One Way

"For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land."
Alma 37:44

I love this scripture. It says that "it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ ... as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass." And I was thinking about the meaning of it for us today. How could I apply this scripture to my life?
For those of you who need some background, the compass that this scripture is referring to is the compass used by Lehi and his family as they left Jerusalem and came to the promised land. As they were dilligent and obedient in keeping God's commandments, script would appear and give them clear directions as to where they needed to go. However, when they chose to be disobedient, the compass would no longer direct them, and they were forced to wander aimlessly.
So how does this apply?
There so many things that distract us from our course to our Heavenly Father. And sometimes we go through trials wondering why we need to suffer, forgetting who our one source for comfort is. We all know life is not easy--so why does this say it is?
Think of it this way. God is our loving Heavenly Father, who wants to bless us and wants more than anything for us to be happy, just as any parent would! He gives us commandments, which help us be more in line with His will as we follow them, and it is then we are willing to listen to Him. In those moments, it is easy to hear those promptings and guidance in our daily lives. The path is clear.
When we aren't living those simple basic commandments, he may be giving us the most obvious sign in the world, but we would not see it. It takes us doing the small and simple things before we can receive greater direction in our lives.