CHARTING REACTIONS TO ADVERSITY

One of the study suggestions in this week's Come, Follow Me, was to draw a chart with columns representing what happened, how Nephi reacted to what happened, and how the others reacted to what happened.  Then look at the results.

I did that and - shocker - there were no surprises.*

Nephi's reaction to adversity was always to 

• go to the Lord in prayer
• listen to his father
• obey the commandments
• do what the Lord told him to do

The result was that, instead of complaining and placing blame on anyone, he studied out the problems and then, following God's instructions, set about to solve the problem and do the work. Brigham Young always said he prayed as if everything depends on God, then worked like everything depended on him.  Nephi was a lot like Brigham.

Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael's first response was always to 

• murmur and complain
• blame Nephi and Lehi
• plan to hurt/kill Nephi and their father; many times they did attack their brother physically  
• their favorite thing was to claim once again that Jerusalem wasn't destroyed (which by then it had already been destroyed and they refused to believe it) and threaten to return to Jerusalem

The result was that they were often chastised by the Lord and by Nephi when under the influence of the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes they would humble themselves, especially after the Lord chastised them, sent angels, broke ropes, and shocked them, so that things could then move forward.

Nephi accomplished so much, but I'm sure he often felt like he was walking into a strong wind, with the weight of all the family responsibility on his shoulders, and heavy weights around his ankles.  They wandered in the wilderness for eight years, partly because the group would become sinful such that the Liahona would not work.  I can't help but wonder how quickly they could have moved without such lapses in faith?  How much more could the family have accomplished if they had all worked together? 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What about my family? What about yours?  What role do we play in the family dynamic? Am I a Nephi or a Laman? Do I murmur, blame, and complain? Or do I l try to live worthy of the constant companionship of the Spirit so that I can identify the problem and take action to solve it and make things better for my family and not worse? 

With all of the amazing things happening in the Church as we prepare for the Second Coming, the Lord is expecting more than lukewarm attempts at obedience.  We need to straighten our shoulders, keep and eye on the Liahona, and move into the future.  Can we do it?  With God's help, you bet we can!

©January 2020, Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

*It took time and effort, but it was so worth it.  I highly recommend this exercise.