I Chose to Let Go

I remember a family party that I went to a few years ago. I was probably 15 years old. My entire family was there. The swimming pool was beautifully cool and the deck was covered with people eating and laughing. I was off in the corner eating and reading a book as per the usual.
After a little while my dad came over and asked why I wasn't swimming, since I'm generally the first one in the pool. I told him that I was reading and maybe I would get in later. He laughed and proceeded to grab my arm and pull me towards the edge of the pool. I, of course, tossed my book and whatever else I was holding, made sure nothing was in my pockets, and tried to get away.
(For those of you who don't know my father, you need to understand that my dad is 6'7" and 350 pounds.)
My escape attempt was unsuccessful and I began to squirm, trying to find some way to make him let go of my arm. Again, I was unsuccessful.
All this while I was being dragged to the edge of the water.
Finally, after what seemed like a year of hollering at my dad, he held me over the edge of the water and...just held me there! I was still squirming and fighting with all my strength but to no avail. I couldn't get out of his grip without falling into the water and I couldn't get to shore because my dad's arms were too long and my toes were barely gripping the edge as it was.
I gave up. I let go of him and into the water I went.

I was mad. He had let me fall! He had, in effect, pushed me off the cliff! He had dropped me into thin air!

This morning I was reading a talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland entitled, "The Inconvenient Messiah." The talk was very powerful and one line in particular caught my attention: "...if your prayers don't always seem answered, take heart. One greater than you...cried, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani...My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" If sometimes the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived."
There are times in our lives when we pray and we plead and we pray some more that our trials may be taken from us. Even Christ, while performing the Atonement, asked, "If thou be willing, remove this cup from me..." But, in this supreme expression of love and submission He added, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42)
We were placed here on the earth in order to gain bodies and to learn and grow through the trials and tribulations that we would suffer. There are times when we will feel like we are hanging over the cliff. There will be times when we feel that we are not able to pull ourselves to safety.
In these times, remember the promise that "the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)

In that moment, hanging over the edge of the swimming pool, I let go of my father's arm. I gave up on him and on myself. He never shook me off of his arm. I chose to let go.

No matter how far over the edge we may be or we may feel, God will never let go of us for, "the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee..." (3 Nephi 22:10) His arm is continually stretched out to us. All we have to do is accept His help. We must take His hand and trust that, though He may not deliver us from all of our trials immediately, we will be blessed that we will not fall.