One day when Lehi looked out of the tent door, there was something new.
“And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.”
It looked like a fancy compass, but this wasn’t just a compass, it was a piece of craftsmanship fashioned in a heavenly realm. And it only worked under certain conditions: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them. And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it.”
(1 Ne 16:10, 28-29))
What in our lives today is like the Liahona? Well, since it acted as a guide for Lehi and his family, since it was only activated by faith, and since it actually contained words of guidance, the Liahona could symbolize the word of God in our lives. Or, because it was something special and outside of the day-to-day routine, and because it was a little hard to understand, it might symbolize the temple. In either case, we have in the Liahona a symbolic source of divine guidance that is close at hand, yet requires significant spiritual preparation in order to utilize it.
What is the Liahona waiting at the door of your tent, and are you stepping over it every morning rather than taking time to consult it? Taking a few minutes to read the scriptures or to attend a temple session doesn’t get noted anywhere. We don’t get “credit” for it, or praised for it, nor can we deduct it from our tithing. But these quiet efforts to get in touch with God’s guidance make a significant difference in our lives.
Just Slightly Off Course Can be Deadly
Dieter Uchtdorf compares being in tune with spiritual guidance to the navigation of a great airliner. He describes a large passenger jet with 257 people aboard that flew from New Zealand to Antarctica in 1979. Unbeknownst to the pilots, the flight coordinates had been modified just two degrees, meaning that the plane was 28 miles east of where the pilots assumed it to be. This resulted in the airplane flying into the side of a 12,000 foot volcano, killing everyone on board. Elder Uchtdorf concludes:
“Through years of serving the Lord and in countless interviews, I have learned that the difference between happiness and misery in individuals, in marriages, and families often comes down to an error of only a few degrees.
Small errors and minor drifts away from the doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring sorrowful consequences into our lives. It is therefore of critical importance that we become self-disciplined enough to make early and decisive corrections to get back on the right track and not wait or hope that errors will somehow correct themselves….
These commandments and covenants of God are navigational instructions from a celestial perspective, and will lead us safely to our eternal destination. That destination is one of beauty and glory beyond understanding. It is worth the effort. It is worth making decisive corrections now and then staying on course.”1
Commandments (scriptures) and covenants (temple) are the needles on the ball that keep us on a straight course, as the Liahona did the family of Lehi. And thus we see, that “by small means the Lord can bring about great things.” (1 Ne 16:29)
1 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/a-matter-of-a-few-degrees?lang=eng
