My kids like to play outside when the weather’s good. In the late spring and summer, when daylight lasts for multiple hours after dinnertime, they want to rush from the table to the backyard. My wife and I have to remind them that if they do so, their littlest sister, who eats more slowly and is somewhat picky, will abandon her food to go play. She’ll do so not having eaten very much.

So it was with much basis in personal experience that I wrote the Parable of the Uneaten Food. For families at least in more affluent parts of the world, where people can eat their fill and have leftovers, this may be a common occurrence. For people without much means, the idea that any food goes uneaten may be a shock.

I wrote this parable because I think Heavenly Father must feel in some way like Luisa when we only sample and sip from the gospel banquet He has provided. He has provided so much through the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ in our times. It’s easy to take it for granted and pick at the feast He offers through His Son, Jesus Christ. It’s easy to let our appetites for spiritual nourishment be satisfied by tidbits and morsels, and after we consume them hurry away to things we find more pressing or more enjoyable.

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled,” taught the Savior to the Jews (Matthew 5:6). To the Nephites, He clarified, “they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 12:6).

The progenitor of the Nephites, the prophet Nephi, wrote near the end of his record, “Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:3).

If you were to ask me when the last time was that I filled my life so full with activities that invite the influence of the Holy Ghost that I felt filled, I may not be able to give a good answer. I am trying to spend time in the scriptures, in the temple, reading recent teachings of Church leaders, and so on, but do I get the enjoyment and fulfillment out of it that the Lord wants me to? Or in the midst of doing those things, am I looking ahead to what I’m going to do afterward? Am I merely doing the time and checking a box so I can say I’m on the right path?

If I’m asking, then the answer is probably obvious!

Just as Luisa concluded not to strong-arm her children, Heavenly Father won’t force us. He provides the gospel banquet every day and invites us to eat our fill. He hopes we’ll come to appreciate the rich abundance of truth He has made available. And if I’m not there yet, then rather than binge in a burst of effort, I probably ought to resolve at least to sit at the table a little longer and savor the Word, the Bread of Life a little more.

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What is your compass in life? When you know a change of direction is needed, where do you look? Or how do you check yourself to make sure you’re still going the right way?

For Latter-day Saints, you can hardly say the word “compass” in a gospel context without evoking the Liahona, which the prophets Nephi and Alma called “a ball, or director” (1 Nephi 16:10, 16; Alma 37:38). It was provided by the Lord to help Nephi’s family on their journey through the wilderness south of Jerusalem and then across the ocean. Wrote Nephi, “within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness” (v. 10). Nephi relied on the Liahona and frequently referred to it so his family would take the path the Lord wanted them to—which will be the best path under any circumstances.

A compass is great for helping with general direction. But what about guidance in specific situations?

With the Liahona, the Lord had it covered. Nephi recounted, “And there was also written upon [the spindles] 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 Nephi 16:29). So not only did the Liahona feature spindles to direct their feet, but it contained writing that changed according to their need under varying conditions.

Through the gift of the Holy Ghost, obtained by the laying on of hands after baptism, we can receive this kind of direction.

In the Parable of Grandma’s Photograph, Emmaline kept a picture of her deceased grandmother to help her when she felt she needed some guidance. She would think of what she knew about her grandmother and what she might counsel Emmaline to do if she were there. For me, this represents both a relationship with the Lord who is not physically with us, and then drawing upon that relationship to learn the best way to handle any given situation.

I have heard the phrase “What would Jesus do?” used tritely. Beginning somewhat recently, when faced with a challenging situation where I’m unsure what to do, I have been finding that it’s more useful to me to ask, “Did Jesus ever encounter a similar situation? If so, how did He handle it? If not, how might He?” This approach requires me to be familiar with what is recorded about His mortal life in the New Testament. If the answer isn’t there, then it requires me to know His character enough to discern what I should do. Sometimes, the answer seems obvious. At other times, it may take an answer from the Holy Ghost.

Emmaline had that relationship and at least some of that kind of knowledge about her grandmother. The picture itself gave her a way to focus on her grandmother’s influence. For us, it may be the scriptures, prayer, attending church and the temple, priesthood blessings, hymns, or any other thing that invites the influence and guidance of the Holy Ghost that will act as that catalyst for revelation.

I’m finding that by thinking about the Savior in this way, by comparing my experiences to His and drawing from that what I should do, He becomes more real to me. It makes Him more a part of my life. It makes Him even more my Guide and strengthens my relationship with Him. His example and the opportunity to seek revelation to direct my choices are ever present.

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