Mrs. Nephi

Because I am using my blog as a journal, I thought I should include some of the thoughts that I have as our family is reading the Book of Mormon together. That is a warning to all of you reading--this is going to be a post about the Book of Mormon, so feel free to stop reading now. I won't be offended.

My kids have been really good about reminding us to read the scriptures before they go to bed. We have even read on Fridays and Saturdays, which never happened before. Damon stumbles his way through a verse or two (he is actually doing quite well, and only needs a little help), and Allie tries to participate, too. Damon was reading a verse the other night and said, "And it came to pass that the Lord said..." He paused while he tried to decipher the next word. Allie, who knew what the chapter was about, leaned over and whispered to Damon, "to build a ship." I chuckled a little at that.

My insight comes from 1 Nephi 16 and 17. After Ishmael died, Laman and Lemuel (as well as some of the others) began to complain again about their afflictions in the wilderness. They mention specifically the fact that their wives have had to bear children in the wilderness, and go as far as to say that it would have been better if they had died at Jerusalem than to suffer all that they had (17:20). I get the feeling that their wives were probably big complainers, too, and heaven knows there is a lot to complain about during pregnancy.

The interesting thing is Nephi's take on the same situation. Instead of focusing on the negative, and how hard it must have been for the women, he focuses on the blessings of the Lord. In 17:2, he tells how the Lord blessed the women to provide nourishment for their babies and to be strong like the men, even though they were living on raw meat. He also says that they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings. There are two interesting things to learn from this: 1. Nephi's wife was an amazing woman. She had to have been. Nephi says in 16:8, just after talking about marrying one of Ishmael's daughters, that he "had been blessed of the Lord exceedingly." He got a good one; one that didn't murmur and complain while she was trudging through the wilderness pregnant and miserablem, but was strong like her husband. I love this woman that we know very little about.
2. Nephi (and probably his wonderful wife) were able to see the Lord's blessings even in their trials, while Laman and Lemuel (and probably their wives, too), were only able to see their suffering. I was really struck by this, and wondered how often I get caught up in how hard things are or how much I am asked to suffer. I want to be more like Nephi (and his unnamed wife) and to see the blessings the Lord is always pouring out on us, even when things seem so hard.

Okay, that's all for now.