During our mission, in addition to telling you about our adventures, we will write our impressions about each Come Follow Me lesson. These impressions will generally be based on specific verses as we study the Book of Mormon. We will post each week these impressions and hope that someone gets something out of it. This first one is long - we're currently on an eight hour car ride...
1:1
Nephi had ‘seen many afflictions over the course of my days.‘ Often, when we see a lot of affliction, we focus on the affliction. Afflictions can give us a sense of contempt for God or fate or other people. Some of us think that life isn’t fair. We often start to focus inward. When we do that, it’s easier to fixate on our personal problems. We've seen this inner fixation transform into depression.
However, Nephi quickly said that he was ‘highly favored of the Lord in all my days.’ So, he had seen many afflictions but was highly favored - and highly favored over ALL of his days! How does this happen? How did he experience many afflictions and yet be highly favored? How does anyone stay so positive in the midst of affliction?
We think the answer is in the same verse. Nephi wrote ‘having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God.’ He had a great knowledge. How did that happen? Likely, this came from study, prayer, fasting and obedience. God was very present in his life. The closer we get to God, the more we understand his goodness. He becomes real. As he becomes a real person instead of a spiritual concept, we see ourselves more clearly. We become more humble. In our humility, we turn outward rather than focus on ourselves. As we focus outward, we are no longer fixated on our afflictions. Just like Nephi.
1:5
Lehi was praying with ‘all his heart on behalf of his people.’ Why? These were the people who were mocking him. They eventually sought his life. Lehi really cared about these people?? If we put ourself in his shoes, imagining a group of people mocking me, it would be hard for us to go home and pray for them with our whole heart. If we did pray for them, it would be a passing statement.
Clearly, his level of charity was well-developed. He had Christlike love. What does it take to grow that level of love?
On top of that, this was before the life of Christ! He was living the law of Moses - Jesus had yet to teach about how to handle those who persecute you. Through Lehi, we understand that the gospel has always been about love. His example reinforces the importance of being able to develop pure charity for everyone - not just those who are nice to us.
1:18-20
After Lehi received the vision where he learned that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, his first action was to prophecy to the people. Again, the people who were mocking him! He could have just looked after himself and his own but he wanted to save as many as possible. He was turned outward when we would probably turn inward and take care of us and our family only. The man had charity.
He had the courage to speak about his vision and warn the people - regardless of how it would be received. He was bold in his testimony. What God thought of him was more important than what the people would think. His love fed his courage. His love for his fellowman outweighed any discomfort he would feel in becoming less popular.
This is a great lesson for us. I’ve just started this mission and I am re-learning what it means to be bold. We’ve had some good experiences already with sharing the gospel. But, I have to admit that I am needing to force myself to get over the discomfort of feeling initially awkward. I need to love more than I fear discomfort.
It’ll be easier to be bold in Florida. Less so in Salt Lake City. Why is that? Our testimony of the gospel and love for others should drive us to share the gospel no matter where we are.
2:4
One of the greatest examples of Lehi’s perspective about what is important in his life is: what he left in Jerusalem. Lehi was a rich man. He had a lot of worldly possessions. These meant nothing compared to following the direction of the Lord.
His perspective about what is really important is inspiring. We are building a new house. We have been building this house for three years. If, after we move in, we receive a command that we needed to leave it, pack up some tents and head to the wilderness...that would be extremely hard. We would really need to focus on what is important to be obedient. Our perspective would need to be very thought-out... Our testimonies would need to be strong before we were in that situation.
2:7
As soon as Lehi had left the comfort and departed into the wilderness, he built and altar to make an offering and was thankful. Lehi knew the importance of maintaining the connection to God.
If it were us, it might have been okay to skip this. We have to say that I will sometimes quickly agree to leave church early or not fast because of special circumstances. Not Lehi. In the midst of this chaotic change in his life, his actions showed his perspective about what was important.
2:11-13
The two sons obviously valued their worldly possessions more than righteousness. With their love of possessions, their minds worked very well to rationalize ‘valid’ reasons why they shouldn’t be leaving anything. Their worldly desires tainted their perception. They saw but didn’t really see.
Laman and Lemuel are good examples of how faithful, righteous parents can raise faithless, unrighteous children. We have to assume that, as good people, they were likely good parents - which is evidenced by the goodness of Nephi.
I know of many parents, including myself, who feel a lot of guilt and regret when considering their children’s leaving the gospel. This example gives comfort that, when this happens, it’s an example of free agency rather than bad parenting.
2:15
Lehi, a great, wealthy prophet of God was willing to dwell in a tent to be obedient to the Lord. His faith made him willing to give up every worldly thing to follow the Lord’s direction. How we hope that we would behave similarly.
2:16
Nephi had great desires to know the mysteries of God. The obvious question for us is how great is our desire? For the past few months, our hunger for understanding has grown as we’ve prepared to be on this mission. But, before that, we wouldn’t say that we had great desires to study.
How great is our desire to understand the gospel? How much do we hunger for it. How much time do we spend learning each week?
Part of his desire likely came from the sincerity of his prayers. He ‘cried’ unto the Lord. How many prayers over the course of our lives were we crying to the Lord. We think that anytime we have cried to the Lord was in a situation of desperation. We hope that, at some point, we will regularly feel a ‘desperation’ to become closer to my Heavenly Father.
3:5
Of course the brothers did murmur because it was a hard thing that the Lord was requiring.
It’s so nice when the Lord’s direction lines up perfectly with our perspective and opinion of what’s appropriate. It’s much harder when they don’t align.
We must understand that God’s thinking is above ours and there will be times when they don’t line up and we will have to submit to the will of God.
3:7
A lot has been said about this verse. We think two of the key words of the verse are GO and DO. These are action words. He didn’t say: PREPARE & ORGANIZE or PLAN & STRATEGIZE or EVALUATE & CONSIDER.
Marci is such a good example of this. Often, I am ‘fixing to get around to planning’ something. By the time I start considering it, she’s already got it done. It’s possible to be busy and not accomplish anything. When you get a prompting, ACT. Instead of pondering what you’ve been told, GO and DO.
God is the one who will prepare a way for you. Once he gives you the command, you can have faith that the way is already prepared.
3:14
After being rejected the FIRST time, the brothers were ready to call it quits. Many people are like this. We’ve seen this again and again in our professional life. Someone is given an objective and quit when they run into their first obstacle. Those types of people are not very valuable in the workplace.
You want someone who will go around/above/through barriers. In any important project, there are going to be setbacks. If you’re able to continue in spite of the setback, you can become successful.
Remember, anything worthwhile will be a struggle. There will always be obstacles between you and a goal. Don’t quit at the first piece of resistance.
3:15-16
By contrast, Nephi was ALL IN. Once he was aware of the commandment from the Lord, he wasn’t going to turn back. He was going to accomplish the thing he was commanded to do.
Interestingly, God wanted Nephi to try an idea of his own making. He wanted Nephi to attempt to ‘purchase’ the records with their treasure. This was a plan invented by Nephi.
God works this way, he wants us to attempt to solve a problem with our wisdom. The Lord wants us to try. Development happens when we try. We learn even if we fail and God will let us fail to teach us a lesson.
Nephi’s plan wasn’t obviously successful but it might have been necessary. Perhaps Nephi’s treasure gave Laban the reason to celebrate with his bretheren to celebrate his acquiring new treasure...
It’s hard to know the value of failure while you’re in the process of failing. It’s easier to connect the dots after some time has passed.
3:23-28
Of course, Laman and Lemuel loved their treasure and were upset at the loss of it to Laban. Those possessions were what mattered to them.
They weren’t fully committed to the idea of leaving permanently with their father. They must have thought that they would eventually return to Jerusalem and enjoy their inheritance. They didn’t really believe that Jerusalem was to be destroyed. They had no faith in what Lehi was predicting. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been upset.
So, when their possessions were gone, their anger was extreme. It's been our experience that, when stress is applied, true character reveals itself.
3:29-31
Laman and Lemuel weren’t affected by the appearance of an angel! It didn’t change their perspective. It didn’t elevate their faith one degree.
Very rarely does a grand event (like seeing an angel) affect our faith. (We know that Saul was forever converted through a heavenly vision - he was the exception....). Changes to our faith come from the inside - through our own efforts - never from an exterior source.
Since Laman and Lemuel were spiritually hollow and hadn’t given any great effort to developing their faith - no number of angelic visits would improve the state of their testimony and increase their faith.
Because they were faithless, they just couldn’t trust that they could ever defeat Laban and his fifty. Without faith, they had to rely on their logic - which, of course, couldn’t imagine how they could be successful. So, it must not be possible.
4:4
Nephi spent a lot of time convincing them using a solid argument. We’ve said this many times - no amount of ‘clever conversation’ will change the heart of a person. It is always the spirit that changes hearts and converts. Since they weren’t feeling the confirmation of the Holy Ghost, their minds weren’t going to change.
4:6
Nephi had a plan during the previous effort to retrieve the plates. It must have been amazingly harder to put one foot in front of the other when he had absolutely no plan and no idea of how he was going to be successful. He was definitely taking a step into the abyss but had such faith in God that he knew a way was already prepared.
5:4-6
We like how Lehi handled criticism from Sariah. He could have gotten offended and started criticizing her lack of faith. It could have been a battle of criticism.
Instead, he empathized with her by admitting that he was a visionary man. He reminded her of the benefits of them leaving Jerusalem - that it was good that they were in the wilderness.
He consoled her by assuring her that the Lord would protect them. He didn’t want to debate but wanted to comfort her. He didn’t argue or bicker with her. No doubt he understood her sensitivity for the welfare of their sons. It was a great example of handling conflict in a marriage.
7:9-11
When Nephi attempts to convince his brothers, rather than lecture them, he asks them a series of good questions to help them come to the realization themselves:
How is it that you are so hard in your hearts?
How is it that you haven’t listened to the word of the Lord?
How is it that you have forgotten that you have seen an angel of the Lord?
How is it that you have forgotten the great things that the Lord has done for us?
How is it that you have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things.
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