“And, behold, it is because that you did not continue as you commenced, when you began to translate, that I have taken away this privilege from you.” (D&C 9:5). So many of us find ourselves starting down a righteous path filled with faith and hope, but then, when obstacles crowd out the way before us, when doubts and fears drain away our faith, we start to question if this really was a good path all along. What’s worse, after having stumbled or failed, when we are filled once more with the desire to walk that same path, we hesitate . We have already lost precious time and effort and are too far behind now for it to make much difference whether we continue or not. But we know that it was a good path when we commenced. And if it was a good path, then it came from God, and if it came from God, then not only the beginning but the end will be good. There may be rough patches in the middle, but we know that if we will continue as we commenced, it will lead us to a place that is better than where we started. Peter commenced by walking on the water to his Savior. He became frightened and stumbled, but then with the Savior’s help, he continued once more as he commenced. And then, later, when he stumbled again after denying that He knew the Savior, he once more continued as he commenced by declaring boldly his devotion to his Lord for the rest of his days. Continuing is not always easy, but it is always worth it in the end.
