Today when I restarted the Book of Mormon, I decided to find an applicable lesson for my own life every time I read. I will mostly be focusing on actions- things I can DO (or stop doing) in order to better myself. A couple of things entered my mind today. The first idea comes from 1 Nephi 2:12. When talking about Nephi’s family leaving their home he said that Laman and Lemuel murmured because “they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.” Interesting that this is the one reason Nephi gave for their complaint. It wasn’t "Laman and Lemuel are upset because they had to leave all their possessions and friends and home" But instead it was because "they didn’t have faith God was going to help things work out in a way that would benefit them."
I think of times when I am angry or upset and I guess there are a lot of reasons for it, but mainly it is just because I lack faith. I, like Laman and Lemuel may not understand the dealings of God. Ironically, when I look back on it, God has never failed me. Ever. Every experience has been so perfect for me. They haven’t all been pleasant, but they have helped me to become the person I am now. Specifically, right now as a missionary I have my own personal doubts in my ability to share the gospel and bring others to the knowledge of this wonderful, life-saving and life-changing truth. I sometimes catch myself worrying that I'm not measuring up to my potential as a missionary and representative of Jesus Christ...But as I pray and study the scriptures, and try to use faith I realize that these fears are ridiculous, really. Why? Because they exclude 2 really important things:
#1 If these scenarios were to become reality, it would be due to lack of action on my part. I can make the situation what I want it to be instead of falling victim to the circumstance. And I know that the Lord has promised that He will "qualify those He calls" and "make our weaknesses become strengths" if we are humble and apply the Atonement in our life. I am doing everything I know to do and so I can have absolute confidence that He will not let me fail.
#2 When I have these fearful thoughts running through my head, I don’t stop to think about how Heavenly Father wanted me here and so He will always be with me to help me through it. I need to trust in His love and goodness and ability to give the most perfect tender mercies. Fears come from being very narrow minded… which leads me to my second thought of the day....
Nephi mentions that Laman and Lemuel are being ‘stiff-necked’. I’ve read that word a million times but this time when I read it, it sounded funny. What is stiff-neckedness? I thought back to a time when I had whiplash and my neck was so sore I couldn’t turn it. I felt limited in what I could do because I could only see straight forward. Driving was the worst because it was hard to see what was going on around me. So (in my limited experience) I would say that stiff-neckedness is the inability to see the big picture. You are only focused on what is going on right then, right in front of you and nothing else matters. For Laman and Lemuel, they were probably focused on how sad they were to leave their home and friends (understandable). And, as a reader, I can imagine how Lehi taking his family away from everything that they own and telling them to camp out in the desert for years on end would seem completely ridiculous. That is, if Nephi didn’t explain the rest of the story... Lehi had been warned by God that Jerusalem would be destroyed and commanded them to leave for their protection. Ahaa… there it is. The bigger picture.
Suddenly it doesn’t become this awful goodbye to everything you own but a “thank you Heavenly Father for protecting me and my family from all the dangers back there.” Often we are bitter or afraid because we don’t turn to look around and see the big picture.The 'big picture' that helps us to see that Heavenly Father does not ask us to do anything to make us unhappy but rather everything He does, everything that happens, is because He loves us and wants so badly for us to return to live with Him again. If we would just exercise a little faith and open ourselves up to see the bigger picture, we would be able to see Heavenly Father’s purpose and plan for us and how he is always there to help guide us through this life. I can’t think of anything better than knowing that you have a Heavenly Father right beside you, protecting and guiding you every step of the way. SO- Lesson #1:Believe in the dealings of God and take time to see the big picture... and if you can't see the big picture- just have faith that there IS ONE. There is always one. Let us never forget Who is in charge and just HOW MUCH He loves ALL of His children.
I think this explains my 'stiff-necked' theory well...
That was very good and very interesting. This post caused me to look at myself in an introspective way. I especially liked the concept of "Stiff-neckedness"? and failing to look at the bigger picture. Thank you for putting your thoughts through this medium. :-) God bless.
ReplyDeleteKeenan