Well,
since we are studying the Book of Mormon this year, it only makes sense
that President Russell M. Nelson would issue another reading of the
Book of Mormon from start to finish. Since I hadn't done a good job at
following the past couple of challenges, I'm determined to follow this
one.
Also, since this year marks the 200-year anniversary of the
First Vision, President Nelson has also encouraged us to read Joseph
Smith's full account of the First Vision, found in the Pearl of Great
Price. I plan to read that one, too.
But I shall begin with good
old Nephi, whose story is probably the most famous of all the stories
in the Book of Mormon. Even those who haven't read the Book of Mormon
all the way through have no doubt read Nephi's story a dozen times.
I used to be a little bored with Nephi's story precisely because I was so familiar with it. Now I'm making myself pay a bit closer attention, and I find myself actually relating to these characters.
We know
how Lehi used to live in Jerusalem, how he enjoyed wonderful wealth as
well as a prominent position in society. But unlike most of Jerusalem,
Lehi was more in tune with the Lord; he didn't quite forget what
mattered most.
From the first, Nephi shows great love and respect for his father as well as his mother. The very first sentence mentions "having been born of goodly parents." And as we read on, we learn about how much Nephi learned from his father; his father taught him and his brothers very well, and Lehi's teachings stuck better with some of his boys than the others.
That's how it was with the people of Jerusalem, too: some were more teachable than others. Some were more spiritually sensitive than others. It all boiled down to who was willing to pay attention. Like the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but only the horse decides whether to drink or not.
When I was younger, I wondered why the people got so angry with Lehi, to the point of wanting to murder him. Now that I'm older, I think I understand.
Of course, no one has ever threatened me, but at least two really good friends recently stopped being my friends because of our different beliefs. They just didn't see things the way I did, and they got annoyed with me whenever I posted my beliefs online. One former friend went so far as to call it "propaganda," while the other made jokes about my beliefs, and they weren't the funny kind.
Then one thing led to another, and now they've both cut me off and we haven't spoken since.
As painful as that is, even now, I can only imagine how Lehi must have felt. People are naturally quick to get angry and defensive. Nobody likes to be told they're doing anything wrong, and nobody likes changes.
Still, what Lehi was doing wasn't wrong, either, and his efforts weren't a total waste. The Lord always gives us credit for trying, and perhaps (just perhaps) a few people remembered Lehi and his influence years down the road, and his memory led to an ultimate change of heart.
Even if not, like I said, Lehi's efforts still counted for something. If he converted no one else, including his own children, he most certainly converted himself.
I used to be a little bored with Nephi's story precisely because I was so familiar with it. Now I'm making myself pay a bit closer attention, and I find myself actually relating to these characters.
From the first, Nephi shows great love and respect for his father as well as his mother. The very first sentence mentions "having been born of goodly parents." And as we read on, we learn about how much Nephi learned from his father; his father taught him and his brothers very well, and Lehi's teachings stuck better with some of his boys than the others.
That's how it was with the people of Jerusalem, too: some were more teachable than others. Some were more spiritually sensitive than others. It all boiled down to who was willing to pay attention. Like the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but only the horse decides whether to drink or not.
When I was younger, I wondered why the people got so angry with Lehi, to the point of wanting to murder him. Now that I'm older, I think I understand.
Of course, no one has ever threatened me, but at least two really good friends recently stopped being my friends because of our different beliefs. They just didn't see things the way I did, and they got annoyed with me whenever I posted my beliefs online. One former friend went so far as to call it "propaganda," while the other made jokes about my beliefs, and they weren't the funny kind.
Then one thing led to another, and now they've both cut me off and we haven't spoken since.
As painful as that is, even now, I can only imagine how Lehi must have felt. People are naturally quick to get angry and defensive. Nobody likes to be told they're doing anything wrong, and nobody likes changes.
Still, what Lehi was doing wasn't wrong, either, and his efforts weren't a total waste. The Lord always gives us credit for trying, and perhaps (just perhaps) a few people remembered Lehi and his influence years down the road, and his memory led to an ultimate change of heart.
Even if not, like I said, Lehi's efforts still counted for something. If he converted no one else, including his own children, he most certainly converted himself.
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