How to Follow Christ

As it turned out, Lord, I Would Follow Thee wasn't the only song about following that was sung today. The opening song was Come, Follow Me, and the closing hymn was Teach Me to Walk in the Light. Naturally, these songs got me thinking about what it takes to be a follower of Christ. Of course, we cannot follow Him physically. He walked the Earth so long ago that it is now impossible to literally follow in His footsteps. However, speaking spiritually and figuratively, it is possible to follow Christ. We can follow Christ the same way we would follow any other religious or political leader. We obey His rules and follow His example. We can choose to act the way He acted and do the things He did. That is His invitation to us. That is how he wants us to follow Him.

Of course, it isn't easy. Following the Savior's path takes a great deal of effort and willpower. Often, we are willing to follow Him, but still find it difficult. Hence the prayer Lord, I Would Follow Thee. We want to follow Him, but it's not an easy road to walk. Sometimes it's difficult to even know what it is we're supposed to do, let alone know how we're supposed to do it. We need the Lord's guidance as well as His strength. Thus we ask the Lord to Teach [Us] to Walk in the Light. Christ is not only our exemplar and helper; He is also our guide. Without Him, we would be hopelessly lost and practically powerless to do anything about it.

But with His help, we can walk in His footsteps, at least figuratively and spiritually. He can tell us the next steps to take and He can give us the strength to take those steps. He can teach us what to do and give us the power to do it. Following Christ is not easy, and there's no way we could do it without His help, but with His help, we can do anything, even follow in the footsteps of the Son of God.