Sabbath Devotional :: Go Forward

A wise friend has often reminded me: “You pedal, and the Lord steers.”

This counsel is not meant to dismiss the power of my own choices or suggest that I play a passive role in the direction that my life takes. Rather, this insight has been offered to me when I am worrying about the unknowns of the future. What if, despite all my best efforts and intentions, I end up making the wrong choice, taking the wrong path, and inadvertently throw my life’s plan off course? What if I don’t accomplish the things I am meant to do? This wise friend reminds me that the Lord is much smarter than I am, and that He is full of compassion and grace. If I am seeking to do His will, if I am putting in the effort and work, He will “direct [my] paths” (Proverbs 3:6), often in ways that I will not immediately recognize or comprehend.

Several years ago, during an especially difficult time of my life, I was reading in Alma 5 when a phrase from verse 15 jumped out at me:

“Do you look forward with an eye of faith . . . ?”

I paused to ask myself that question, and I knew that the answer was “No.” I was not looking forward with an eye of faith. I was looking forward with fear and trepidation. I was having a hard time believing that my current situation could ever change or that things would ever improve.

That question has remained etched on my mind, and over the years I have continued to ask myself, “Am I looking forward with an eye of faith?” It has served as a powerful and helpful reminder to “trust in the Lord with all [my] heart; and lean not unto [mine] own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

However, I have realized that I am often so caught up in LOOKING forward that I sometimes forget that I need to pick up my feet and MOVE forward. I am looking ahead, hoping to see the destination –- or at least know which direction to head –- before I even get on the bike.

This realization came a few months ago when I was feeling weighed down by some uncertainties in my life. I was at a total loss as to what direction I should take. I was thinking about it. I was praying about it. I was analyzing it. But I wanted to figure out the destination before I got on the bike. How could I pedal when I didn’t even know which direction to go?

One night I pulled out my patriarchal blessing and reread a familiar line: “Go forward with courage and faith and purity of heart . . . .” In the past, I had always focused on the “courage and faith and purity of heart” in that sentence. But this time, two words stood out to me that I had never paid much attention to before:

“Go Forward.”

In other words, pick up your feet and move. With courage. With faith. Even if you don’t have any idea where you are going. Get on the bike and start pedaling.

As an over-thinker, I frequently suffer from “analysis paralysis.” I’m thinking a lot about faith and courage. I’m doing a lot of work in my head. I’m trying to figure out which direction to head and which steps to take. It is mentally exhausting, so it feels like I am furiously pedaling. But I’m not really going anywhere. The bike is stationary.

Those words, “Go forward,” prompted me to take action, even though I really had no idea what action to take. I just decided to start somewhere. I explored some different options. I tried some different things. I ran into some dead ends. Even though I still haven’t found the answer, I feel confident that as I continue to act and “go forward” — the Lord will steer. He will lead me.

I have learned that as I go forward, it is essential that I “see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a [wo]man should run faster than [s]he has strength” (Mosiah 4:27). And I can bear witness to the fact that sometimes — often — we need to “be still” (see Psalm 46:10, Doctrine and Covenants 101:16).

But I am finding that when I feel stuck — especially when I become so entangled in the thoughts and worries in my head — that is often the time when I need to start moving. I need to act instead of analyze. I need to take a step. I need to get on the bike and start pedaling. Even if I have no idea where I am headed. I need to go forward. With courage. With faith. With purity of heart. Trusting that He will direct my paths.