Taking the Step

I had an experience a couple days ago that has stuck with me and I feel like I need to share.

This weekend I was able to travel to St. George, UT to do some hiking. We spent our first day climbing around in Snow Canyon. One of the places we explored were these lava tubes, which are basically these caves you can climb down to made by lava millions of years ago. Pretty legit.

Well, the third cave we got to was a little difficult to maneuver. In order to get out, you need to get up to this ledge and climb onto another ledge that's about 4-5 feet off the ground, with basically no hand or foot holds. The easiest thing to do is have someone already on the second ledge to pull you up.

We were down in this cave with a group of kids. They were jumping around going crazy so we stuck to ourselves and climbed around the cave. As we were in one of the little tunnels, I heard crying from one of the little girls. I went out to see what was wrong and make sure she was alright.

She was the last one of the kids to get pulled out of the cave. Her dad was on the ledge, reaching out to her and saying, "Just give me your hand and I'll pull you out." But she couldn't do it. She stood there clinging to the wall, crying, wanting to reach her dad but too afraid to let go of the wall. I ran over and picked her up and her dad pulled her up onto the ledge.

I've been thinking a lot about that experience the past few days. The sound of her crying has stayed with me. She just sounded so scared. Then I understood.

You see, we have a Heavenly Father who is reaching out to us. He is saying, "You just need to give me your hand and I will pull you up to me." And we stand there scared.We know what we need to do, but that step seems too much. We can't move or reach out. It feels like there's no way we can get out of that hole. It's during those time that the Savior comes. He hears our cries and comes to us. He will pick us up, He will wipe away our tears, and He will lift us up so we can reach our Father's hand. 

We don't need to be scared of taking that step. We know that we have someone there to support us. And even if we fall or take a wrong step, we can never fall so low that Christ can't lift us up. The darkness that may surround us, the mistakes we may have made, the trials we have that seem to hold us back can never separate us from Christ. He is always there. Always. He will never leave us alone. Though we may feel lost and scared, we can trust that He will come and save us and lift us higher. And with that knowledge we can rejoice and find peace and happiness even during those times when we are walking blindly.

When you are that little girl, crying and feeling alone, remember that you have a Savior who will come and lift you up. Trust in His Atonement, have faith that He can heal and strengthen you. He will hear your cries and He will come.