Walking West

In the days of Moses the Tabernacle, which was their temple, was always assembled so that it faced East. This means that as the priest entered the temple and proceed he was walking toward the west, or in other words he was following the sun. I’ve always loved that analogy that I, too, should be traveling West or following the light. So for me the phrase “Traveling West” is synonymous with following the path of righteous or following truth and light.

Just recently I began to think that Walking West is a better metaphor. Too often the thing that gets me down is that I feel like I’m not progressing fast enough or that I’m not perfect enough. But the phrase Walking West is what the pioneers did and they did it one step at a time, ten to fifteen miles a day, but eventually they arrived. How silly it would have been to sit down at the Muddy, and start to cry, “I’m not there yet. I’m never going to be there. This is too hard. I can’t do it.” Instead they just kept putting one foot in front of the other. They kept pushing on to the West knowing that if they continued to follow the light they would eventually arrive.

The key is to remember that it doesn’t matter how fast you go. All that matters is that you never turn your back on the sun but constantly walk into it. So I’m going to keep walking West—one step at a time.

Picture: http://miriadna.com/desctopwalls/sky%20&%20clouds/max/Follow%20the%20sun.jpg

Day by Day

This time of year many people are making resolutions and harboring hopes of a better year, a more productive year, a happier year ahead. We go along for days, weeks, or sometimes even a month or two with those goals and hopes and then something happens that destroys our resolution. Maybe we fail at keeping the goals or a life event dims our hope and we abandon the resolutions thinking we’ve blown it again this year. This is one of the reasons New Year resolutions fail—because we are thinking in terms of years. We set the goal for a year and it is only February! So we wait until next year to begin the process again.

But new beginnings don’t have to be measured in years. At one point in Paul’s teachings, he tells the Corinthians, “Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). In other words, our bodies might be growing older and becoming weaker, but our inward being, our spirits, are renewed daily through Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.

That is one reason I like having a word for the year instead of goal resolutions. My word is not something that is kept or broken like a goal; it just floats with me in whatever I am doing. If I am cleaning house, I’m thinking rejuvenate—do it better than ever before. If I am studying, I’m thinking rejuvenate my studies—have more enthusiasm and excitement in my study. If I am with an old friend, I’m thinking rejuvenate my friendship—don’t take friendship for granted but cherish it. Instead of feeling like something extra to do, my word resolution enhances and invigorates everything I am already doing. In this way I help the natural process of letting the Spirit renew me day by day by day without getting discouraged or being tempted to give up. I love it!

Drop At A Time

When we live in Truth, we understand that what other people do, say, think, and are doesn’t have to influence us unless we let it. That means we don’t have to compare ourselves with others. Being true to yourself never involves competition with others or any form of comparison. When you live in Truth, you know you aren’t supposed to be like others. You also know that each of us has a distinct path that is all our own. It doesn’t matter what other people are doing or how far along their path they are. Being true to yourself means you learn what you can from others without comparing or competing.

Fulfilling your destiny is not about being better than anyone else. Fulfilling your destiny is about being better today than you were yesterday. And it doesn’t have to be a lot better. Life is a process. One drop of water at a time fills a bucket, and being one drop better today than you were yesterday brings you one drop closer to your goal! Rejoice at every drop instead of sulking about not having a fire hose!

Life isn’t a race. It’s a journey. It isn’t about how fast you reach the finish line. It’s about how much you learn and grow along the way. Look around to see what there is to see. Learn what you are supposed to learn from your situation. And enjoy every little drop of growth.

Picture: photos.ibibo.com/photo/959655/water-droplets-...