On my mission, 2 Nephi 4:15-35 was one of my favorite spots in the Book of Mormon, and it still is today. I love it because it shows us a really personal side of Nephi, a great prophet. It's comforting to me to know that even Nephi felt insecure, and that he too struggled with temptation and sins. And yet, we regard him as one of the most righteous figures in the Book of Mormon. I find great comfort in his psalm here, because it makes me realize that my experiences are shared by others, and if Nephi could make it and become a wonderful person, then so can I. I love the reminder that we can do all things because God will "lead me through mine afflictions" and He "will give liberally to him that asketh," for He loves us and will always be by our side ready to help.
Saturday, 19 September 2020
Saturday, 12 September 2020
A Bible! A Bible!
This week I particularly liked reading 1 Nephi 13:23, which reads,
"And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; and he said unto me: The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.
I love this verse because it asserts the importance of the Bible and emphasizes the fact that we only have the Bible because of the Jews. It is of "great worth" to us. I think sometimes, as members of the Church especially, we emphasize the importance of the Book of Mormon and while it absolutely is the most critical book we have, the Bible is just as true and relevant for us today. The Bible and the Book of Mormon work in tandem with each other, and I think we subject ourselves to great loss if we fail to read His words as come forth by the mouth of the Jew. I know that the Bible holds so much value to me personally, and I think it wise and pertinent that I continue my studies in the Old and New Testaments to further my understanding of the Book of Mormon and my relationship with God.
Friday, 4 September 2020
Nobody Knows What They're Doing
In 1 Nephi 4:6 we read one of my favorite passages:
"And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do."Being functional in Japanese, I always like to compare the English and Japanese translations, that I might gain any new meaning from the linguistic differences. In Japanese, the verse reads:
わたしは、前もって自分のなすべきことを知らないまま、御霊に導びかれて行った。
For the most part, the meaning is virtually identical. However, there is a key change in syntax that shifts the emphasis of the sentence. Literally, the Japanese reads:
"I, while not knowing the things which I should do, went forth, being led by the Spirit."
While subtle, this translation places greater emphasis on Nephi and his state of being unsure of what he was meant to be doing at the time. The word まま [mama] is a noun that is used in a sentence to express that an already give situation or condition remains unaltered. This is an important distinction of language because it tells us that Nephi did not know he was being led by the Spirit at the time because his state of not knowing what he should do remained unaltered even as he was led.
Furthermore, while the English sentence implies that Nephi played a more passive role in this instance, saying simply that he "was led by the Spirit," the Japanese emphasizes that this was not the case with the word 行った [itta, "went"] which in conjunction with the modification 御霊に導びかれて [seirei ni michibikarete, "being led by the Spirit"] implies grammatically that "being led by the Spirit" is the method of transportation, as it is written in the same exact way that you might say Nephi took a bus or a train to get where he was going.
From this we learn that in our own lives, most of the time we are led by the Spirit without even knowing it's happening. However, when we actively go about our lives trying to do good things and trying to listen to the Lord and be His servants, we are able to go and do by the Spirit, and we can be led to where we need to be in the moments we need to be there, and upon reflection we realize that the Spirit has been guiding us the whole time.
Monday, 17 April 2017
Lookin' At You America
Not gonna lie, I get extremely salty extremely easily when people spit nasty words at each other in the name of righteousness. I look around me and see so many good people, those who want to bring joy to others and continue to live up to the measure of light they've been given. Still, there are those who cross my path that seem to forget the verse I came across this week, 2 Nephi 31:20, which reads:
"Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
In my experience, many seem to focus on the first part of this verse, the part about pressing forward. I mean, it is the youth theme this year. However, to me, what's equally important, if not more, is what follows. Pressing forward in your own faith isn't enough. A "perfect brightness of hope" is required, as is having a "love of God and of all men." I feel like people forget that loving all men is the second great commandment under heaven sometimes. I constantly see people looking at others with distaste, and sometimes even verbally expressing that distaste, simply because they have differing beliefs. I'm not completely innocent of this, but I'm cognizant of that, and I'm working to be better, to be more Christlike in my dealings with people who believe differently from me.
Christ never treated others with disrespect and venom. He was always kind, always understanding, and though he didn't go around telling people that their sins were okay, he never condemned them. He offered a hand, offered a way to repentance, expressed what he knew to be true, and then let them decide what to do, whether that be changing or continuing down the path they were on.
I think that in order to truly be Christlike and to return to the Father, we must remember the principle of agency and the principle of unconditional love. People can choose what they do with their lives, and as a result, there will be those who choose to do things that we disagree with or consider sinful. We can express our views, offer our light, and extend a helping hand, but if they choose not to accept, that's okay. Everyone receives light at a different pace. If we try to force our beliefs on people, regardless of how true we know them to be, we are subscribing to Satan's plan. Love and understanding of people must come before we try to educate and bring them closer to God, else they push back harder and we lose them for even longer.
"Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
In my experience, many seem to focus on the first part of this verse, the part about pressing forward. I mean, it is the youth theme this year. However, to me, what's equally important, if not more, is what follows. Pressing forward in your own faith isn't enough. A "perfect brightness of hope" is required, as is having a "love of God and of all men." I feel like people forget that loving all men is the second great commandment under heaven sometimes. I constantly see people looking at others with distaste, and sometimes even verbally expressing that distaste, simply because they have differing beliefs. I'm not completely innocent of this, but I'm cognizant of that, and I'm working to be better, to be more Christlike in my dealings with people who believe differently from me.
Christ never treated others with disrespect and venom. He was always kind, always understanding, and though he didn't go around telling people that their sins were okay, he never condemned them. He offered a hand, offered a way to repentance, expressed what he knew to be true, and then let them decide what to do, whether that be changing or continuing down the path they were on.
I think that in order to truly be Christlike and to return to the Father, we must remember the principle of agency and the principle of unconditional love. People can choose what they do with their lives, and as a result, there will be those who choose to do things that we disagree with or consider sinful. We can express our views, offer our light, and extend a helping hand, but if they choose not to accept, that's okay. Everyone receives light at a different pace. If we try to force our beliefs on people, regardless of how true we know them to be, we are subscribing to Satan's plan. Love and understanding of people must come before we try to educate and bring them closer to God, else they push back harder and we lose them for even longer.
Monday, 10 April 2017
Hold Fast
I came across a scripture this week that was kind of vague, but nevertheless important to me. In Revelation 2:25 we read:
"But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."
It's short and kind of confusing at first, yes, but I felt impressed by it all the same. The context is Christ speaking about trials and enduring. In this particular verse, I feel He is reassuring us and giving us courage in our trials. He will come and relieve us, so we must hold fast and press on until he comes, and blessed be the day when He does.
I found this particularly striking because I have several friends who really struggle with depression and anxiety. It's difficult and many feel like just waking up is more than they can do. They can sink into very very low and dark places. This scripture, I feel, can be a salve to people in those situations. Yes, things are extremely difficult. Yes, it feels like the world is crashing down around us, but Christ will come. He will help us. He will carry us home. Just make it one more day, take it step by step, and hold fast until He comes.
"But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."
It's short and kind of confusing at first, yes, but I felt impressed by it all the same. The context is Christ speaking about trials and enduring. In this particular verse, I feel He is reassuring us and giving us courage in our trials. He will come and relieve us, so we must hold fast and press on until he comes, and blessed be the day when He does.
I found this particularly striking because I have several friends who really struggle with depression and anxiety. It's difficult and many feel like just waking up is more than they can do. They can sink into very very low and dark places. This scripture, I feel, can be a salve to people in those situations. Yes, things are extremely difficult. Yes, it feels like the world is crashing down around us, but Christ will come. He will help us. He will carry us home. Just make it one more day, take it step by step, and hold fast until He comes.
Monday, 3 April 2017
Royalty
My boyfriend recommended me a fascinating scripture this week: Hebrews 7:2
"To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;"
At first it seemed kind of meh, but upon closer inspection, it reveals an interesting and powerful truth: righteousness precedes peace, or peace is the fruit of righteousness. Oftentimes, we struggle to obey commandments or do the little things that come with being a disciple when we are feeling awful in any number of ways. We become preoccupied with figuring out how to feel less crappy that praying and reading scriptures become difficult. Nevertheless, as we learn from this scripture, it is during these times that we need these things the most. If we want peace in our lives, we must be righteous, and though righteousness doesn't mean we'll have completely stress-free lives with no problems, it does help us find a place in ourselves that allows us to cope and find peace.
"To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;"
At first it seemed kind of meh, but upon closer inspection, it reveals an interesting and powerful truth: righteousness precedes peace, or peace is the fruit of righteousness. Oftentimes, we struggle to obey commandments or do the little things that come with being a disciple when we are feeling awful in any number of ways. We become preoccupied with figuring out how to feel less crappy that praying and reading scriptures become difficult. Nevertheless, as we learn from this scripture, it is during these times that we need these things the most. If we want peace in our lives, we must be righteous, and though righteousness doesn't mean we'll have completely stress-free lives with no problems, it does help us find a place in ourselves that allows us to cope and find peace.
Monday, 27 March 2017
Go and Do
This week I wanted to take a look at a common, yet still very good and rich verse of scripture: 1 Nephi 3:7,
"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: 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."
It's scripture mastery, yes, I know, but I find it still very important to me. I think a lot of times we read this scripture and think, "Oh this is about the big huge mountains we have to climb and whatnot" but I think it's important to remember that it also applies to the little things. We all get bogged down with little day-to-day responsibilities and sometimes that stress can feel insurmountable, and we feel dumb or silly because we should be able to accomplish these things easily, but we aren't, and it's hard. Yet, this scripture teaches us that we don't have to do all these things alone. We can consult Him and ask for His help even in the little things, because He has prepared a way for us to accomplish them. He knows we can do it, but He also knows we may not be able to without His help, and most of the time, these things aren't big and crazy like losing your job or getting cancer. Most of the time it's just trying to figure out how to finish an essay on time, or trying to find fall housing. These things aren't too small for the Lord to help us with. He is our Father and He will help us with all things that burden us, no matter how insignificant they may seem.
"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: 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."
It's scripture mastery, yes, I know, but I find it still very important to me. I think a lot of times we read this scripture and think, "Oh this is about the big huge mountains we have to climb and whatnot" but I think it's important to remember that it also applies to the little things. We all get bogged down with little day-to-day responsibilities and sometimes that stress can feel insurmountable, and we feel dumb or silly because we should be able to accomplish these things easily, but we aren't, and it's hard. Yet, this scripture teaches us that we don't have to do all these things alone. We can consult Him and ask for His help even in the little things, because He has prepared a way for us to accomplish them. He knows we can do it, but He also knows we may not be able to without His help, and most of the time, these things aren't big and crazy like losing your job or getting cancer. Most of the time it's just trying to figure out how to finish an essay on time, or trying to find fall housing. These things aren't too small for the Lord to help us with. He is our Father and He will help us with all things that burden us, no matter how insignificant they may seem.
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