The Iron Rod

My mom is so cool.  For those of you that know her you already knew this, but for those who don't I'm just giving you a heads up.  As a missionary we are able to e-mail home to our family once a week.  My mom has faithfully written me each week of my mission.  This was part of the e-mail I received this week:

"Been thinking today about the iron rod (in Lehi's dream found in the Book of Mormon 1 Nephi 8 pg 14-16) - why iron?  why not any old rod?  Iron is so strong, unbendable and very durable.  Withstands a lot of forces like wind, fire, etc....   It can hold us when we cling to it with everything we have.  It is unbendable because the word of god does not change to "fit our fancy".  It is smooth and easy to grasp on to at times (but we can slip if we aren't mindful of things).  I imagine a bridge held up by rope that sways back and forth, etc... but an iron rod doesn't let us sway like a rope and it will take us directly back to God.  Decided a long time ago the words in the scripture are not by accident - it is iron because that is what he saw and it was suppose to be iron - not a rope, a reed, a path with no hand-rail - it is iron for a reason." 

I know that the scriptures are specific for a reason.  I know that the gospel doesn't change and it's not bendable.  The iron rod represents the word of God and it is strong, it will withstand time and trial.  Cling continually to the rod and be happy!  I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and the many messages that we can learn from it.

A Clouded Mind?

As I have started reading the Book of Mormon again recently a lot has had a different meaning this time than any of the other times I've read the Book of Mormon.  I truly believe this is what makes the Book of Mormon the best book ever, you can read it repeatedly back-to-back and continue to get something else out of it.  The Book of Mormon definitely has the answers to our questions and concerns.  The Book of Mormon begins with a family.  The father's name is Lehi.  He has four sons (oldest to youngest):  Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi.  In chapter 8 of 1 Nephi (page 14 of the Book of Mormon) Lehi has a vision.  He sees many things, but he tells of a river of water in this chapter, 1 Nephi 8: 26.  Nephi (Lehi's youngest son) desires to know about the vision his father saw, so he prays about it.  The spirit comes and he has a vision about the things his father has seen.  After Nephi has his vision his older brothers complain that they don't understand.  Part of the reason they can't understand is because they didn't turn to the Lord for answers.  Nephi interprets some of the "dream" to them.  A particular verse caught my attention.  It is 1 Nephi 15:27,  It says:  And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water. As I have pondered on this scripture I have had some thoughts.  One of them was, "How could Lehi not have noticed the filth?"  It doesn't seem hard to notice if water is clean or filthy.  Maybe if it said dirty I wouldn't have thought that, but filth I would think he should notice.  After this thought came to my mind our lives today.  Sometimes we don't notice how "filthy" the things of the world are today.  We have so many things that society feels are okay, that just aren't.  These will not bring us into the purity of the atonement, but drag us down into the dredges of Satan.  Avoid all things that are filthy.  Notice the things we are doing and stay in the clear water.  No one wants to swim in the filthy water!  Sin can cloud our minds and we don't notice the filth of the water.  Evaluate the water (or choices) you are near and be wise.  Avoid the filthy water of Lehi's vision!

I Will Go and Do

One of my heroes is Nephi from the Book of Mormon.  He is such a shining example of standing for what is right.  I want to share a story about Nephi with you.  It is in the Book of Mormon and I won't completely give everything away, but I want to talk about the very beginning of the Book of Mormon with you.  Lehi (the father) is commanded by the Lord to take his family and leave Jerusalem.  They leave all of the worldly possessions and take just what they need with them.They walk into the wilderness leaving everything behind.  They walk for about four days and then Lehi receives a commandment from Heavenly Father. The commandment is that his sons (Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi) are to return to Jerusalem and get the brass plates from Laban.
How excited would you be to head back to the place you just left after walking for four days?  It doesn't sound really fun to me, but the question is would you do it willingly because Heavenly father asked you to?  I hope that I would be like Nephi and not like his brothers Laman and Lemuel.  Nephi's brothers were not excited to go.  Nephi  showed great faith as he replied: 1 Nephi 3:7 " I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."  Nephi understands that the Lord will never give us something that we cannot do.  He gathers up his brothers and they head back to Jerusalem.  The first time they go to Laban's house they fail.  Laban will not give up the plates and he sends men after them to kill them.  The second time they take all of their worldly items (their gold, silver, and riches) and try to trade him these for the plates.  He loves the things they bring and so he takes them and then sends men after them to kill them.  At this point his brothers don't want to go back.
Thankfully we have Nephi that says he will go back.  He gets there and is commanded to do something very hard. I'm going to leave this part a mystery and you can read it in the Book of Mormon. The account is in 1 Nephi 4.  I will tell you that he is able to obtain the plates.  The Lord provides a way that he can accomplish the commandment he had given to Nephi and his brothers.  Sometimes in our lives we are given commandments from Heavenly Father that seem impossible. If the Lord commands us to do something he will provide a way that we can fulfill that commandment.  Never forget this!  There is nothing that is impossible with the Lord.  I know that we can do anything the Lord asks us to do.  Let us go forth with faith, believing that our Heavenly Father will help us.  It wasn't easy for Nephi to accomplish what the Lord asked, but the Lord made it possible and this is how it is in our lives.  It may not be easy to accomplish, but it will be something we can do.  It will never be impossible if it is a commandment from Heavenly Father!

Building on a Sturdy Foundation

A sand castle looks nice, but what happens when the water comes?
Does a sand castle withstand?  We all know what happens when the waves come- all of our hard work is demolished and our sand castle is gone!  It doesn't hold up when the storm comes.  How do we make sure that our lives are much stronger than the sand castle?  We build on something much much stronger!  There's a primary song that the kids learn that goes: The wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house upon the rock, And the rains came tumbling down.  The rains came down, and the floods came up, the rains came down, and the floods came up, the rains came down, and the floods came up, And the house on the rock stood still.  The foolish man built his house upon the sand, the foolish man built his house upon the sand, the foolish man built his house upon the sand, And the rains came tumbling down.  The rains came down, and the floods came up, the rains came down, and the floods came up, the rains came down, and the floods came up, And the house on the sand washed away.  I have always liked this song, but now it has so much more than just words to it.  It is telling us how we should build our life.  It's telling us that the things of the world are the sand that we can build upon.  The things of the world may appear to make us happy, but when the "storms" of life come are we truly happy?  Do these things support and sustain us?  Are our friends always there for us?

Thankfully we know that there is something better that we can build upon.  What would this be you may ask,  well here you go!  The answer to all life's questions can be found in the scriptures:  3 Nephi 11:39 says: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them."  This scripture is found in the part of the Book of Mormon where Christ has come to the Nephites.  He has come as a resurrected being and is teaching them.  He is bringing them the Gospel in it's fulness.  He is telling them how to "build" their lives.  He tells them that the things he has taught them are the "rock" that they should build on.  If we build our lives on the "rock" that the Savior has shown us, then when the "storms" of life come our hard work, like the sand castle, will not be washed away.  Our lives will stay intact.  The rock will withstand our "storms", or trials.  The Savior, who is the rock we build upon, will support us and sustain us.  I know that he helps us to weather the storms if we will let him be there with us.  He will not leave us.  He will bear some of the burden that we cannot bear on our own!  I know that when we build our life on the things of the Savior, his doctrines, we will withstand the "storms" of life.  We will be happy and the Savior will be there for us through these "storms"!

Baptism

Last week I was privileged to be a part of two baptisms!  Why do we get so excited as missionaries when baptisms come around?  After all if you don't understand it looks just like someone gets dunked in some water and gets all wet.  It's so much more than that when you learn what it's all about.  Our whole purpose as missionaries is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end!  Well, that's our purpose, but I still didn't answer why baptism is so important.  It's so important, because in the bible it tells of Christ's baptism.  Matthew 3: 13-17 is my favorite account in the Bible.  It tells us that John baptized Jesus.  Why John?  Good question, because he had the proper authority from God to perform a baptism.  We need to be baptized by that same authority which has been restored to the Earth in these Latter Days.  Another of my favorite scriptures pertaining to baptism is found in the Book of Mormon.  It is 2 Nephi 31: 5.  It states:  "And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!"  This verse hits home to me.  None of us are perfect, but Christ was and he was baptized.  Why wouldn't we need to be baptized?!  Of course we need to be baptized!  We should follow the example our Savior set for us.  He set the PERFECT example!  The Book of Mormon goes on to say in verses 9-10:  9) "And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them. 10) And he said unto the children of men:  Follow thou me.  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?"  Baptism is something we MUST do to follow the example of our Savior.  It is the gate that we must enter through!