No need to describe all the trials, but my sister and I were comparing.
At the end of our conversation she said, “well let me know if you figure out how to handle all this.”
I don’t know the answer, but shared with her my most recent eye-opening understanding of my early morning scripture reading.
It seems God does not always deliver us from our trials.
Even when we are doing everything right.
Nephi’s brothers tied him up when they were in their “ship” on the sea, headed for the “promised land.” They wanted to kill him. Nephi was suffering, his wrists were all bloody, and the sea got crazy and rough–like in that movie, “Joe versus the Volcano.” Everyone prayed, mom and dad, the other siblings, and yet things just got worst.
And God did not stop all this affliction for Nephi. He was doing everything right too.
Finally his brothers untie him and the compass begins to work again, the storm now stilled. But Nephi had to endure all those days and nights of hardship and affliction and pain. And yet he talks about this event– saved from a watery death–as a tender mercy from the Lord. What? He almost died. It was terrible.
We just have to look at things differently, I told my sister. I must see how merciful the Lord is to me–I sold my home before my husband was maneuvered out of his job/business. We lost our income after we sold. We have a little savings. little. This was a merciful thing.
My brother-in-law also lost his business. My sister has been able to live in their home for almost two years without paying their mortgage. This is a merciful thing.
Ok, so both our families are struggling. No income yet. And other troubles too. But….
Nephi says the Lord warned them about Jerusalem so that they could leave and avoid the destruction. This was merciful. But they endured a lot of hardship and horrible days in the wilderness.
Yet he calls this merciful.
What? I have to leave my home and go live in the wilderness? Get on a hand-made ship and go across the sea? In the year 600 BC? And have others in my traveling party that hate me, and try to kill me? This does not sound merciful from that perspective.
It is hard to switch to the perspective that all this is merciful. They were being led to the Promise Land.
Is the road leading out of the water?
Or is the road leading into the water?
