I am not an expert in rappelling, but I have been a few times. In my youth it was an activity our Young Men and Young Women would do a couple times a year. It was also an activity I did with my family and another from our ward.
There are some aspects of rappelling that in my understanding could be related to the gospel.
First: Anchors. Before you can begin your climb down the mountain you must be securely tied to it. For me my anchor is my testimony. Hard things are happening all the time all around us, if I didn't believe in the gospel and have a sense of peace to return to daily I believe at times I would give in to the hard things and let it overtake me. My testimony has brought me through so much, especially over the past couple of months. In the next few months I will lose my job, and my home and if I'm lucky I can sell my car and I will need a lot of faith to get through that as well. My testimony is my anchor. It reminds me where my heart needs to be and how to live a fulfilling life.
Second: There is a rope. If I hold onto this rope and I follow it down the mountain it is my guide for my shortest and easiest route to safety. The rope is the gospel and all that it teaches. If I follow the teachings of the gospel it is the safest and happiest route back to my Heavenly Father.
Third: Belay. I don't really know the term but this is the person who stands at the bottom and is the backup in case I fall. If I slip and start to fall the belay will pull the rope tight which will cause me to stop falling. They are the ones who can in all senses save me. This is like my Savior, Jesus Christ. He took on the sins of the world and died so that I could safely return to my father in heaven. When I start to stray off the path he is the one who pulls the rope and reminds me why I am here and what I have to look forward to in the eternities.
Fourth: This is the last example that I could really think of but it doesn't have to do with everybody's rappelling experiences, this is specific to just me. Every time I rappel I am pumped. I am excited to go.... and then I get to the edge of the mountain and I freak out. Everything inside of me is telling me it's stupid to walk off the cliff. Once I get over that first section of the cliff I enjoy every second of my climb down the mountain and I have so much fun! This reminds me of so many things in my life. When I need to make new choices or the things in my life are changing it is very hard for me. I often have very emotional moments when I don't want to change anything- I get too comfortable with where I am. I often find that those experiences are what help me to grow the most and become a better person. When I do the things that the Lord has asked me to do I meet the most amazing people and I learn so much about others, the gospel, and myself. They become the moments in life that are the most special to me and which end up having the sweetest memories.
Another experience that is really embarrassing for me to admit to is that when I was in my later teen years (after YEARS of rappelling) the youth in our ward decided we were going to go rappelling as an activity. I don't remember if it was a particularly hard cliff or what but I would NOT go down it. I was hooked up to the rope and my harness was done up.... but nothing anyone could say would encourage me to go down the cliff. One of my leaders harnessed up, hooked me to him, and carried me down the cliff (with my permission). This is so symbolic to how I feel about my Savior. When I come to a time in my life that seems the hardest to go through he carries me through and reminds me how much he loves me. He wants me to be safe and to help others through this life- much like my youth leader helped me to get safely back to "dry ground"
I know that my Savior lives and that every day he guides me to become the best person I can be. This gospel is what brings me the most peace in my life and I couldn't imagine how things would be without it in my life.
If you are reading this and you are questioning life and all that comes with it maybe it's time you got down on your knees and asked your Father in Heaven for a little guidance and then accept the answers that he gives you.
I love you, I know that God loves you and I hope that you have a great Easter weekend!
