Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps

I ran across a beautiful article by Thomas S. Monson the other day entitled “Three Goals to Guide You”. Though the address was first given to a group of women, I think its message sets the tone for anyone who wants to serve the Lord as His disciple to the best of our ability every day of our lives. President Monson gives the advice that often there are only three main goals we need to work toward in order to be the best people that we can be.

1. Study diligently.

2. Pray earnestly.

3. Serve willingly.

First, study. What does the disciple study? The most obvious answer is the scriptures. Christ has said,

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39

When we read the scriptures we hear the Lord’s voice, we understand his words so that when they speak to our heart they can penetrate deep. We read, hear, and understand. We learn the will of the Lord and grow in testimony and love for Him. The scriptures are the best foundation for our faith in a world that wants to eat away at anything spiritual. They are a sure guide to paths of faithfulness and the best defense against evil. Scripture study is not a light reading once a week, it is meant to be a diligent pursuit for something we truly desire. We should search the scriptures with the same fervency that we would look for our lost car keys when late for an appointment. They are our life preserver in a world drowning with sin and pain.

Along with the scriptures, explore other good and powerful works. Gain an education and knowledge of the best things the world has to offer. These are placed here for the growth and benefit of God’s children that we could celebrate our lives, talents and differences that we have been blessed with for our experience here on earth.

Second, pray. Once we have come to understand the language of God and can feel His words in your heart from the scriptures. Open the line of communication even further by connecting on an even more personal manner.

“Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing.” D&C 19:38

Express every need, fear, and joy. He will share in your life through your prayers and give you personal direction and support when you listen for His spirit during your communications with Him.

Lastly, serve willingly. Does it have to be big and dramatic? Usually not. Consider the ways of the Savior. Yes, there were many significant and highly visible acts and there will be times when we are placed in significant situations where our service will be extremely great. But just as often during the Savior’s mortal ministry it was something small and personal. There were many times when He told someone to go and tell no one. Many times when He noticed what everyone else in the crowd had overlooked. Many times He understood a person’s heart when the world could not. These are the things that marked His greatness in my eyes and often what He most requires of us as His disciples. As His hands of service in the lives we come in contact with He wants us to notice the little things. The man in the tree, left on the outskirts. The woman who needs someone to notice the soul behind her tears. He needs our eyes and ears and most of all our hearts. He needs our willingness to express our love for Him in ways others can understand and learn from.

Three simple, but soul expanding goals for the disciple of Christ.

Many of us have heard the analogy of the thread and the tapestry. In this example you learn about the relation of small things to their ability to form something large and beautiful. It can be the members of a family working together, or an even larger group. It can also be the pattern of our individual lives.

I think sometimes we focus on the big things. We try to see the whole picture and ponder and pray about the big decisions in our lives. We see these as the things that define who we are and what our tapestry will look like.

But in reality, the one who know the whole picture is the weaver and He works with individual threads not chunks of yarn or puzzle pieces. Yes, we all have big decisions to make that can change the course of our lives, but how often do we think about the little things? There are a million little things that get woven into our tapestry every day. Perhaps what our life is like or how it might change during those big decisions is actually a result of the pattern we’ve laid with all the little things along the way.

Every day we make a dozen small decisions that will affect our final tapestry. As we choose, the Master weaves. When we realize we’ve made a mistake, He takes it out and renews the area to the beauty of the entire peace. If we do not realize, or choose not to correct, our failings and mistakes remain. When you look at the final piece these glitches might be noticeable, or they might not, but they still define who we are and who we will become.

If we are discussing the pattern and whether a mistake is visible to the eye our first argument is then revisited. Wouldn’t tiny mistakes from every day living be overlooked more easily than a large wrong choice? I think the problem is that mistakes all start out small. Every mistake starts with one wrong stitch. It’s those tiny decisions that dictate what our actions will be when the large choices come along.

Consider these examples:

If we find ourselves faced with the temptation to be unfaithful to our spouse, how will that decision be affected by our previous smaller choices? If we have made tiny mistakes such as looking at inappropriate images in the media, then we add the tiny mistake of dwelling on the images, then we add the tiny mistake of dwelling on the difficulties in our marriage instead of the love, then we add the tiny mistake of thinking about what it might be like to have chosen a different path or different partner – how then will our decision for a larger temptation be weighed? If on the other hand we have tried a little bit each day to love and value our partner, to avoid images that plant inappropriate thoughts in our minds, or avoid being alone with those of the opposite sex where temptations might be fed- how is that decision weighed?

If our mother provided us with music lessons, how are our future choices founded by our immediate decisions about whether or not to practice or find enjoyment in the learning?

If we casually disregard the speed limit, do we then forget other rules of the road that keep us safe?

While it is true that every decision is still up to us, we choose the path our feet will follow with each step not each mile. As we stray it becomes harder to find our way back the further we go.

May we pay a little more attention to the little things in life.
May we notice God’s small blessings.
May we smile at a stranger, or drop our spare change in the donation buck instead of our wallet.
May we hold our tongue just a little longer when frustrations build.
May we choose with each step to follow Christ even if the step seems too small to matter.

If we can do these types of things the tapestry the Lord weaves from our lives will be beautiful – one thread at a time.