Hold On

I have always been incredibly afraid of the dark. When I was little I would surround myself with stuffed animals so that they would protect me from bad guys. I once had a motion censor dog by my door so that I would be forewarned. I was seriously convinced someone was going to get me.

When I was in 7th grade there was one night where I was particularly afraid. I could not go to sleep and was convinced that, that, was the night that I would be kidnapped. I did the only thing I could think to do, I knelt down and poured my heart out in prayer.

I prayed that night to know that I would be protected from any harm or evil and that I would be able to be given a sign to know that I was going to be safe that night, and every other night. Immediately after my prayer Max (my dog) came in and slept next to me. I felt safe with him there and I fell asleep.

During that sleep I had a dream that I was being chased by someone wearing a scream mask. They chased me the entire way home from school. He would chase me into people's houses and I would have to hide in ovens because I thought that was the only place he wouldn't look. I was running all over the place trying to make it home safely without him finding me. Finally I took a run for it and he chased me right to my house.

When I opened the door, my whole family was in there yelling for me to hurry and hold on. They were standing in our dining room holding onto an iron rod. I remember all of them yelling "hurry, hurry, hold on to the rod!" and "if you grab the rod you will be safe!". I grabbed onto the rod and a scripture appeared on the rod that stated something regarding how I was now safe (I wish I knew which scripture it was....). The bad guy was gone for good.

I woke up the next morning feeling better than I ever remember feeling. I still was afraid of the dark but from that day forward I would pray or read my scriptures the nights when I couldn't sleep and that always calmed me down.

Anytime that I feel like something is burdening me or, quite honestly, when I am just scared that someone is following me, I immediately think to hold to the rod. This dream has helped me realize for years that without the gospel in my life, I would be wondering around scared, hiding, not knowing what to do. I am so grateful that when I was 12 I had the faith that saying a prayer would help me so that now, at 20, I can think back on that night and have that overwhelming amount of peace and faith all over again. I'm so grateful that a boy at 14 had the faith to say a prayer so that, I can, at age 20, have the feeling of peace and faith over and over again.

Our prayers are always answered, whether it's a vivid dream or a subtle feeling and I know that not one of us has any need to fear, as long as we hold on to the rod.