For those of you clocking in to
this blog, be prepared to hear my musings on things in the Book of Mormon,
specifically being shaped by my BYU Book of Mormon class. This class is focused
on learning the doctrines contained in the Book of Mormon so that we can
further understand how to apply the gospel of Jesus Christ into our lives.
While we do go in chronological order, the focus is less on the story and more
on the doctrine. This week, we just barely started in 1 Nephi. It’s so
interesting to me how you can read a scriptures passage for what you feel is a
million times, but then you just have a light bulb moment where it brings so
much more illumination.
This week, we discussed the
infamous verse, 1 Nephi 2:15: “And my father dwelt in a tent.” Simple enough,
right? I’ve heard people talk about how significant that verse is, that Lehi
left his riches for a tent just because the Lord told him to, to the point
where it sort of lost any significance. I had that significance restored,
though. My teacher shared the verse as an analogy for mortality. Lehi lived in
a land of wealth and comfort, but he was promised something much greater: a
land full of riches, property, prosperity, and endless opportunities promised
by the Lord to his righteous children. While Jerusalem was a nice place, they
were leaving for an infinitely better one. However, in order to get there, Lehi
had to have a short sojourn in a tent. For a very brief time in comparison to
what the promised land could give, he had to stay in a barren land with
hardship, fatigue, hunger, and suffering. But would he ever regret that when he
was in the promised land? NEVER!
It is the exact same for us. We left
our comfortable and rich home in the presence of our Father in Heaven, because
while it was beautiful and innocent, the Lord intended for us and promised us an
infinitely greater future in eternal life. However, to get there and reap the
blessings, we first had to pass through this land of sorrows. We had to know
hardship and suffering and pain. However, that is hardly a blip on the screen
when compared to the eternity of joy promised in celestial glory.
This
interpretation was SO meaningful to me. I lately have been feeling so stuck in
the current moment, wondering why things are so hard now, why life can’t work
out the way I want it to, why I can’t feel a purpose in the hard times. But this reminded me that there is always a
purpose, and the promises are great if we find joy in the right now and make
the most of our futures. I need to focus on the beauty ahead and the Father who
is guiding me there because these hard times will hardly be a blink when I have
accomplished my work here.
Likewise, everyone can find home in
the future because what this analogy really reminds us of is the doctrine of
the Atonement. We are never stuck in our struggles and hardships alone, and
they will not last. Christ has given us freedom! We should celebrate everyday
because today is just a moment, so we can make the most of it or feel jipped
through life. It is only a moment, but a moment that you and I choose how we
will spend. Let’s make it memorable for all of the best reasons. Build
relationships. Share love. Lift others up. Give back. Turn the other cheek.
Laugh. Shrug it off. Thank the Lord everyday for his wonderful Savior and plan
of happiness. Because happiness is promised when we follow him.
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