Once upon a time,
there was a book.
I didn’t realize I’d had it,
or had taken a look.

I’m not sure who wrote it,
some was surely by me.
And more parts I’d copied
from others’ beliefs.

Its pages were full
of rules and expectations.
I’d come to rely on it
in many situations.

Until I started to notice
a worrying bit,
that my own joy and happiness
were affected by it.

See this manual I had,
I would use automatically.
Since if folks would just follow it,
I’d feel great universally.

So logic would follow
that when it wasn’t applied,
there was clear justification
why my happiness was denied.

And if the only thing missing was
that its guidelines were unclear,
then wouldn’t sharing them make
those problems disappear?

Yet as much as I tried,
I’d forgotten one thing.
Everyone was given agency,
Just. like. me.

I know this because
of other books there are,
ones not authored by people
but by Our Creator.

Where we learn every human
has the power to choose
as part of God’s plan,
we will have unique views.

He must have known we’d forget
for the scriptures have said,
Judge not, that ye be not judged,
and love one another instead.

Paths are designed to be different
with not one more worthy than another,
And when we come together on them,
we gain a brother. Or sister 😁

So now what of this book,
with its natural instructions
I’d not realized I’d used,
and worry now, “What direction?”

With faith in revelation,
I step into the unknown.
I’ll focus on charity
and trust my path will be shown.

With love and the Spirit,
I can know what to do.
I’ve promised to try
again and again, too.

That’s one other piece
I need to remember,
Christ’s atonement means
we can keep learning forever.

So I’ll focus on loving
and tossing my manual,
striving to recall
all our journeys are gradual.

When we forget and feel tension
which is bound to occur,
I’m thankful our Savior
can help us make that a blur.

As long as we’re willing
to try to be better,
we will ultimately succeed
‘cause we’re all sailing together.

– Liz Saling