Lately, when I've gone on walks with our dog, it probably looks like he's the one taking me on a
walk! See, Buddy is blind, 90% deaf, and moves slowly. On top of that, he may have dementia.
The only way he knows I am there is if he can smell me or if I touch him. As a result, I walk directly in front of him and hold his leash so that he won't fall off the sidewalk and into the street. Sometimes, he wants to cross the street and tugs and pulls, trying to get his way, but sadly, every time he does this, he ends up falling off the sidewalk, running into someone's brick wall, or falling into the holes along neighbors’ yards. It saddens me (and I make a small fuss over him each time because the poor dog gets hurt) because I want to keep him safe and well, but I also know that if he doesn't follow right behind me, it will happen again. And I can't stop him from doing it because I refuse to force him to stay in a straight line. So I hold on to the leash and direct him as best I can, using it and myself to guide and protect him from falling.
The last time I took Buddy on a walk, I realized that Heavenly Father does the same thing for us. He doesn't want us to fall and gives us commandments to follow, which keep us tied to him. But sometimes, we don't want to follow Him and would rather go our own way. We see others having fun and roaming, or maybe there's a tasty treat on the other side of the spiritual street. And if we try to chase (or hobble) after them, we will fall because we, too, are blind and deaf. We, too, have forgotten important parts of our life, including our premortal life. We need a steady guide.
Fortunately, whenever we take the path that Buddy sometimes takes—when we trip and fall—our heavenly guide again helps us up and leads us. As long as we follow in His footsteps, we will return home safely, just as Buddy always returns home safely with me, no matter how long it takes.
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