Not Hidden, Just Unseen
Our walk along the West Highland Way was simply magnificent.
Reuniting as former missionaries of the Belgium Netherlands Mission, our walk had everything – beautiful scenery, amazing views, sun, rain, silly moments aplenty, great people, sheep galore, even a feral goat!
There was just one thing missing on our trip, spotting a Highland coo!
Tourist shops were bursting with Highland coos on every item imaginable, except the trail, where they were nowhere to be found.
Constantly, we kept our eyes peeled, scanning distant fields and searching for the elusive coo’s.
I recall debating whether a dark blob in the far-off field might be one.
But alas, nothing. No hairy beast. No curved horns. No majestic bovine presence.
It became a bit of a running joke: “Still no coos!”
Kilmahog!
Then, on the drive home, something nudged my memory: Kilmahog.
I’d been there some years before.
And sure enough, as we pulled into the car park, crowds of tourists were gathering.
Highland coo’s.
Large, calm, shaggy and very real.
And I thought: Isn’t that just like life?
In a similar manner, so many of us may be searching for something meaningful, truth, purpose, peace and direction in life.
Many scan the horizon, hoping to spot something that feels right, but never quite seem to find it.
But when someone knows where to look and gently points the way, in a fleeting moment, everything can change.
The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is like that.
It’s not hidden. It’s not exclusive. It’s available to all, but often people don’t know where to find it.
In Jeremiah 29:13 we read “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
Sometimes it just takes someone who knows the way, or remembers where the coos are, to point the rest of us in the right direction.
And that’s exactly what we as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do every day, point people in the right direction.
Who could you lovingly point in the right direction this week?
