which do you think is the best option?

A.

 B.

C. 

 

Fear of Heights

Over the past few weeks, our family has spent an unusual amount of time rappelling.  We have gone with friends and family nearby several times, as well as traveling to Southern Utah to hike and rappel in the slot canyons there.  Most recently, we went with our friends, the Porter's, to a popular rappelling spot that offers an 80' cliff, in beautiful American Fork canyon.  From my participation in these trips, it would be reasonable, perhaps, to assume that this in an activity that I enjoy.

The truth is, going to those heights is quite frightening, even terrifying to me.  In fact, when I first arrived at the top of the cliff last Monday, having arrived later than the others participating, I was literally shaking.  Now, this was partly due to the fact that when I came out at the end of the trail at the top of the cliff, I found Makenzie and her friend flopped on the ground at the edge of the cliff waiting, not to patiently, for their turn.  Of course, I immediately freaked out and made them move to a seat safely well back from the edge.

At that point, Dave asked if I could take over attaching the belay lines, as he needed to go and tend to some other things.  Considering I was already shaking, well back from the edge, I wasn't exactly excited about moving to the edge OR being responsible for bringing the others, adults and children alike to the edge and fitting them with the ropes.  However, since the only other option was that everyone attach their own ropes, I took over.

The first step for me, was to anchor my self to the cliff with the webbing and carabiner that Dave had set up.  This first step helped to calm my fears that I, at least, was not going to fall!  At that point, I carefully attached each person, some so excited to be on their way.  Others, much more frightened than I , would clearly have preferred to avoid the experiences altogether.  Some ultimately chose to NOT go down.  For each person, whatever their attitude, my job was to attach and check and double check the safety ropes, provide instruction and encouragement, and to ensure there was someone at the other end of the rope as a safety.

Reflecting on this experience in light of some other experiences recently, I have been able to see some parallels to life and especially to being a mother.  Sometimes I arrive to see my children at the top of a cliff.  Sometimes, I don't want to do the job that is being thrust on me.  Sometimes, I see my children eager to jump into a daunting challenge, some go reluctantly, and sometimes they refuse to take up the challenge at all.

Regardless, the place I need to be is at the top of that cliff.  Although daunting, I know that I can anchor myself firmly into the Rock.  I can then project confidence to those who pass through my hands.  I  can instruct, guide and encourage them.  Finally I can pray that there will always be someone on the other end bring them to safety after they pass out of my hands.

The key to overcoming the fear is trusting the anchor.

Guide and Anchor

Recently, I have felt that, as a parent, I should be more open in sharing my spiritual insights with my children.  These are some thoughts I shared with them after our recent trip to Zion.

Before leaving on our trip to Zion National Park, I was not at all excited about going.  In fact, I was very nervous and even somewhat grouchy.  You could say I was murmuring.  After all, people regularly get lost out in the desert.  They get hurt.  All too often, they even die.  Let's not go into the issue of why I had sent my 14 year old  down for an even longer period, without a care.  He's a teenager, this is ME.  I'd thought about what routes I wanted to do, and fortunately, those are the ones we ended up doing.  

Still, I was nervous as we set out that first day.  "What if....?" was running through my mind.  However, within just minutes of starting out, I realized two crucial things.  First, our leaders, Dave and Dave Allison, knew where they were going.  They had been there before, and they knew the way.  We were not going to get lost.  Second, I learned that after our leaders had set up the ropes and anchored them into the rock, we were not going to fall.  Now, we could still get some bumps if we were careless, but we were not going to fall.  Realizing these things allowed me to relax and have fun for the rest of the trip.  

Similarly, in our lives, we are blessed to have leaders who know the way.  This could be our local leaders, but specifically, I am referring to the Prophet and Apostles of the Church, who are in turn led directly by Jesus Christ.  They know they way.  Christ has been there before.  They will never get lost or lead us astray.  In addition, we have a sure anchor.  The anchor, of course, if Christ himself, and the way we attach ourselves to Him is through prayer, pondering the scriptures and following the commandments.  If we do these things, we will not fall.  We will have trials and problems, but we will not fall.  When we realize the safety of these to things, the guide and the anchor, we can be assured we will avoid so many of life's difficulties, and we can relax and enjoy our time here.

There is a critical distinction to make, however.  Once we entered the slot canyon, there was no way out except at the end, the destination.  Once you commit to the canyon, you are literally forced to continue on that path to the end.  That is not the case with life--there are many exits and side paths on the path.  That makes it all the more critical to follow the guide, always.