Lake Powell and the Gospel

So my family LOVES going to the lake. I think we all live for the week of the summer spent on a houseboat on Lake Powell. Its the most relaxing week of my life every year. We basically anchor ourselves to the beach and spend a week sleeping in, boating to see the beautiful sights like Rainbow bridge, wake-boarding, skiing, eating, and tubing. There is nothing in the world to rival a trip to Lake Powell. The only catch is the wind storms. Every now and then a giant wind decides to pick up. Its horrifying to be out on the lake and only a little less terrifying to be on the actual houseboat. As the wind picks up the boat sways back and forth, threatening to debeach itself at any moment. For years we heard horror stories of sunk ships and broken boats and bones. After some time our luck ran out and we added our own horror story to the book of Lake Powell wind tragedies.

We can secure our lives as we tie off to the anchors God provides

A lot of time is spent at Lake Powell playing card games or watching movies. I think I was watching a movie at the time and happened to look out the window and notice some wind was picking up. I thought, "good thing our anchors are in super good". We prided ourselves in the depth of the hole and the weight of the rocks on top and even the wetness of the sand for extra support. Our angles to the boat from the lines were even excellent. I was so unworried about it I just continued watching the movie. Suddenly I had this weird feeling of movement. I looked out the window where a few minutes before there had been a picturesque water scene; it was now the beach. I ran to the other window and saw that our lines from the boat to the anchor had somehow come undone and though the anchors were safely in the sand our boat was only attached to two of them and we were now swinging completely back and forth from one side of the beach to the other. Of course I raised the alarm and just as we were about to hit some rocks my dad got the boat fired up and backed us away and out into more open water. The catch was that action tangled the ropes into the propeller. I elected to dive under, untangle them, and bring back to the beach where my brothers would be waiting to retie them up. Meanwhile my dad would wait til I was safely on the beach with the ropes, fire up the boat, and re-beach us as we tied the lines off again. Luckily my uncle was able to get the ropes out with me and soon we were re-beaching ourselves, this time careful to tie the knots well. It was a scary and stressful time but eventually we were all safe and secured and back inside soaking wet, too relieved to do anything but stare at each other.

The gospel provides secure anchors for our lives

In so many ways this is how our lives are. We have anchors in our lives that secure us to the beach so that we can have the vacation of our lives, as in live in joy as only the righteous do (Mosiah 2:41). We can enjoy all that life offers us even when the winds and trials rise up because we will always be safe on the beach. The anchors of our Savior, the Book of Mormon, the gospel, our Heavenly Father will never fail. So what goes wrong? Our lines. The "rock of our salvation" never moves, not even an inch. It is up to us to tie ourselves off to this security with our own lines and ropes in order to enjoy the safety those anchors provide. We can strengthen this link by obedience to the Commandments, faith, repentance, scripture study, and sincere and daily prayer. When we put in the time for example, to truly read and ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon, we tie ourselves securely to the anchor of our faith in the Restored Gospel. The Book of Mormon will always be a perfect anchor (Introduction page) to our testimony of Joseph Smith, Thomas S. Monson, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but it is up to us to tie the line. Whenever we become lax in our reading of it, or lax in our obedience to any principle of the gospel that ties us to the anchors, we become vulnerable and when the winds hit we will de-beach and be left to be carried "to and fro" by the winds and waves of life (James 1:6). We will be left in a terrible pickle much like the one my family experienced. We can avoid this by making sure our lines are securely fastened to the anchors the gospel provides for us. But always remember, should we come undone, the Atonement is always there for us, and no matter how many anchors we untie from, no matter how bad the storm, and no matter how far away from the beach we have gone, Christ will ALWAYS provide a way back for us if we rely on his Atoning power in our lives. It is never too late to re-beach and re-secure ourselves to our anchors, and it is never a bad idea to continue to secure your line every day. Only then can we truly enjoy our "Lake Powell" vacation without fear or discomfort, even on the windy days.

*Over the last few months I have put a lot of thought into what my anchors are in my life. As I think about what has helped me through life's challenges and storms and turbulent water I realized that it is my belief in four things:
1) That I have a loving Heavenly Father who knows me personally and answers my prayers
2) That Jesus is the Christ and my Lord, Savior, and Redeemer
3) That Christ established a church while on this Earth and that that church exists today
4) That the Book of Mormon is the word of God; testifying to me that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that Thomas S. Monson is God's prophet on the Earth today
If any of my "ropes" tied off to these anchors slacken even just a bit, I feel the difference and loss of stability in my life-especially in hard times. Even if three are strong and one isn't I may enjoy a fairly calm and stable life-but when life really hits my boat feels the absence of even one anchor. All four are vital to my success and peace in this life, and in my life to come.

If you would like to share your own anchors please Facebook me and I would love to post them! Thanks!