Here's my one thing for the day: How to Believe Anything
In 1 Nephi 2, Lehi and his family have stopped in a valley, where there is river that empties into the Red Sea. He names the river Laman and the valley Lemual, because he basically want to tell his sons that if they stop being bone-heads they could be strong in the gospel. He doesn't name anything after Sam or Nephi... i don't know or can even think of implications of that... just thought it was interesting.
Anyways, Nephi mentions that this brothers don't believe because they "knew not the dealings of that God who had created them." Nephi on the other had wanted to know truth and then "did cry unto the Lord." The Lord visits him (whether it was just the Spirit or an actual visitation, I'm not sure), and " "did soften [his] heart that [he] did believe all the words which had been spoken."
I've been thinking about this and how it relates to me. A couple of weeks ago, our stake president said in stake conference that we should never sit when we pray. We should always stand or kneel. I immediately began being critical of what he said. What about praying at meal times? Mom and I prayed in the car when it was snowing that we would be safe...? Is that appropriate? What about this? What about that?
Considering this story about Nephi vs. Laman and Lemual, Let's play the game:
WHO IS JON MORE LIKE? LAMEN AND LEMUEL or NEPHI AND SAM?!
Of course, immediate cynicism sounds more like i'm playing on team L&L. I thought, "How can I switch teams? because I'd rather not be a bone-head". And I thought that I can ask Heavenly Father if what President Peters said is true or not. And how I can take that general principle and apply it in my life?
I have yet a chance to do that... but I still don't know if what President Peters said will hold 100% of the time... but I need to think about teachings of leaders, ponder them in my heart, and then ask in faith for the Lord to soften my heart, believe and apply principles in my life.
That I think I can do.
