The Straight and Narrow

In the most recent general conference Elder Uchtdorf told an interesting story about a study done to test people’s sense of direction. He recounted, “Not long ago, scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics tested that theory. They took participants to a thick forest and gave them simple instructions: ‘Walk in a straight line.’ There were no visible landmarks. The test subjects had to rely solely on their sense of direction.” After observing the test subjects the scientists concluded, “People really [do] walk in circles when they do not have reliable cues to their walking direction.” Even though the people thought they were walking in a straight line, they were not able to do that. Without landmarks or guidance, their own sense of direction was not enough to show them the way to go—they walked in circles as tight as 20 meters in diameter.  Elder Uchtdorf applied this study to us spiritually: “Most of the changes in our spiritual lives—both positive and negative—happen gradually, a step at a time. Like the participants in the Max Planck study, we may not realize when we veer off course. We may even have high confidence that we are walking a straight line. But the fact is that without the help of landmarks to guide us, we inevitably deviate off course and end up in places we never thought we would be.” If we are not careful we can easily find our way off the straight and narrow path that the Lord has commanded us to stay on.

                The talk of Elder Uchtdorf’s message was “Daily Restoration” and he wanted to help us see the need for continual renewal and restoration of our spirituality. We need daily prayer and scripture study to restore us each day to be in harmony with the Lord. We need the Sacrament each Sunday to help us repent and get fully back on the straight and narrow. There is a concept called entropy in physics which suggests, as I understand it, that the disorder and chaos of a system tends to increase, not decrease. The second law of thermodynamics means that “in a system isolated from its environment, the entropy of that system tends not to decrease.” In other words, a system by itself will only increase in chaos and disorder, not decrease. I believe this is the general idea of what Elder Uchtdorf was suggesting for us spiritually; if left to ourselves we will get further and further from “order” or the path of our Father in Heaven. Without constant correction and spiritual renewal, without continual guidance from sure sources of truth like the scriptures and living prophets, we will increase in our spiritual entropy. Many scriptures highlight the need for us to indeed have this daily communion with the Lord to keep us in the right way. The psalmist wrote, “I have called daily upon thee” (Psalm 88:9). Nephi was so in tune with the Lord “that angels did minister unto him daily” (3 Nephi 7:18). His father was one who had “many revelations daily” (Helaman 11:23). Ammon’s ministry to the people of king Lamoni was recorded this way: “And he did exhort them daily, with all diligence; and they gave heed unto his word, and they were zealous for keeping the commandments of God” (Alma 21:23). The Saints in Jerusalem shortly after the resurrection of the Savior were described by Luke in these words: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:46-47). Those at Thessalonica “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). All of these passages highlight the need for us to daily turn to the Lord in the study of His word and in prayer seeking to commune with Him. We should seek daily for revelations and even the blessings of angels as strive to stay on the straight and narrow path. No matter how far we have traveled upon it, we can unknowingly find our way off it if we not strive daily to hear His voice and draw near unto Him.