There’s Always a Way Back

When I served as the Young Women’s Stake Camp Director, I took a day a few months before camp to explore the hiking trails the girls would use to meet their certification requirement. My companion and I arrived with good intentions, but not much preparation. We simply started walking.

The area was beautiful, but the trails split again and again. Each fork offered different scenery, some shaded, some overgrown, and we found ourselves choosing based on instinct rather than direction. Though the walk was pleasant, I quickly realized I hadn’t mapped anything useful for the girls who would follow. My notes looked more like a maze than a guide.

Determined to do better, feeling like I had not accomplished what I had set out to do, I returned a few days later with my husband. This time, we started with a trail map provided by the camp. As we walked, we made careful notes about which paths were easier, which were longer, and which offered more shade. To our surprise, we discovered that even if we accidentally took a wrong turn, we didn’t have to go back. If we kept moving forward, the trail would eventually reconnect with the main path.

That insight became the heart of my message to the camp leaders: If you get off the intended trail, don’t panic. You don’t have to retrace every step. Just keep moving forward, and you’ll find your way back.

During camp, some groups followed the map exactly. Others wandered a bit, choosing what looked best from their point of view. Some walked farther than they needed to. But in the end, every single girl arrived at the same destination, tired, but safe.

That hike taught me something deeper.

Life is like that trail. We’re all moving but without direction, it’s like setting out with a compass but no destination. A compass may point north, but unless we know where we’re trying to go, it can’t guide us in any meaningful way.

Once we understand our destination, it’s as if we’re finally holding a map in our hands. Our steps gain purpose, and each choice along the path can move us closer to where we’re meant to be.

But even a clear destination and a map aren’t always enough. We still need guidance. The surest way to find it is to learn from those who have already walked the path. In life, that means seeking wisdom from people who are faithful, experienced, and grounded in truth.

How grateful I am that our Heavenly Father has provided maps and guides, His Church, His scriptures, His prophets. He knew we’d need help. That’s why He sent His Son. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can repent and return to the straight and narrow path.

Even when we wander, there is always a way back.

We are never so far off course that the Lord cannot guide us home. He places leaders, friends, and quiet promptings along the way. And if we keep moving forward with faith, we will arrive at the destination He has prepared for us.

So let’s walk with purpose. Let’s trust the map. And when we find ourselves on an unfamiliar trail, let’s remember:

There is always a way back to the path that leads us home.

Psalm 119:105

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”