"And he also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained--how merciful the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem."
2 Nephi 1:3
This is interesting. What I am wondering is whether Lehi was the only one warned. :) We all have warnings in our lives, and unfortunately, we rarely listen to them. Lehi made a great sacrifice... giving up his livelihood, his worldly possessions, and all of his friends and extended family to go someplace that he had never heard of. He had no idea how long it would take, or what he would find when he got there... he only knew that the Lord had warned him. Sometimes we have to make similar sacrifices in our lives in order to heed the warnings of the Lord... and if we do heed those warnings, we will reach a similar promised land, where we can prosper and grow. But it is difficult. Sometimes the sacrifices we must make, because they are known, seem more important than the promised land, which is unknown. If we could see everything--the end and the beginning--then we wouldn't hesitate to make the sacrifices. But, that is why this is a test... because we can't see everything. We have to learn to trust God just as Lehi did, and know that no matter what, God's way would lead us to happiness rather than destruction. Instead of being destroyed in Jerusalem, Lehi made it to the promised land and his descendants still live today. He could have enjoyed his life for another year or so, rather than listening to the warnings and going through hardship... but would it have been worth it? I don't think so... and it isn't worth it in our own lives either. No matter the pain and the hardship... the promised land is always always better than staying put and waiting for the destruction you have been warned about.
2 Nephi 1:3
This is interesting. What I am wondering is whether Lehi was the only one warned. :) We all have warnings in our lives, and unfortunately, we rarely listen to them. Lehi made a great sacrifice... giving up his livelihood, his worldly possessions, and all of his friends and extended family to go someplace that he had never heard of. He had no idea how long it would take, or what he would find when he got there... he only knew that the Lord had warned him. Sometimes we have to make similar sacrifices in our lives in order to heed the warnings of the Lord... and if we do heed those warnings, we will reach a similar promised land, where we can prosper and grow. But it is difficult. Sometimes the sacrifices we must make, because they are known, seem more important than the promised land, which is unknown. If we could see everything--the end and the beginning--then we wouldn't hesitate to make the sacrifices. But, that is why this is a test... because we can't see everything. We have to learn to trust God just as Lehi did, and know that no matter what, God's way would lead us to happiness rather than destruction. Instead of being destroyed in Jerusalem, Lehi made it to the promised land and his descendants still live today. He could have enjoyed his life for another year or so, rather than listening to the warnings and going through hardship... but would it have been worth it? I don't think so... and it isn't worth it in our own lives either. No matter the pain and the hardship... the promised land is always always better than staying put and waiting for the destruction you have been warned about.
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