Home Teaching Message June 2013: “Walking in Circles”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Second
Counselor in the First Presidency
Have you ever heard the old saying that people who get lost tend
to walk in circles?
Jan L. Souman, a German psychologist, wanted to determine
scientifically if this was true. He took participants of an experiment to a
large forest area and to the Sahara desert and used a global positioning system
to track where they went. They had no compass or any other device. Instructions
to them were simple: walk in a straight line in the direction indicated.
Dr. Souman later described what happened. “[Some] of them walked
on a cloudy day, with the sun hidden behind the clouds [and with no reference
points in view]. … [They] all walked in circles, with [several] of them
repeatedly crossing their own path without noticing it.” Other participants
walked while the sun was shining, with faraway reference points in view. “These
… followed an almost perfectly straight course.”1
Without visible landmarks, human beings tend to walk in circles.
The
Landmark of the Scriptures
Without spiritual landmarks, mankind wanders as well. Without
the word of God, we walk in circles.
Both as individuals and as societies, we see this pattern
repeated over and over in every dispensation since the beginning of time. When
we lose sight of the word of God, we tend to get lost.
This is undoubtedly the reason the Lord commanded Lehi to send
his sons back to Jerusalem for the brass plates. God knew that the descendants
of Lehi would need reliable landmarks—points of reference—that would provide a
guide they could use to determine if they were on course.
The scriptures are the word of God. They are God’s landmarks
that show the way we should travel in order to draw closer to our Savior and
reach worthy goals.
The
Landmark of General Conference
The instructions given at general conference are another
landmark that can help us know if we are on course.
Occasionally I ask myself, “Did I listen to the words given by
the men and women who spoke at the most recent general conference of the
Church? Have I read and reread their words? Have I pondered them and applied
them to my life? Or have I just enjoyed the fine talks and neglected to apply
their inspired messages in my personal life?”
Maybe while you were listening or reading, you jotted down a
note or two. Perhaps you made a commitment to do some things better or
differently. Just think about the messages of last general conference. Many
encouraged us to strengthen our families and improve our marriages. This issue
of the Liahona also focuses on these eternal
values, with many practical recommendations to bless our lives.
Are we noting and applying this worthwhile counsel? Are we
recognizing and walking toward these real and valuable landmarks?
The
Antidote to Wandering
Spiritual landmarks are indispensable for keeping us on the
straight and narrow path. They give clear direction as to the way we should
travel—but only if we recognize them and walk toward them.
If we refuse to be guided by these landmarks, they become
meaningless, decorative masses that have no purpose but to break up the
flatness of the horizon.
It’s not enough to go solely by our instincts.
It’s not enough to have the best of intentions.
It won’t do to rely only on our natural senses.
Even when we think we are following a straight spiritual path,
without true landmarks to guide us—without the guidance of the Spirit—we will
tend to wander.
Let us, therefore, open our eyes and see the landmarks our
benevolent God has provided to His children. Let us read, hear, and apply the
word of God. Let us pray with real intent and listen to and follow the
promptings of the Spirit. Once we have recognized the supernal landmarks
offered by our loving Heavenly Father, we should set our course by them. We
should also make regular course corrections as we orient ourselves toward
spiritual landmarks.
In this way, we will not wander in circles but walk with
confidence and certainty toward that great heavenly blessing that is the
birthright of all who walk in the straight and narrow way of Christ’s
discipleship.
Teaching
from this Message
As you prepare to teach from this message, you can search the
scriptures for examples of people who were led by spiritual landmarks or people
who wandered in circles. You could begin your study with these scriptures: Numbers 14:26–33;
1 Nephi
16:28–29; Alma
37:38–47. If you feel prompted, you can share insights from these examples
with those you are teaching. Ask them what we can learn from these stories.
Youth
Landmarks for You
President Uchtdorf describes general conference and the
scriptures as landmarks that help us avoid spiritual wandering. Ponder other
spiritual landmarks that have influenced and guided your life. Write your
experiences down in your journal. These quotations from President Monson may
help you:
“Your
[patriarchal] blessing is not to be folded neatly and tucked away. It is not to
be framed or published. Rather, it is to be read. It is to be loved. It is to
be followed. Your patriarchal blessing will see you through the darkest night.
It will guide you through life’s dangers.”
“Your
Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light,” Ensign,
Nov. 1986, 66.
“Our
Heavenly Father did not launch us on our eternal voyage without providing the
means whereby we could receive from Him guidance to ensure our safe return. I
speak of prayer. I speak too of the whisperings from that still, small voice.”
“The Race
of Life,” Liahona and Ensign,
May 2012, 92.
Children
I
Can Find My Way
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President Uchtdorf says that we need to follow spiritual
landmarks because they will help us choose the right and come closer to the
Savior. Some of these landmarks are prayer, the scriptures, general conference,
and the Liahona.
Find your way through the maze by following these landmarks.
Illustration by Scott Greer
With your family, read a
talk from the last general conference. What does the speaker suggest that we do
to stay on the right path? Set goals with your family to apply what you learned.
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