1 Nephi 1-7

It is only the second week of January, heading into the third.  And I loved Come Follow Me last year and learned so much.  But I have read and studied the Book of Mormon a lot and while I was excited to study the Book of Mormon, I hadn't expected to have so many insights and a-has.  But I think that is the power of studying with others...because the Bennetts shared some great insights last Sunday and because Sara, Jackie, Laurel and I often text about gospel insights.  And so this week has been so beautiful and I have learned so much.

One thing the Bennetts pointed out was how many similarities there are between what Lehi experienced (see 1 Nephi 1:5-9) and what Joseph Smith did.  They both prayed.  They both saw a pillar of light.  They both quaked and trembled.  Both saw Jesus, though Lehi's sounds more like a dream/vision and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ actually appeared to Joseph so they aren't exactly the same but I bet that was so comforting for Joseph to begin translating and have this experience be one of the first things he read.

We talked about why the Lord didn't tell Lehi to get the plates from Laban and get Ishmael's family and then go into the wilderness.  We don't know for sure, but here are some thoughts.  First, they had a long and arduous journey ahead of them.  Maybe part of the reason was to strengthen them...physically and spiritually...certainly it helped them see that God could and would help them, helped them recognize the importance of these plates, and helped them to trust God.  But it probably also hAd some physical benefits as well.  Maybe that was a small part of why the pioneers had to move to Kirtland then Jackson County then Nauvoo...all the moving prepared them physically and spiritually to be able and ready to respond to a prophet's call to head west.

It's also possible that Lehi's life was in such danger that if he waited, his life might have been taken.

Another thought I had was this...when I get a prompting and act, sometimes I can see why I received that prompting and sometimes I can't.  But I often  feel peace that I acted on the prompting. But if I don't act right Away, I often begin to doubt myself...thinking that it was probably just my own thoughts or that I am being silly and it doesn't make sense to do XYZ. I justify not acting and doubt the reality or origin of the prompting.  Maybe if Lehi didn't act quickly, he would have begun to doubt that this was revelation and not just a dream.

Another possibility shared on-line was that by sending them Back and having them approach Laban a couple of times, it gave Laban the chance to soften his heart.  He didn't but the Lord gave Him this chance to repent.


Tender Mercies:  One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is to show the Lord's tender mercies toward His children.  That's one of the things I am watching for as I read the Book of Mormon this year.  But it's also my goal for each of us to record His tender mercies weekly.  I'm trying to do it each day, but I'm encouraging my girls to record something each week on Sunday.  I'm seeing the Lord's hand in my life so much more clearly already.  I'm so thankful.  One thought I had was that several people pointed out that we seem to see God's tender mercies better when we are in the midst of a trial.  After thinking about this, I decided that clearly God loves us all the time and is doing things for us all the time.  But as  a parent, I don't feel tender when my kids win a contest or reach a goal or everything is going well.  I rejoice with them, I cheer for them and I deeply love them but the feeling within isn't exactly one of tenderness.  But when they fall and scrape their knee, or they fail the math test that they studied hard for, or they don't get a part in the play or something else hard happens, then I want to hold them and reassure them and I feel very tenderly toward them.  My love hasn't changed but they can probably feel my tenderness in a different way than when I am cheering them on when things are good.  I think that is probably true for us as well in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  I am slowly getting better at seeing His hand in the good and bad times.

Goals for 2020

I have so much I want to experience in 2020. But I loved having an overall Focus for 2019. On Instagram I saw this post/ this idea @work.and.wonder to write what I am because starting with what you are gives support to become what you want to be and helps manifest those things into your life. It felt like a beautiful way to summarize my hopes for how I want to live this year (though I also have specific, written down goals). I love the quote from Joel Osteen: "I am not who people say I am. I am who God says I am. Whatever follows 'I am' will surely find us."