“And I would that ye should behold that the more part of them are in the path of their duty, and they do walk circumspectly before God, and they do observe to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses. Yea, I say unto you, that the more part of them are doing this, and they are striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth; therefore there are many who do add to their numbers daily.” (Helaman 15:5-6). I think that it is very important that in these verses, Samuel the Lamanite uses the word path and not road or highway, or, if he had known about them at the time, railroad. A lot of us like to think of our duty as more of a railroad than a path. We want to get our duty done as efficiently as possible, full steam ahead, with no unnecessary detours or backtracks. And the beautiful thing about a railroad is that the tracks are so ironclad that you don’t even have to steer or give much thought about the journey other than to ensure that the way is clear. But a path requires a lot more care and attention. If we think of a path winding through the woods, we have to be very careful that we always know where the path is. There might be weeds that overgrow patches of it, or tree branches and leaves might obscure the lines of the path. In short, the path of our duty is not something that we can put on cruise control and turn our brains off. As Samuel says, those who are in the path of their duty walk circumspectly. To walk circumspectly means to be looking all around as we walk. To walk circumspectly means to invite and follow the guidance and promptings of the Holy Ghost. He will guide us along the path. Some of His directions may seem strange to us. It may seem we are heading in the wrong direction or taking a less efficient route. But when we are in the path of our duty, when we are paying attention, then we will notice that the Holy Ghost will always lead us to do the thing that matters most, which in most cases is giving the best help to the person that needs it the most. I know it would be nice if we could be cruising down a nice straight railroad where we can always follow the commandments and principles of the gospel in the same predictable pattern. But God did not place us on this Earth to be passengers on a train. He wants us to find our own way through the path of our duty, paying careful attention to His guidance but always exercising our own agency and giving careful consideration to every step of the journey. God does not want the miles to blur by in an uneventful haze. He wants each and every step to be a wonder and a joy. I know that there is sometimes confusion and anxiety on the path of our duty, and sometimes we make the wrong call and wander down the wrong trail. But I also know there is peace and joy and fulfillment on the path as well.
