Parable of the Pallet Jack

 For those of you who don't know, I work as a manager of a retail store. This morning while an employee and I were working on a project involving multiple pallets and a pallet jack where we were moving displays around. As we gained momentum with the heavy pallets, we'd notice the pallet wheel would get stopped by a small pebble on the ground. No matter how small or heavy the pallet, how fast or slow it was moving, it would get stopped with the pebble on the ground. The pallet had to backtrack, the pebble removed, before continuing in the right direction. It wouldn't go over the pebble.

As I thought about the many pebbles that stopped us, I thought about how we are stopped by many little "pebbles of obstacle" along our life's path. Pebbles of sin? Pebbles of temptation? Pebbles of "just one try"? Whatever the "pebble" may be, no matter how big and heavy we THINK we are in the Gospel, those pesky pebbles will stop us in our tracks. It's not til we backtrack a little and remove those pesky little pebbles from our paths, that we can continue down our life's way. 

In the Book of Mormon we read, in Alma 37:6: "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise." When we think of this scripture we normally think of doing small, righteous things to have great rewards coming to pass. However, we can also apply it to the smallest sin or temptation entering into our path of progression. No matter how big and strong we are in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the smallest "pebble" has the power to stop us. 

One must always remember, there is no shame in having to backtrack, to remove the obstacle, and continue on your path. The Gosple of Jesus Christ isn't a Gospel of Condemnation and Outcasting Sinners, rather a Gospel of Repentance and Forgiveness. It may take a while to get your pallet back up to it's speed and momentum again, after removing your obstacle, but rest assured, it will. Don't let the little "pebbles of obstacles" keep you from becoming who you were meant to be, a son or daughter of God.