Identity

This past week I have been studying 1 Nephi chapters 15-22 in the Book of Mormon.  In these chapters, Nephi and his brothers were married to the daughters of Ishmael, Nephi was commanded to and builds a ship, the entire family embarked on their journey to the promised land, and Nephi prophesied of the coming of Jesus Christ.

After reading these chapters I was struck by the reality that Nephi knew who he was. He identified himself as a son of God, and because of this eternal perspective that he had, his whole life was changed for the better.  Here I will list a few examples to show how Nephi's relationship to God helped him to know who he was, and to highlight how this knowledge influenced his actions during times of trial.

 In 1 Nephi 15:5 Nephi stated, "I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall."

Nephi had the special opportunity to see in vision the rise and fall of his people. He struggled under the weight that the future held for his posterity, but it didn't keep him down for long.

After Nephi regains his composure, he asked his brothers why they were arguing with each other.  They responded that they didn't understand the parable that their father had spoken of.  Nephi responded simply, "Have ye inquired of the Lord?" His brothers said, "We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us." Perhaps a little exasperated Nephi replied, "How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts? Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you."

Here I noticed that Nephi's first reaction when there was a misunderstanding of doctrine was to ask the Lord.  He had obviously tested this method and knew that it worked.  He understood something that his brothers didn't and that is that God answers prayers if you really want to know and have faith to receive and answer. 

Another example of Nephi understanding how God works is in 1 Nephi chapter 16.  Here Nephi's brothers are complaining because Nephi's explanation of the parable was too hard for them to understand. Nephi encouraged them to keep the commandments diligently. They made improvement and Nephi said, "I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness."

Nephi wasn't just being a know-it-all.  He knew that there was a much bigger picture that was going on and he was trying to do his best to help his brothers see the bigger picture too. He had felt the joy that comes from keeping the commandments and he wanted them to feel it too.

One of my favorite examples of Nephi's eternal perspective was in 1 Nephi 16:14-25 when his family had been traveling and stopped to hunt for food. Unfortunately Nephi's bow broke. His brothers were hangry and so was his father.  I'm sure that Nephi was hungry too, but again he responds to an unpleasant situation with the faith that everything would be OK. Nephi said "I did speak much unto my brethren, because they had hardened their hearts again, even unto complaining against the Lord their God."  Nephi knew that complaining would only make it worse. He knew that the Lord would provide a way for them to get food. He trusted the Lord implicitly, because He knew the Lord.

1 Nephi 16:23 reads, "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make out of wood a bow, and out of a straight stick, an arrow; wherefore, I did arm myself with a bow and an arrow, with a sling and with stones. And I said unto my father: Whither shall I go to obtain food?" His next  move was another one of faith. He knew that if he did his part and had faith and went through the right channels that the Lord would provide. 

I know too that the Lord will provide for us in our time of need.  If we take the time to step back and view our trials with eternal perspective we can respond with in faith like Nephi did. When we can see ourselves and the people around us in an eternal perspective we can be filled with hope that everything will work out. And lastly when we see and identify ourselves as children of an Almighty God, we will start to understand like Nephi that the Lord is in control and that we can overcome anything with His help.