Tag Archive for: direction

A Sure Compass

Just before setting off on my walk along Scotland’s West Highland Way this May with my missionary friends, my brother Paul and his wife Gwen gave me a beautiful gift to mark my 60th birthday: a 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔, inscribed and deeply personal.
Oftentimes, I’ve carried it with me, not always for navigation, but for what it reminds me of: direction, intention, and trust in something steady.
One of my favourite activities as a facilitator involves asking groups, sometimes 10, 20, or even 100+ people, to stand, close their eyes, and point in the direction of north.
The results are always the same: arms point in every direction.
Some are confident, many are uncertain, and only a few ever get it right.
Then I pull out a compass and show them how quickly truth is revealed when you use the right tool.
I always gift them each a small compass to keep, a simple reminder that knowing where you’re going, starts with knowing what you’re using to guide you.

What tool do you use?

In a similar manner,  I love the words of Marvin J. Ashton:
“…just as a compass is valuable to guide us out of the dense forest, so the gospel points the way as we walk the paths of life.”
There’s something insightful in that comparison.
I know that life can be full of dense forests: uncertainty, doubt, temptation, fear, distraction.
I also know that the gospel of Jesus Christ doesn’t eliminate these things, yet it’s my experience that it helps us move through them without getting lost.
President James E. Faust once said: “The gift of the Holy Ghost is available as a sure guide, as the voice of conscience, and as a moral compass. This guiding compass is personal to each of us. It is unerring. It is unfailing.”
Not perfect circumstances. Not perfect knowledge. But a perfect guide.
I’ve learned that you don’t have to see the whole map if you trust your compass.
Whether you’re navigating the Highlands of Scotland or the hard questions of life, it’s the same principle.
The Spirit points true. The gospel holds steady. And I’ve kept walking.
60 years with the gospel as my guide. I still face storms, but I never face them alone.
As 2 Nephi 32:5 reminds us:
“For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”
What are you using today to find your way, and is it pointing you to True North?
If you’d like to know more, speak to a member or a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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?

Are you at a 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬?

Every day our missionaries young & old, present & past meet with people who are at a crossroads in their life, in their conversations on the street, on the bus, tram, train or plane.
They speak with everyone, everywhere.
When we come to a crossroads in life, although we may try for a while, we soon realise that we may need some help to make it safely to the other side.
Reflecting this morning upon their special roles as representatives of Jesus Christ, I was reminded of a favourite poem by Sadie Tiller Crawley.

The Upward Reach

“He stood at the crossroads all alone,
The sunlight in his face;
He had no thought for an evil course
He was set for a manly race.
But the road stretched east, and the road stretched west,
And he did not know which road was best,
So he took the wrong road and it led him down,
And he lost the race and the victor’s crown.
He was caught at last in an angry snare
Because no one stood at the crossroads there
To show him the better road.
Another day, at the self-same place,
A boy with high hopes stood.
He, too, was set for a manly race —
He was seeking the things that were good.
And one was there who the roads did know,
And that one showed him the way to go,
So he turned away from the road leading down,
And he won the race and the victor’s crown.
He walks today the highway fair
Because one stood at the crossroads there
To show him the better road.”

The Way

Daily, missionaries show many the way to go, by sharing their knowledge of “one was there who the roads did know” – even our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ.
I hope that you will allow missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to help you choose the better road.

Work in Progress

Are you satisfied with where you are now?
Preparing for the day ahead, it struck me that I’m a work in progress.
Later this morning, I’ll be working with missionaries to help each one of them to become a better missionary… I guess, a few, like me who are also, a work in progress.
Deep down I think we may all see ourselves as a work in progress, whether we admit it to ourselves or not.
Isn’t each of us a work in progress in the hands of God?
Progress means moving forward even when we encounter difficulty along the way.
I’m allowing myself to be a work in progress.
And you can, too.
How are you a work in progress?

Who is your wise guide?

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞?
Harry Potter had Dumbledore and Hagrid…
Luke Skywalker had Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda…
Froda Baggins had Gandalf…
Mowgli had Bagheera…
With the development of each fictional character, a wise guide arrives in each of their life’s.
As they place their faith in their wise guide, ultimately, he supports them toward their destiny.
Unlike many fictional movie characters however, real life is another matter altogether.

The Wisest Guide of All

Personally, my faith is not founded upon imaginary characters and their guides, but upon the wisest guide of all, even Jesus Christ.
Wise guides are not only wise, but they are also guides.
Guides direct, instruct, lead, shepherd and show us the way.
In the scriptures, the admonition to “Come, follow me” is repeated several times.
Similar phrases such as, “Walk with me,” “Follow me,” “Come unto me,” are also used regularly.
It is a very simple, direct, and powerful invitation.
The decision to follow Him, is a very personal one, that many of us choose to make.
I love these words from Hymn 116.
“Come, follow me,” the Savior said.
Then let us in his footsteps tread,
For thus alone can we be one
With God’s own loved, begotten Son.
I am so grateful for the two missionaries who introduced the restored Gospel to my parents in 1961, and for the inspired choice they made to follow the wisest guide of all and in his footsteps tread.
In the chorus of “I Am a Child of God” (Hymn 301) we find the words “Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way.”
It is through our daily prayers, that I know He will guide us, lead us, and walk beside us.
Are you searching for a wise guide in your life?
If so, may I respectively suggest that you consider listening to a powerful message that our missionaries have to share about the wisest guide of all.
How can a 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 help you find your way?

Where can you turn for peace?

𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰?
“There are… so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification” the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:10.
There are indeed so many voices –
Voices that cry and plead with us to follow them.
Voices that deceive, threaten, and spread terror.
Voices that lull us into a false sense of security.
Voices that gossip.
Voices online, in magazines and newspapers, clamouring for attention, offering a maelstrom of advice.
Voices that promise us the world and happiness – if we will but enslave ourselves by the bondage of debt for a generation and for some a lifetime.
𝐁𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 of all these voices that clamour for your attention.
Are you distressed, perplexed or even fearful of these voices?
Is it time to shun the screaming of the headlines for a season?

Where can you turn for peace and tranquillity?

 

First – sever contact with the constant throb of the next alert on your mobile device.
Second – stop scrolling and set your mobile device aside.
Third – take a break from the daily global headlines and crisis of the world, which is in constant commotion.
Fourth – take a walk, enjoy nature and temporarily retreat into a different world.
Soon you’ll realise, like I have, that the troubles of the world are made by man and inflated by man.
If we could live kindly and appreciatively of one another, in peace, then all other problems would resolve themselves in the due course of time.
Maybe my suggestion is too simplistic.
Maybe, after all, I am just too simple?
After your walk and break it’ll be time to return.
Fifthly – For some, there is one voice above them all.
“The sheep hear his voice: … and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, … for they know not the voice of stranger” John 10:3-5
From among the multitude of voices we hear during our mortal life, we must recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ, who calls us to follow Him toward our heavenly home.
His voice is sweet and pure.
I hope you find Him.
#HearHim

Slowing down, to Speed up

On this chilly snow filled February morning, my thoughts turned to a memory from a few years ago. This is one of my favourite pictures of my son Kyle and I, just south of Provo, Utah on the western edges of the Rocky Mountains, in the Wasatch Front, April 2013. Waking up today, to our best snowfall of the year in Scotland, having a couple of these snowmobiles would have been really handy!

I recall those couple of days in Utah, in the middle of nowhere. Those snowmobiles were fast! Reaching speeds of up to 70 mph on snow filled meadows that seemed to go on forever, was great fun, exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time for the pair of us.

With today’s weather, it is very likely that I won’t get very far at all. Unlike those snowmobiles, equipped for the most challenging of winter weather, my ability to travel anywhere at speed today is likely to be limited to trudging through the snow on foot at best.

Like many of the storms we pass through in life, I have found that the direction we choose whilst travelling through them, is more important than any speed we attain.

Slow down and stay safe, wherever you are today.