Carrying on the theme of my last post – quality advice we received before we married. We are not always great at implementing, but when we follow the advice is it always worth it!

After posting I remembered another piece of advice we received. We believed it was important, but it has taken years to figure out and we are still working on it… We were told that as we joined in marriage to create a new family, we needed to be three, not two. The third member of our relationship needed to be Jesus Christ. Picturing Him at the top of a triangle with Mark and I in the bottom corners.

Here is how it works – the Savior bids us, “Come Follow Me!” As Mark and I heed the bidding and follow Him, we ascend the triangle. As we ascend we not only come closer to Jesus, we also come closer to one another. Sometimes we slip backward, but we can always look up – Jesus doesn’t move. He patiently continues to invite us to Come Unto Him. It is true, as we slowly learn and improve our personal lives, trying to be more Christlike, we come closer to one another. Simple geometry.

As I reflected on this I imagined a giant orb with Jesus at the very center and every person on Earth walking their life path either toward Him or away from Him. As people focus on Christ and walk toward Him, they also draw closer to one another and experience the love, peace and security that He provides. As they turn and walk away from the center (into darkness) they drift apart and experience confusion and contention. This sounds a lot like so much of our society right now. Some have drifted far from the center and thus far from other people – I imagine them beginning to be caught up in atmospheric winds, being tossed to and fro and with no one to support them. It is frightening.

The great miracle is that at any moment they can change their path or trajectory. Turn around and face their Lord who patiently continues to invite all to Come Unto Him. Let the Savior save! Let the Redeemer redeem! Working their way to the center they will naturally draw closer to others on this path. They can love and support one another along the way.

If only our paths matched my geometric image of straight lines. Reality has taught us that our paths are fraught with steep hills, valleys and a variety of obstacles. Perhaps the worst things are the loud voices which draw us away from His quiet invitation. For myself – I want to follow that invitation. I desperately need to be close to good people, family, friends and even strangers, who reach out in support and whom I support in return. He showed us the way… be meek, be kind, be merciful, be obedient, teach, love, listen… It takes a great deal of effort. It is always worth it.