"Follow me," the Savior said. And we realize that to follow him is not impossible. The miles which he traveled, each of us can travel, for he took them one step at a time, one journey at a time. You could walk from Jerusalem to Nazareth. You could walk to the Mount of Transfiguration and back and forth from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, Bethany, the River Jordan. All these, you could do.
But this is not the kind of following that he expected. He meant for us to follow his teachings and his example. Anyone with normal health can walk those miles and climb those hills and ford those streams. But it is quite another thing to be "even as I am," (3rd Nephi 27:27) as he said to the Nephites." -President Spencer W. Kimball
I love this quote. Despite all the gratitude I feel for the opportunity to visit the Holy Land and be in places that were important to the Savior, I realize that President Kimball's message is true. We don't ever need to take the pilgrimage to Israel, the most important thing is to emulate the Savior's life and learn from his teachings.
"Following Him" by striving to be our very best is really all he asks of us. And in every single way we fall short (for me the list is long!) his Atonement has paid the price! The days we spent in Israel it was easy to "follow" some of his actual journeys. Returning home, I hope to be able to better follow his ways!
