"And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies."
1 Nephi 8:7-8
This is the beginning of Lehi's dream, and it strikes me today that he was following someone into darkness, and traveling in the darkness for several hours here. The someone he was following was a man "dressed in a white robe," from which I think we are meant to take away that it is an angel, or maybe even God leading him. In any case, it is something heavenly. The whole dream is symbolic of our lives, but this first part I think is significant. Lehi seems to have been following something symbolic of good, and then to have gotten lost in the darkness, and so he prayed so he could find his way out again. And I think that happens to all of us in life. Usually when we get into trouble or walk into darkness, it isn't darkness that we are looking for. We start out doing good, wanting good and trying to follow it, but somewhere along the way we get lost. We find ourselves in a dark and a dreary waste, and we look and look, but we can't see a way out. We wander as Lehi did, for hours, or longer. And growing up in our society, maybe our first instinct is not to ask for help. Maybe we don't want to look dumb, or be wrong. As children it is okay, but when we grow up we have to be able to handle things. :) ... Today, though, let's not allow our "mature adult" status to get in the way of being able to be saved. :) If we're lost in the dark, let's remember that we *are* God's children, and it is okay to ask for help. Let's look to God, and pray, and he *will* help us, as he helped Lehi, and as he helps all of us when we are lost and alone.
And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies."
1 Nephi 8:7-8
This is the beginning of Lehi's dream, and it strikes me today that he was following someone into darkness, and traveling in the darkness for several hours here. The someone he was following was a man "dressed in a white robe," from which I think we are meant to take away that it is an angel, or maybe even God leading him. In any case, it is something heavenly. The whole dream is symbolic of our lives, but this first part I think is significant. Lehi seems to have been following something symbolic of good, and then to have gotten lost in the darkness, and so he prayed so he could find his way out again. And I think that happens to all of us in life. Usually when we get into trouble or walk into darkness, it isn't darkness that we are looking for. We start out doing good, wanting good and trying to follow it, but somewhere along the way we get lost. We find ourselves in a dark and a dreary waste, and we look and look, but we can't see a way out. We wander as Lehi did, for hours, or longer. And growing up in our society, maybe our first instinct is not to ask for help. Maybe we don't want to look dumb, or be wrong. As children it is okay, but when we grow up we have to be able to handle things. :) ... Today, though, let's not allow our "mature adult" status to get in the way of being able to be saved. :) If we're lost in the dark, let's remember that we *are* God's children, and it is okay to ask for help. Let's look to God, and pray, and he *will* help us, as he helped Lehi, and as he helps all of us when we are lost and alone.
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