Imagine a father trying to coax a scared little child to jump into a swimming pool where he waits with open arms to catch him. The father knows it will be okay, he knows that the child will be more confident and better off for having done it, and he knows that he will keep the child safe- but the crucial test lies in the fact that the child doesn't know any of this. The father can make many promises and can plead with the child, but ultimately, it's the child's trust in the power and willingness of the father to keep him safe that will overcome the doubt, fear, and worry. Besides 2 flimsy inflatable water wings on his tiny arms, in that moment of testing the only reason for the child to jump is his implicit trust in the love of his father that has been nurtured his entire life.

Likewise, part of having faith in the Savior is trusting Him even when it is scary or otherwise emotionally prohibitive to do so. It is our trust in the Savior's love that has to overcome fear, doubt, and temptation or desire. To gain this trust in the moment of testing, we must exercise our faith in him. Exercise, by definition, involves obstacles or resistance that need to be overcome or worked against to achieve the anticipated growth in our ability to trust the Savior. Often, this resistance is an emotional barrier. Intense fear, doubt, or insecurity are some common examples, but often, strong temptations or physical desires must also be tempered if we wish to follow Christ. This principle of faith is fundamental to many religions, but is especially so to Christianity. In Christianity, salvation, though available to all, never comes without sacrifice. He who gave all to cover our sins and to lift us to heaven likewise asks us to lay down our fears, doubts, and desires and, in such, demonstrate to him and to ourselves that we trust him more than these. As we do so, He promises His peace and comfort in this life, and eternal peace in the life to come (see Mark 10:17-30, John ch. 14). Like the loving father, He will coax and plead with us to trust him, to jump in with both feet, but ultimately it is our choice to do so. To recieve all his love we must try our faith. Like the young child, with every decision to trust in him we build the faith necessary to one day be able to jump in, completely and wholly confident in the love of God.