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.

Do in Faith

This week, I had a rather intense discussion with my friend Dylan about the Word of Wisdom and how he felt it is likely instituted because we as humans are weak and imperfect and incapable of a higher law, such as a more "moderation in all things" approach without any real specific guidelines. In response to this, when studying with Dallin, we found Romans 14:14, which reads:

"I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean."

This suggests to me that none of God's creations are inherently bad and "unclean." In moderation, most things are good for you. However, everyone's bodies are different. Everyone has different physical needs, and because of this, certain people shouldn't consume certain things. In application to Dylan's feelings on the subject, this verse and the rest of the chapter seem to say that we ought to know for ourselves what is good for us personally, but also as verse 21 says, "It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." We ought to be respectful of others and their life choices, and they to ours. Everyone is different, and that's okay. We don't all have to worship and edify the Lord through our bodies in the same way. Our personal relationship with the Lord is what really matters.

The Soul of Man

While working on my essay option this week, I came across a very interesting scripture, D&C 88:15, which reads,

"And the spirit and the body are the soul of man."

This is really interesting to me because it necessitates that for our souls to remain healthy and strong, both our bodies and our spirits must be in balance. Fragmentation of the soul, focusing on only one aspect of it, is detrimental to our well-being because we need both parts to become celestial. In light of this doctrine, it then makes sense that the commandments of God, which are designed to exalt us, should have both a physical and spiritual aspect to them that are inseparable from each other. By keeping this perspective on the commandments, it is much easier to understand them and understand why they have been instituted, which then gives us greater motivation to obey.

All Quiet

This week I came across 2 Nephi 24:4-11 which reads:

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased! The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepters of the rulers. He who smoke the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindered. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing."

I like this a lot, as it applies to our lives in multiple ways. I know lots of people feel unheard, unloved, oppressed by their situations and circumstances. This feeling is extremely scary and disheartening, and may even cause some to fear for their safety. These verses, I feel, can help us take a moment and remember that though hope may sleep, it will never die, for the Lord has promised us peace in the second coming. 

While that larger perspective is true, so too is a narrower one. Sometimes we may feel very stressed out by daily occurrences. We may feel beaten down and trapped by the craziness of life quite often actually. However, we learn in these verses that the Lord will cause our oppressors to cease and we will have peace. I feel that this equally applies to stress, and if we keep that in mind and ask the Lord for help, we will be able to feel peace.