The idea behind this campaign was that small and simple acts of service would help to light the world. Ever the overachiever, I thought that I'd try to look for some deep philosophical meaning in every suggested daily theme.... and in the process, although I've had a lot of great thoughts and several different times of reflection.... I've been informed that things have gotten a little heavy on the blog. I feel like I should probably take some time and write about some of the crazy stuff that happens in my normal life. However, I am committed. So you'll just have to trust me that I am keeping copious notes on all the rest of the zany adventures at my house, and eventually, this forum will return to the weird, neurotic tales that make up my life. In the meantime, I will continue to try to grow and stretch a bit.
When I think about Christ helping people walk, I had a couple of thoughts come into my mind. The first thought I had was actually the lyrics of a Janice Kapp Perry song that was popular when I was in high school (lo, those many years gone past.) It's from her song "Learn of Me" and the chorus has continually been ringing through my ears the last day or so.
"Learn of me and listen to my words,
Walk in the meekness of my light.
And I will give you peace,
My love will never cease,
For I am Jesus Christ."
The second thought that I had is because of our recent YW in Excellence activity at church. We used the Wizard of Oz as a theme and talked about how "there's no place like home." My friend Elizabeth gave a beautiful and wonderful talk that night about the path we walk to return home to our Heavenly Father. In the story, Dorothy and her entourage are instructed to "follow the yellow brick road." By doing so, they are assured that they will get to the Wizard and that they will be able to find the things they seek.
So here are my thoughts about helping people to walk. As followers of Christ, we have promised to learn about Him and to try and emulate His works in our life. He has promised us that if we follow Him, that he will light our path.
Paraphrasing some of Elizabeth's comments... we are all on the path. Our Father in Heaven has placed us here and given us directions to return to Him. There are things to do and people we meet along the way. They are all walking the path as well. Sometimes our journey is easy and enjoyable; other times it is extremely difficult and lonely. The challenge that we must accept is to keep walking; keep trying. If we find we are at a place that we can't move from, we should sit down and wait. Wait for help, wait for inspiration.... or in my particular world, wait for an attitude adjustment. There are friends and family, members of the Church and our Savior Jesus Christ who are also walking this path. They will be there to help us when we stumble; and we WILL stumble.
Thank goodness we live in a world with folks that are smarter than we are. I am consistently grateful for the examples and experiences of others around me; especially when I am humble enough to accept their help. Jesus Christ offers us the help and assistance we need to make it down the path of life. He has made sure that his disciples are also on our path. If our light and our testimonies are weak, it is possible to live on borrowed light for a time. We do this with the promise that at some point we will pay it forward.
I am so grateful for the people in my life, on my path, who have sometimes dragged me along with them. A good soldier never leaves a man behind.
Jesus Christ has shown me the path that I must walk. It is straight and narrow and sometimes it's hard. Sometimes, I have been known to make my way toward the edges..... but the Light of Christ always draws me back and I try very hard to keep walking toward Him. Because Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father want me to return to them.
I am so grateful for the people that God has placed on my path and for their willingness to join me on my journey. I can #LightTheWorld by looking for those along my path who may be struggling or need help. I can pick them up, and bring (drag) them along. I know this one thing to be true: that none of us get where we are going alone. We need each other.
"It's not where you go, it's who you meet along the way."
Ultimately, we know it DOES matter where we go.... but if we will help and accept the help of others along our path, we will all make it back to our final destination, our heavenly home, and dwell with God again.
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