“Flip the Switch!” For the Strength of Youth, June 2023.
Flip the Switch!
There’s a reserve of strength you can call upon when you feel empty, lonely, or lost.
Illustrations by Dean Macadam
During my last two summers of high school, my parents sent me to work for my uncle in Idaho. He operated Budge’s Golden Sunshine Honey, a family business started by my grandfather.
My father knew what I was in for. He had grown up “working in the bees.” He wanted me to learn how to work as he did. The job was hard, and there were few benefits, except for one: occasionally, my uncle let me ride his motorcycle.
One day, I decided to go for a ride. The blue skies, the bright sun, and the wind blowing through my hair were exhilarating! For a moment, all the long hours of hard work seemed worth it. Suddenly, the motorcycle sputtered to a stop. I had run out of gas in the middle of nowhere! This happened before cell phones, so I was all on my own.
I thought that my uncle would be upset if I abandoned the motorcycle and walked back to town, so I decided to push the motorcycle home. It was well after dark by the time I reached town. The gas station was closed. I was thirsty, hungry, and exhausted.
As I pushed the motorcycle through town, I saw my uncle’s truck parked outside the movie theater. I found him and told him what had happened. His response surprised me.
“How could you run out of gas?” he asked.
He walked out to the motorcycle and flipped a switch. He then turned the key and kicked down the starter. To my surprise, the motor let out a roar!
“How did you do that?” I asked.
“There’s a reserve tank in case you run out of gas,” he said. “All you have to do is flip the switch.”
Embarrassed and humiliated, I rode the motorcycle home.
The Parable of the Motorcycle
I have often thought about my experience with the motorcycle. Over the years, it has become like a parable to me.
In this life, we are “out of gas,” spiritually speaking. We want to rely on our own resources and strength to solve our problems. Sometimes we’re in trouble, but we’re too embarrassed to ask for help. But spiritually, that’s like trying to walk the motorcycle home without help. We’re unaware that there’s a switch that could provide power.
Instead of trying to push our “motorcycle” under our own strength, we should “flip the switch” and access the greatest source of power in this life: the atoning power of Jesus Christ. To access His power, we need to come unto Him with a broken heart and contrite spirit, repent, and believe (see 2 Nephi 2:7; Alma 26:35). Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can flip the spiritual switch that gives us the power we need to return to our heavenly home.1
He Is Always There
If we’re in trouble caused by sin, the Lord has made it clear that we must “repent or suffer” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:4). He pleads with us to accept His atoning sacrifice. “I, God, have suffered these things for all,” He tells us, “that they might not suffer if they would repent” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16).
Sometimes our repentance may require serious “repairs” and the help of a “spiritual mechanic” such as a parent or bishop. But we must always call on the Lord. His joy is great when we repent (see Doctrine and Covenants 18:13).
I testify that Jesus Christ is there to help us at all times and in all places. We don’t have to rely on our own strength. When we call on Him and keep His commandments, He will gently lead us “from darkest night into day.”2 Even when we feel empty, lonely, and lost, we can “flip the switch” and find renewed strength and direction.