Book of Mormon 2: “All Things According to His Will”

I was able to introduce two inspirational DVDs to my wonderful Gospel Doctrine class today. One was the first Book of Mormon movie about the travels of Lehi’s family. The second was from my very favourite, inspirational Church speaker, John Bytheway. John Bytheway speaks about Nephi on his DVD, Heroes: Lessons from the Book of Mormon. He paints a vivid picture of a true hero. He was strong, obedient, courageous, faithful, and yet incredibly humble. What an inspiration to us all! Throughout my life, as a member of the church, the most influential and memorable scripture from the Book of Mormon has been 1 Nephi 3:7, ““I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” This scripture has always helped me to accept callings when I felt inadequate and to stick to my principles when faced with opposition.

I thought a lot about the challenges Lehi’s family faced when travelling through the wilderness to the Red Sea. I can understand the complaints of Laman and Lemuel, leaving all their possessions and comforts for the rigours of the journey into the unknown. I can also understand Sariah as she fretted over the safety of her boys making the long journey back to Jerusalem to obtain the Brass Plates. As a mother, I can empathise with her completely. During the week, I directed my Gospel Doctrine class to an article by Maurine Proctor (January 4, 2016) called Book of Mormon Extras Lesson 2 – What was the Real Problem with Laman and Lemuel? This can be found at: http://ldsmag.com/book-of-mormon-extras-lesson-2-what-was-the-real-problem-with-laman-and-lemuel/. Maurine really helped me to think about the complaints that Lehi’s eldest sons so readily made. The less we rely on the Lord and His Spirit to guide us, the more frequent and clamorous our dissatisfaction and complaining will be. This is a great lesson for me. I am a very good moaner. I need to rely on the Spirit and daily show my appreciation for all the blessings I receive.

I shared a delightful quotation from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland with the class today. He said, “I have often thought that Nephi’s being bound with cords and beaten by rods must have been more tolerable to him than listening to Laman and Lemuel’s constant murmuring.  Surely he must have said at least once, “Hit me one more time. I can still hear you.”  Yes, life has its problems, and yes, there are negative things to face, but please accept one of Elder Holland’s maxims for living—no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.” This is one more quote that I need to remember. I will try for this week to remember Elder Holland’s maxim and apply it in all I do.