This picture, titled Flaxen Cords, was painted by Kate Lee. She is an artist and an author of a book Connection with Christ. I had bought this book and had only read the first chapter. Then, it laid on my nightstand for months as God was telling me to read other things instead. I finally moved it to my bookshelf to have less books taking up space on my nightstand.

One morning, I woke up early to get my son of to his early morning seminary class and I looked at my phone. Marie had posted a question on the Questions for Kista page of the blog. This is her question:

“How can you keep on the straight and narrow path if you feel like you are surrounded in darkness? When you are so full of doubt, confusion, hurt, and lack of forgiveness for even yourself that the iron rod feels out of reach?”

Marie, this post is dedicated to you. I am so grateful that you reached out with this question. I have been praying for God to lead me to what you need to hear. In fact, as soon as my son left for his seminary class, I got on my knees in my room to pray. I had the impression to get up and go to the bookshelf and take that same book, Connecting with Christ by Kate Lee, down and to once again begin to read it.

That morning, I read the entire book, highlighted, and made lots of notes for this blog post. It does not surprise me at all that I was kept from reading this book for several months until this morning. God wants you to read things at certain times, He wants to help prepare you for things that are important, and most especially, He wants you to feel the great love for others as you serve them. What a blessing it was to have this book on hand when God needed me to share something from it with you.

In this book, Kate Lee shares her beautiful art in each chapter with a story about what it means to her. Each of these moments of her life is part of a beautiful and spiritual journey in her finding a way to connect with Jesus Christ, our Savior. Her moments of uncertainty and self-doubt gave her the experiences needed to create the most beautiful and touching art that many people are drawn to and can connect deeply with. The art helps any eye that beholds it to find a connection to Christ.

There is one image in her book that I had never seen before. It is the image that I chose for the picture of this blog post. It is titled Flaxen Cords. In this chapter, she explains that her Stake President gave her a piece of paper with the scripture 2 Nephi 26:22 written on it. He told her that he wanted her to paint him a picture based on that scripture.

That scripture reads: “And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.”

Kate Lee spent the next nine months working on this idea. This was such a challenge for her. She had so many emotions trying to get this painting figured out. She was able to understand what this scripture meant by being bound by Satan’s strong cords. She says, “Those flaxen cords that had been wrapped around me for so long had started to lose their grip and fall away, and I started to see myself differently. I started to understand Christ’s Atonement more fully. I began to give to Him, little by little, the loads I had been holding on to. Instead of looking down, giving into my doubts and holding on to my pain, I started to look up and reach for Christ and His light. I started to let go and trust the Savior more. I recognized that my focus was changing, Christ’s hands were stretched out toward me, and for the first time, I understood that He wanted me to reach back. So I did”

I love this painting and I think that she captured those flaxen cords perfectly and beautiful as she shows the woman pulling away from them as the hold they have on her weaken just enough for her to escape their grasp. I have felt these cords binding me many times throughout my life. I even feel them now as the power of the destroyer on the earth is so prevalent.

However, there is one thing that I learned from my previous experiences with these cords. They are not stronger than the Light of Christ. As we turn to Jesus Christ, and reach to him with all of our might, the cords weaken and fall away. The power of Jesus Christ can weaken the strongest and thickest cords that they enemy holds us with. As these cords begin to weaken, we can take the opportunity to rip them away from us and run towards the light.

Dear Marie, the rod is closer to your grasp than you perceive. Those flaxen cords binding you of doubt, confusion, hurt and lack of forgiveness (most especially for yourself) are the enemy’s cords. Yes, they are strong. They are heavy. They are suffocating. But you know what is stronger? The Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Kate Lee said, “I learned that God and Christ are in the details of our lives and that they are giving us opportunities to grow and to break those flaxen cords every day.”

Elder Jeffrey R Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.”

Marie, turn towards the light. See Christ’s hand reaching out for you. Believe He is there, call out to Him. Find your quiet place, get on your knees and just pour out your heart to Him. Begin to connect with Him. I testify that this is what you need. Do this daily, even hourly until the darkness abates.

Remove anything from your life that inhibits the Spirit from being present. This is a hard thing to do. I am still finding things in my own life that I need to purge so that I can focus all of my attention towards Him. I know that it is hard. But I promise that it is worth it.

In Matthew 19:16-22, Jesus meets a young man that asks what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. The young man tells Jesus that he has done all of these things since his youth. Then he asks, “What lack I yet?”

Then Jesus says, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.”

Verse 22: “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”

Sometimes, we put our “possessions” before the Lord. It keeps us from following him with all of ourself. I know that as I have made efforts to let go of these things, I have been given more power to follow Him. It has been so very humbling and so very sacred to me. I have found His love more completely as I have let go of the things of the world. I never want to go back, because as I love the things of this world, I lose the ability to put Him first. In doing this, I have had the most amazing journey with my Savior and it has become so dear to me.

Marie, I would love for you to have this experience. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are there, they are patiently waiting with their hands reaching out for you to grab hold of. They love you perfectly. A perfect love that our mortal minds cannot comprehend. It takes a faith and trust in Them to believe it. Sometimes taking that step in faith is what it takes to see that the iron rod is indeed within a footstep’s reach and it was there the entire time. Take that step, reach for the rod, and grab hold of it.

Nephi did not simply say to hold it, he said to “hold fast unto it” or cling unto it. When I think of clinging to something, I thing of holding something so tightly that it would take the strength of several people to break that grasp.

Marie, when you find your way back to the Iron rod, cling to it so tightly that even when the enemy is nearby and whispering to you all the things he knows might break your grasp, your grip to the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so strong that even Satan himself cannot break you away. Christ is always stronger that Satan. Use His strength and His power to cling desperately to the iron rod in the turmoil of this world that we live in. Call to Him and he will strengthen you beyond your mortal capabilities. This I know to be true.

Marie, I hope that you feel your Savior’s love for you as you read this. I have felt it strongly. I have felt the Joy that They want you to feel in knowing that you are so very loved by Them. They understand you more than you think. And yet, They still love you, completely, unconditionally, and perfectly. They know who you have the power to become, and it is through these trials and tribulations that you will become.

Ether 12:27 “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”