Saturday, September 19, 2009

no knot

i've been thinking a lot about laman and lemuel after reading the firstfew chapters of 1 nephi. It seems like there is always such an emphasis on just how wicked the two of them were. With all of their complaining and murmuring i was wondering why they would go along with everyone. They made it clear that thet didn't want to leave jerusalem so why did they do it? Could they really have been that bad? They were obedient enough to go right? As for the murmuring, that was just uncalled for. I've never complained about doing things that my parents made me do. Never! Ok, that might not be true, but at least i follow through with things that i have been commanded to do without hesitation. Ok, not true either. I for sure never tied up any of my younger brothers or tried to kill them. My point is that laman and lemuel couldn't have
been entirely bad. Remember that even their mother complained about lehi taking them from their home when the boys went to get the plates. The verse that stood out to me and pretty much explained their bad behavior is 2 nephi 2:12.

"...they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who
had created them."

This verse just makes me sad for them. They had every opportunity to learn of the dealings of that God that created them. Their father was a prophet, they were visited by angels, and they had the brass plates to learn from. I can only assume that the desire wasn't there, and that is what makes me sad for them. Laman and Lemuel had their good and bad (sometimes horrible) moments like we all do. I just hope that i can always have that desire to know God and continue building that relationship with him.


Thursday, September 3, 2009

No. Questions asked!

If i'm honest, normally i'd be more excited to learn from everyone
else's scripture study than my own. I've never been the type of person
that digs deep enough to find those gems that others find. I'm the
'nod your head and agree' type. Not because i'm lazy but because
that's just the type of person i am. I hope that isn't too much of a
bad thing. I've definitely had uplifting and enlightening experiences
reading the scriptures on my own but i want more. So, no more nodding
my head and agreeing. Not this time. No. I'm going to take time to
stop and really think about the things i'm reading and find how they
apply to me now. I'll ask questions and, fingers crossed, get
answers. I won't just sit back and learn from everyone else. I'm
going to be a more active reader, and i'm pretty excited about it.

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