From the Beak of a Penguin

So we dashed through the snow in a one horse open sleigh, fa-la-laing all the way to grandmother’s house. Christmas season brought so much joy and wonder as we celebrated the savior’s birth. The Christmas trees have been taken out to the curb, the twinkling lights turned off, and the ugly Christmas sweater rests in the closet, waiting to wreak havoc next holiday season. With the past year behind us and the new one still entering the horizon, I start to think about penguins. Penguins? What the heck do penguins have to do with anything? A good friend recently described penguins to me as searchers on a quest. I think we can all emulate the penguin at times. We (myself included), tend to wander or as missionaries refer to it as “Wanda,”  the search for artificial happiness, a temporary fix. I definitely don’t want to be a penguin.

How do we keep ourselves from becoming as the penguin? How do we set a course to prevent “wanda?” I know that I have a terrible sense of direction; luckily, Heavenly Father is there every step of the way to help us on our spiritual journey. Thankfully he inspired someone to invent the GPS, for our geographical journey. Heavenly Father’s directions trump any Garmin or Tom-Tom though; he gives us commandments to help set our end route to eternal happiness, a forever fix.

Rules? Why do I want something that is going to hold me back? Isn’t life better with less boundaries? Unlike the rules that society places on us, commandments are God’s way of showing that He loves us. Imagine if mom didn’t tell you to keep your hands off the nice warm stove or didn’t mention not to play in the street with all of the bright and shiny cars? What if everyone else was doing it? It might seem tempting for the kid has never experienced the aftermath of a burnt finger or putting a dent in someone’s bumper. Mom and dad wouldn’t want you to go through the pains of not knowing these small, but important things. God works the same way. He gives us the commandments, and then it’s our turn to decide to listen or go play in traffic

After we get past the council of a two year old of not playing in the street or touching the stove, what comes next? It’d be pretty important to learn more than that, right? Times are way different than in the Bible or Book of Mormon: wouldn’t God still speak to us? Just like playing in traffic holds true at any age, our Heavenly Father provides more council and commandments when we are ready. There is so much more in the world today that didn’t even exist ten years ago. Living by modern commandments such as the Word of Wisdom, and the Law of Chasity go such a long way!

Never feel alone or that you have to roam searching for direction. Heavenly Father has your back; no matter what struggles we face or the obstacles still to climb. Always rest assured that if we follow the commandments God provides, nothing proves impossible. Even though those difficult days may come, in the end it will be alright because we have God on our side. You never have to feel like a wandering penguin when you have the commandments.