A father and his sons went fishing in a mountain reservoir. "We were in an old wooden flat-bottom boat with a motor," one of the sons recalled years later. "When we got to the spot where we were going to bait fish, we threw the anchor over the bow.

"Within seconds, the end of the nylon rope to which the anchor was attached floated back to the top. The rope had been tied off, probably at the previous spot we had been, and the knot that secured the anchor to the rope had not been tied properly. The rope reached its length before the anchor hit its depth, causing the anchor to jerk and come off. With our anchor at the bottom of the reservoir, our boat drifted. We had to go to shore and find something we could tie to the rope to use as an anchor so we could continue our fishing trip."

An anchor is a simple device. One end of the rope or chain attached to it is tied to a boat or ship. Once the anchor reaches the bottom or its depth in the water, it keeps the vessel in place or greatly reduces its drift. Anchors come in various shapes and sizes: some are rocks or pieces of cement, brick or tiles. Scrap iron or bits of steel make suitable anchors in many cases. Commercially made anchors are more elaborate, designed specifically for the vessel and type water bottom where it will be used. Key to a good anchor, other than weight, is how securely it is linked to the vessel it is intended to stabilize. Even the best designed, most costly anchor is useless if it is tossed overboard with no rope or chain secured to it and the vessel. One would be foolish to intentionally throw overboard an anchor without secure attachments.

The scriptures contain many references to anchors. Often, the scriptures use the anchor as an analogy for the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Church, faith, sound principles, teachings or directions that keep one from being "tossed to and fro."

Of those who are without the anchor of the Spirit of the Lord, Mormon said: " . . . 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 5:16, 18.)

Just as an anchor can keep a vessel from drifting into undesirable waters or provide security in a storm, spiritual anchors can protect us in perilous times.

President David O. McKay said: "The testimony of the gospel is an anchor to the soul in the midst of confusion and strife." (Improvement Era, December 1960, p. 905.)

We have heard or read of individuals who drift through life. Usually, the drifting starts at a young age. Parents are the first anchor in a young child's life. When he was serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke of a newspaper article that gave the tragic account of a young woman, a university student from an affluent home. President Hinckley summarized the report: "Her father was a man of means, an executive of a large corporation, loyal to the company, loyal to his club, loyal to his party, but unwittingly a traitor to his family. Her mother had saved the civic opera, but had lost her children. The daughter, a child of promise, had become entangled in a student revolt, and without an anchor, had quit school, and had drifted to the beatnik crowd, her will-o'-the-wisp satisfactions coming only from nights of revelling and days of rebellion." (Conference Report, October 1965, p. 50.)

The parents of that young woman, it seems, had been much like the errant anchor in the account of the fishing party mentioned earlier: they jerked free of their attachments short of their destination and purpose.

In other cases, individuals have tossed overboard anchor, chart and compass that would provide stability and lead them to peace and safety. Who hasn't heard of a child who rebels against the teachings of noble, faithful parents, or of men and women who, having being taught, turn from the gospel to follow other paths?

Losing contact with our spiritual anchors will not only disrupt our pursuits but also puts our eternal lives in jeopardy. Elder Ezra Taft Benson referred to a testimony as "an anchor for men and women during times of great stress, trial, and hardship . . . that brings peace to the soul . . . [and] great power into the hearts of men and women during their darkest hours." (Conference Report, October 1952, p. 120.)

No greater blessing can be ours than to be anchored to the truth.