Sunday, October 4, 2020

1 Nephi 3:5 -- On the Requirements of the Lord

"And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord."
1 Nephi 3:5


This is Lehi talking to his son Nephi about going back to Jerusalem to get the plates from Laban.  Laman and Lemuel were complaining about their father's requirements, when actually it was the Lord's requirement.

And I think maybe we all do that sometimes.  We complain about things instead of accepting the will of the Lord.  And that isn't to say that the Lord wants us to suffer or something... but he does want us to learn.  It's kind of like a parent with a child, knowing they are going to go through some pain learning to deal with social situations, attend college, or learn to drive.  God isn't going to save us from pain by taking away those challenges.  We need them so that we can learn to navigate life.  He will be with us to comfort us and help us try again every time we fail though. :)

Our challenges, like the one that the sons of Lehi faced, are often hard.  We're going to be rejected, we might be threatened or robbed.  Our lives may be at risk... but if we accept our challenges as the Lord's will rather than railing against them, perhaps our perspective will change, and we will find the lesson, the hope, the joy, and the power to overcome them.

Today, let's do as the Lord requires, and face what is before us.  Let's do our best, and pray for guidance and help with the things we don't know how to handle.  Like he helped Nephi, our Heavenly Father will also help us and lead us in finding a way to accomplish whatever he requires.

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