rely

buffalo in yellowstone

spring 2014

"...I give unto you a commandment, that you rely upon the things which are written;..."

--Doctrine and Covenants 18:3

Rely
:depend on with full trust or confidence
:be dependent on

I rely on a lot of things. I rely on the lights turning on when I flip the switch, my car starting when I put the key in the ignition. I rely on phone service working when I make a call, the internet working when I click and app or turn on my computer. I rely on my fridge to keep my food cold, and my body to function properly.

I rely on a lot of things. Almost unintentionally and without much thought, I full expect and have confidence in the fact that when I use or do something, the object will do what it is built and anticipated to do. I've become somewhat dependent on that fact.

But reliance isn't just in things, switches or electronic items. Because honestly, these things will all fail at some point. You will turn on the water faucet one day and water won't come out (see the post about my flooded basement). You will depend on someone to do something and it won't happen sometimes. We've all been there, on both sides of the experience. And you know what, we're human, its expected, its okay.

But what does it really mean to rely and how can we really do it? What can we really rely on?

Tonight as I was reading in the scriptures at the end of a particularly long and challenging day and week, I opened to Doctrine and Covenants 18. This word rely stood out on the page in verse 3. The scripture says, "And if you know that they are true, behold, I give unto you a commandment, that you rely upon the things which are written;..."

I had this moment of peace as I reflect on being able to "rely upon the things that are written."

I am so grateful to have the scriptures. These ancient records of scripture allow me to rely on them. They're words and friends that never fail me. They never fail me when I read them and they never fail me as the Spirit brings them to my remembrance in the moments when I need them most. I am so grateful that I can depend on the words that are written in the scriptures and that I can trust and have confidence in the words that are written for my benefit and learning. I need to rely on them more.