Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps

Let’s talk for just a minute about some of the first disciples of Christ; the first people to recognize His divinity and walk away from their own lives to find out about His.

Though the scriptures identify one of these gentlemen as Andrew and goes on to discuss some of the things he accomplished after hearing Jesus speak, I’d like to focus on what they did when they first saw Jesus Christ.

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
John 1:35-39

Immediately after having the Savior pointed out to them, these men began to follow. Christ noticed them, as He mindful of each one of us, and turned to inquire, “What seek ye?” His first question to them was an invitation into His life and ways.

As much as Christ’s question is interesting to me, the response of the two disciples is what intrigues me. Of all the things you have ever thought to ask the Savior, would “where dwellest thou?” be anywhere near the top of the list?

I know it hadn’t occurred to me, at least until I read these scriptures today. Why “where dwellest thou?” I think it had something to do with faith. They were already familiar with the workings of the Spirit. They were followers of John as he prepared the way for Jesus Christ. They were aware of their inner light and the responses of their souls when they encountered truth and divinity. They had been prepared to follow Christ before they ever came to know Him.

Once they had been introduced, it was natural for them to follow and try to glean knowledge from the Master of all. But perhaps more importantly, they didn’t want to ever leave Him. When given the opportunity to speak, they simply asked where Christ lived, where He could be found, where His safe haven was. Because they asked, Christ could extend an invitation to “come and see.” Once they saw, they stayed. The scriptures say that they stayed with Him because it was the tenth hour, meaning late into the evening: a difficult and tiring time to be traveling. So, they stayed exactly where they wanted to be: wherever their Savior was.

As I’ve struggled with my own tenth hour lately I’ve wondered what I can do, what I can ask of the Savior that will see me through the night until the morning can come again. I have been taught and prepared, my own spirit yearns for the truth and knowledge the gospel can give me. I know some things, but I need to know so much more. I need to spend less time focusing on the coming darkness that is settling around me and stay focused on the ultimate Light in front of me. I think I need to ask where He lives. I can think of no better place to be than taking shelter with the Savior during those times. I need to make sure I’m following behind Him, on the path that will lead to where Christ dwells. I want to be wherever my Savior is.

I think if I would listen, I’d hear the Spirit whisper, “What seek ye?” I want to be able to answer, “I’m seeking You. Where do you live and how can I get there?” Every time I ask, He’ll always answer, “Come and see.” He’ll lead me on the best paths through my trials if I ask where He lives.

This is my basic message to each of you, wherever you live, whatever your joys or sorrows, however young or old you may be, at whatever point you may find yourself in this mortal journey of ours. Some of you are where you want to be or you know where you want to go with your lives, and some of you don’t. Some of you seem to have so many blessings and so many wonderful choices ahead of you. Others of you feel, for a time and for whatever reason, less fortunate and with fewer attractive paths lying immediately ahead.

But whoever you are and wherever you find yourself as you seek your way in life, I offer you “the way … and the life” (John 14:6). Wherever else you think you may be going, I ask you to “come unto him” as the imperative first step in getting there, in finding your individual happiness and strength and success.
Jeffrey R. Holland, “‘Come unto Me’,” Ensign, Apr 1998, 16

The next step is to learn not to leave His home as often as I do, when I think the world is safe and I know my way. I need Him and I need His home. Always.

Do you remember the story of Jacob’s ladder?

11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Genesis 28:11-12

Aside from the sleeping on a rock, there is a small message for me hidden in Jacob’s dream. Overall, the Lord’s message is of covenants and promises, but for me there is also an understanding of who I am as a person. Like Jacob, I’ve made covenants with the Lord that will lead me on a path toward heaven. It’s not always the easiest thing to do, the world can be a very hard place and I can be very weak willed at some moments. My human nature makes me imperfect, but the Lord promises me that as long as I stay on the ladder, I’m still headed toward Him. It’s something within my reach, within my capabilities, and it’s personal. It’s a progression and a promise.

The great promise to me is that what Jacob saw was a ladder, not a giant leap, not a rocket, a one-way sign. It was a ladder with angels ascending and descending, each on their own path. No matter where they were, headed up or down, they were all angels. They were all disciples of Jesus Christ doing His will and serving God. I am one of those angels, one of those disciples. Where I belong on that ladder is up to me and my Heavenly Father, where my neighbor belongs is their personal journey. We all have a place, sometimes we’re up, sometimes we’re down. The important part is that we’re still holding on.

“An old proverb states that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.
The same principle applies to how you and I can climb to higher spirituality.
Our Heavenly Father knows that we must begin our climb from where we are. ‘When you climb up a ladder,’ the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, ‘you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them.’
Our Heavenly Father loves each one of us and understands that this process of climbing higher takes preparation, time, and commitment. He understands that we will make mistakes at times, that we will stumble, that we will become discouraged and perhaps even wish to give up and say to ourselves it is not worth the struggle.
We know it is worth the effort, for the prize, which is eternal life, is “the greatest of all the gifts of God.” D&C 14:7
And to qualify, we must take one step after another and keep going to gain the spiritual heights we aspire to reach.
An eternal principle is revealed in holy writ: “It is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize.” Mosiah 4:27
We don’t have to be fast; we simply have to be steady and move in the right direction. We have to do the best we can, one step after another.”
Joseph B. Wirthlin, “One Step after Another,” Liahona, Jan 2002, 27–30

When God made covenants with Jacob in that dream, He gave Jacob everything he needed to succeed in His promises. God showed him the ladder, the path and the purpose, then gave him the promises of eternity. He does the same for each of us as we dedicate our lives to Him and make our own covenants. I love the promise this covenant contains.

15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
Genesis 28:15

Jacob’s ladder gives me hope because it shows me everyone’s path is not the same. It shows me that we each have a purpose to serve as disciples of Jesus Christ. It shows me that as long as I hang on to the ladder and keep asking the Lord to guide my path, up or down, He’ll be with me.