Pressing Forward

1 Nephi 8:24

And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.

The way to God requires effort and exertion and is always forward, never backward or sideways. Don't confuse effort, however, with self-aggrandizement. Keeping with Lehi's allegory, I do not build the path, forge the iron rod, plant and grow the tree, or produce the fruit. God does these things for me. They are gifts. 

He requires my effort, however. He does not pluck me out of my comfortable easy chair, drop me at the base of the tree, and force-feed me the fruit. I must choose His gifts through my diligent actions. 

Nor does He require me to walk the path perfectly from beginning to end. When I stray, He has provided a Savior to rescue me, dust me off, clean me up, and set me in the right direction on the path again. I don't always get to pick up again exactly where I got off, but the path is always open. No matter how long it takes and how many false starts, all that matters is that I persist until I find myself at the end of the path, facing in the right direction, pressing forward. Christ does all the rest.

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