Without Sail or Anchor – Mormon 5:17-18

17 They were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea, they were led even by God the Father.
18 But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they.
(Mormon 5:17-18)

Without a sail, it’s impossible to navigate to your desired destination. With a sail, the wind can be leveraged to help you achieve your goals.

Without an anchor, it’s impossible to avoid drifting. With an anchor, the influence of waves and currents can be neutralized, and you can remain stationary when needed.

In the passage above, Mormon describes the state of his people after rejecting God’s leadership and falling under the influence of Satan. They were like a ship with no anchor and with no sails, adrift on the water, at the mercy of the winds and the waves.

We all experience adversity, temptation, and other negative influences. Those influences would buffet us and ultimately destroy us if we surrendered to them. But if we anchor ourselves firmly to true principles and navigate persistently toward worthwhile destinations, we can overcome their negative influences.

Today, I will be grateful that the gospel of Jesus Christ helps me overcome negative influences in my life. I will be grateful that it provides true principles and guidelines which can serve as an anchor for my daily decisions. I will also be grateful that it provides meaningful objectives for me to pursue, as well as tools to help me achieve those goals.