I have been meaning to find a quiet moment to sit down and document the spiritual enlightenment that I felt while reading 3 Nephi chapter 3.
...A bit of back-story... We are 8 months into the Covid 19 lockdowns. It has been rough. The kids have not been in school or sports for 8 months and counting. Distance learning and having the kids locked at home with very little social outlet has been challenging. We also just attended our first church meeting in 8 months last Sunday. Half the ward, socially distanced, with masks, no talking or touching or singing. Our country is also in a time of great racial divide, especially in democratic states. This division has resulted in rioting and looting, destroying of public property, and very strong and loud voices demanding attention on social media and news outlets. Additionally, California has spend nearly all summer on fire for the past several years. Just this summer, millions of acres have burned. Millions. Air quality is poor most of the late summer months, preventing people from going outside. Evacuations, and property loss or damage are all very real concerns here in California. Lastly, this is an election year. Political division is at an all-time high. Just as with the racial division, both sides are hateful against the other. Word travels almost instantly with live video and social media stirring up rage and hate due to the poor actions of the minority on both sides. We live in a state of fear over the upcoming Presidential elections. Fear of what will happen and how our country will change if Biden wins, and fear of backlash and rioting if Trump wins, especially in California.
All of this is to say that the world is truly in commotion, as prophesied. I have often wondered what I can do to protect my family from all the challenges around us at this time.
The Nephites in 3 Nephi Chapter 3 were experiencing very similar circumstances. They were in a state of war. Struggles for power and status lead many to follow the pride of their hearts at the expense of the greater good... not only to do wickedly but to feel justified in their wickedness. There was great division and dessention among the people. Families had to leave their homes, their jobs, their comforts and their stability to prepare a safe place for themselves to face the impending war against the Gadianton Robbers.
As I read through this chapter I was impressed to see the many preparations that the Nephites made to be successful through these great challenges. In studying their preparations, I see that they were not only preparing temporally but also spiritually.
Some of their temporal preparations included leaving their homes and gathering together as one united group. They fortified the borders of their gathering place. They stored food and supplies. They made preparations and weapons for war. They organized their armies and created strategies and plans for attack.
Their spiritual preparations included listening to and following their Prophet. Repenting and prayer. They chose righteous men to be their leaders and to lead their armies - men with the spirit of revelation and prophesy. They prayed to be delivered. They did "exhert themselves in all their might" to do what was right.
Going back to their temporal preparations... One of the preparations they made was to strategize their plan of attack. It was their desire to leave and fall upon the Gadianton Robbers on their lands. Perhaps they made this plan because others had been successful with those strategies in the past (Moroni). Perhaps they knew that war was very destructive and they desired to keep the destruction our of their lands... Whatever the reason, this was their plan. BUT, before carrying out this plan, they prayed. They also asked their Prophet to pray and ask if this was right. And guess what... it wasn't. The Lord revealed to Lachoneus that if they should do this, they would be destroyed by the Gadianton Robbers. They had made every temporal preparation necessary, and had prepared themselves spiritually to receive guidance and the answer wasn't what they had expected. So with this new revelation known, what did the Nephites do? They chose faith. The Nephites humbled themselves and changed course, choosing the Lord's plan over their own. And because they made this choice- a choice that they made without having all the answers, a choice that was different from what others had done, a choice that was different that what they would have chosen themselves - they were protected.
Can you imagine how terrible it would have been for them if they hadn't asked the Lord for direction? They would have left their homes, their jobs and all that they knew to live in a make-shift shelter, spending months preparing rations and storages of food and supplies. They would have labored to make weapons and protections for war and sent their loved ones off to battle only to be destroyed. All of their efforts would have lead them to a devastating dead end of destruction. Not because their temporal efforts were not enough. Not because they did not make tremendous sacrifices. But because they would have deprived themselves of receiving divine guidance from an all knowing, loving Heavenly Father who knew which path would lead them to safety.
As I reflect on this chapter, I also ponder what direction I can go and what preparations I need to make to keep my family safe during these challenging times. I know that with every temporal preparation made, I also need to prepare myself spiritually to #HearHim (my Heavenly Father). To listen intently and then be willing to act when promptings come. I can do this just as the Nephites did - by daily repentance. Meaningful prayer. Following the Prophet. Choosing righteous people to lead and guide me in my life. By "exherting myself in all my might" to do what is right. Just as the Nephites, I may find that the right path for me is different from what is right from someone else. I may find that what worked for someone else doesn't work for me. I may find that the right path is not the most convenient. But I know that if I am doing all that I can to temporally AND spiritually prepare myself, the path will... eventually... be made clear.
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