Are the Mountains on Your Right?

Savannah is doing well at BYU. She's finding her way and settling in. I don't hear from her quite as often now that her schedule is full with classes, studying, working, socializing and any number of other college activities.

But the first couple weeks of school, she called me most days as she headed across campus toward her dorm once her classes were through. She'd fill me in on classes, roommates, upcoming events, or work as she walked. Inevitably, at some point in our conversation, Savannah would say,

"Um, mom? I don't think I know where I am right now." 

She was so involved in our conversation that at some point she realized she wasn't sure where her dorm was or how to get there.

My response was always the same:

 "Are the mountains on your right?" 

You see, Savannah's dorm is on the far northeast corner of campus. When heading in that direction, she is flanked by a huge mountain range on the east. Those mountains can be seen from anywhere on campus. As long as she walks with the mountains on her right, she'll make it home.

BYU campus. The arrow points to the dorms. Anchor yourself to those mountains and you'll make it home!

The mountains became an anchor or something that will always be there to help her get her bearings and make sure she is heading in the right direction.

I've come to the conclusion that we all need to have these anchors in our lives. Sure, anchors can help us with physical matters like finding your dorm, but even more so, we need to be anchored to spiritual things. We need to hold onto meaningful experiences that remind us of certain truths we know so that when the storms come, we don't lose our faith. I love this quote by Jeffrey R. Holland:

"In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited.... When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.... The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know."

Anchor yourself to your spiritual mountains and you'll always be able to find your way home.