I can't believe how long it's been since I posted! Beginning April 7th, I started the Book of Mormon Translation Challenge, wherein you read 6 pages of the Book of Mormon per day to finish reading the book in approximately the same amount of time it took Joseph Smith to translate it. I've done it before and decided to stop where I was reading and start over with this challenge. It's been cool--remembering things I've learned before and learning new things.
The thing that sticks out to me right now is Lehi's vision of the tree of life and the different reactions of his sons. When Nephi wants to know more, he humbles himself, believes that God can make them known to him, and ponders over the vision. When Laman and Lemuel murmur because they cannot understand the things their father has told them, Nephi asks "Have ye inquired of the lord?" 1N15:8, they answer "We have not ; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us." 1N15:9
It becomes obvious that each receives the fruit of their labor. When Nephi wants to know what the meaning of the tree is in the vision, he sees Mary, the mother of God and the condescension of the Savior in shedding his premortal glory and coming to earth as a small, helpless child. From this, Nephi deduces that the tree is "the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of men" 1 Nephi 11:22 When Laman and Lemuel ask Nephi, "What meaneth the tree which he saw?" 1N15:21 Nephi answers "It was a representation of the tree of life." 1N15:22 That's it.
Laman and Lemuel don't seem to know what they are missing. Nephi tells them if they were "righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed to it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur." 1N16:3 He also "did exhort my brethren, with all diligence, to keep the commandments of the Lord."
The incident with the broken bows continues the theme. Laman and Lemuel are sometimes obedient and sometimes faithful, but when times get hard, their testimonies are not built on a firm foundation (Hel 5:12 and 1 Nephi 2:12), and they murmur. Nephi acts in faith and asks for guidance.
Nephi also notes that the Liahona works "according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give" 1N16:28 Faith. Diligence. Heed.
Based on this, my question is, "What revelation, guidance, faith building, or higher knowledge am I missing because I need to be more obedient and/or to be faithful enough to ask, to believe God will answer me and then be willing to act on the things which I receive?"
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