Hold to the Rod

Have you ever thought, "It would be amazing if there was just a definite path or guidebook or something like that for life"? What if there was? Would you follow it? What if it wasn't the most popular thing in the world but it was still the way to success and happiness? Would you withstand the pressure and stick with it?

Guess What...

There is. There once was a Prophet named Lehi who had a dream about that very thing. He saw in a vision a rod of iron that led on a straight and narrow path, through mist and darkness, along the banks of a river to a tree "whose fruit was desirable to make one happy". (1 Nephi 8:10) Fruit that "was desirable above all other fruit". (1 Nephi 8:12)

Awesome right!? A rod of iron that you can hold onto along a straight path through the darkness and mists! That's what we were looking for!

Here's the thing...

 On the other side of the river is a great and spacious building filled with people pointing and laughing at those who stayed on the path and held to the rod.

"I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

 And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost." (1 Nephi 8:26-28)

These people had found what they were looking for. They found the path, the guide, they tasted the happiness they had arrived! The problem was it wasn't popular. It wasn't the way of the world. It wasn't how everyone else thought they should do things.

My family and friends, brothers and sisters. Does this happen to us? Do we reject the guide that we need so desperately in our lives. I tell you that a lot of the time we do. In Lehi's vision the iron rod resembles the word of God i.e. the scriptures and the words of the Prophets. That is our guide that lead us along the path that leads to our happiness and success, the Tree whose fruit is desirable above all other. In closing I leave you my testimony in love that I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is real. That the mists of darkness in this life are real. I testify to you that the Gospel is delicious to the taste and is more desirable than anything else we will find. I promise you that it brings happiness and success not only in this life but in the life to come. So I invite you to hold to the iron rod, to follow the straight and narrow path and not be ashamed.

I love you.

I promise and testify you these things in the name of Jesus Christ.