51 (1-29-24) Frankly Forgive & Mists of Darkness

 51 (1-29-24)

Another week is already here. Time keeps flying by. I hope you have all had a good week and are preparing for an even better one to come.

In my Come Follow Me study this week something stood out to me more clearly than ever before. It is crazy to me that no matter how many times we have read the Book of Mormon, and no matter how well we can recall the stories, especially those of Lehi and his family, there is something new and inspiring for us every time. 

As the Spirit teaches Nephi the meaning of the symbols in his vision, Nephi not only shares with us his understanding of the interpretation, but writes for us as a warning of what to look out for and how to apply these teachings in our lives.

Who among us can not relate to the “mists of darkness” in our own personal journey? I know they are all too familiar to me personally. The temptation to be short and impatient, selfish and proud, these are daily obstacles of dark fog that can suddenly appear out of no where in my day to day. These weakness of mine have allowed me to develop my own strong and deep testimony of the power of the scriptures as I try my best to cling to them. I have found that if I let the mist linger, the fog of darkness grows more dense. So when Nephi describes it as blinding of the eyes, and hardening of the heart, I understand perfectly this tactic of the adversary. 

As a real life application, mama and I have tried to teach each of you, and for sure ourselves as a couple, not to go to bed angry. To frankly and quickly forgive. Carrying on in the fog of anger, resentment, frustration, and pride are exactly what Nephi is describing. Develop and strengthen your own strong testimony of how prayer and scripture study drive your mists of darkness out of your lives. While reading the scriptures doesn’t prevent these patches of darkness form occurring along our path, it most surely sees us through to the happiness that can be found on the other side, and I might add, much more quickly. 

(1 Nephi 12:17  “And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.”)

The thought that stood out to me more clearly this week was found a chapter later in this scripture where Nephi is describing the plain and precious truths taken from the Bible. Not only truths, but “many covenants”. 

“And after they (the Bible) go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of that great and abominable church, which is most abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have they taken away.

27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.” 1 Nephi 13:26.

The correlation between not having covenants (or in our case, not keeping covenants) and the blinding of our eyes and the hardening of our hearts, because of the temptations we all face, is exactly the process of every wandering soul. 

The keeping of covenants clears our vision forward. Allowing us to see through the fog of temptation, and to see things spiritually as they really are and are meant to be. Clear vision to “see and think Celestially”. 

So the invitation this week is to clear our vision. To develop and strengthen our own strong testimony of how prayer and scripture study drive out the “mists of darkness” in our lives. Recommit to “cling” to the rod as we study our scriptures. Not because we think it is a good thing to do, or because we have been asked to, but rather that we have each come to know that we NEED this power to avoid the blinding and numbing distractions of the world. 

I love the scriptures. I know without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. My testimony of it grows everyday. Let us treat this book as the treasure it really is!

Love,

Dad