1Ne 1: Faith During Trials

 I have a great love for the Book of Mormon! It is seriously the best book ever and I know its words to be true and written by prophets of God. It is here, for us, to receive inspiration, find answers, and increase our knowledge of the gospel and the things the Lord would have us do. Join me in my journey through the Book of Mormon, as I study its words and try to relate them to my own life. 

In the beginning, Nephi, a prophet of God, explains how he has experienced many afflictions in his day and he records his knowledge gained from these experiences as well as knowledge gained from his very own father, Lehi. Just as Nephi, we must go though hardships & trials to find strength & courage as Nephi did. I love the following quote,

We must have a good attitude and endure every step of the way, for in the end, there is a rainbow and great blessings will come to those who endure to the end. Lehi, Nephi's father, also had seen many afflictions in his days. Jerusalem is where he grew up, where he called home. When he heard of a prophesy, that the city would be destroyed, he went to the Lord in prayer and prayed "with all his heart...in behalf of his people" (1Ne. 1:5). He had a great love & concern for others. He was willing to leave his home to bring safety to not only him, but those he cared about, his family. Nephi had a wonderful father to look up to and his mother was so faithful and willing to follow her husband and trust his revelations. He truly did have "goodly parents" as it states in the very first verse of this book. Lehi did receive an answer to his prayer, and it was so powerful & overwhelming that he passed out, moving into a vision from the Lord. Amazing! Lehi is a great example of having faith.

When I was 16, my family had to leave our beautiful home in Pflugerville, Texas. My parents built it a year earlier, planning to stay even past retirement. It was beautiful and built just right. But when my dad lost his job a few months after moving in, things tumbled downward. His full time job became looking for a new job. He avoided applying to Utah because we just didn't want to come back. Our life continued, but my parents knew that if something didn't come up soon, we would be in trouble. My dad felt we should go to Utah. So we put our brand new home on the market. Then, one evening, a miracle happened. Some old friends of ours, received a prompting to buy our house, no questions, and to pay full price. They had never seen our home and it was in the next city from where they were currently living. They drove out one raining afternoon, my mom walked them through the house, and without hesitation, they offered full price.

Just as my parents received an answer, so did Lehi. He got his answer through a dream and he saw & heard the truths about the destruction of Jerusalem. He believed. He had faith. And despite the peoples mocking, He still prophesied.

"The tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen because of their faith...power of deliverance." (1Ne. 1:20)

For all who follow God's commandments and act upon personal revelations & promptings, blessings WILL follow and He will PROTECT you. Lehi is amazing in his act to follow the Lord, leading his family into the wilderness, leaving everything behind. As a teenager, I left with my family, leaving behind the only life I knew, leaving my friends, my gymnastics team, my home in Texas. But I had my family and I trusted my parents that they were making the right decision. The day we were leaving our home, to move to Utah, my dad got a phone call and was told that he had been accepted for the job he had applied for at Merit Medical. The Lord was looking after us and blessed my dad with a job, after 9 months of diligently searching. He knows us. He knows our situations. We just have to have patience and trust him to lead us on our journey here on this Earth. He can see the full picture and we must follow those promptings to do what the Lord has planned for us. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and the trials that He gives me, only to make me stronger. This life is the Test and we must do our best to put our will in line with the Lords. For in the end, we will found a beautiful rainbow. We will be blessed for learning to dance in the rain. Just take it one day at a time and count your many blessings along the way. 
-Sarah M.