For My Profit and Learning

In describing the downfall of Jerusalem, Isaiah draws a parallel between life-giving bread, and sound spiritual leadership.  " For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem, and from Judah, the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread, and the whole stay of water— The   mighty   man, and the man of   war, the judge, and the prophet, and the   prudent, and the ancient;  The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.  And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them" (2 Nephi 13:1-4). I have always misread this passage of scripture to imagine proud and the haughty leaders being humbled and replaced by leaders with the purity and innocence of children. But Isaiah is praising, not denigrating, the "cunning artificer" and "eloquent orator", and he is referencing the ignorance and self-interest, not the wholesomeness, of

One of my favorite things about living in Taiwan has been trail running. Just outside the city, about 20 minutes from my house, is a beautiful national park with more trails than I could ever hope to cover. When the running trail is dotted with waterfalls, lush greenery, sprawling grasslands, and interesting wildlife it is easy to forget the discomfort of running and get lost in the experience. Going running alone can be  therapeutic as I meditate and appreciate God's beauty.  Yesterday, however, I was joined on my run by  a new friend, and as I came home from my run feeling even more energized and refueled than usual, I realized it was because of the companionship I enjoyed on the trail. Connecting with a friend, enjoyed a shared interest, talking about challenges of parenting, and processing events of the week left me even more replenished than the prayerful contemplation that I usually get while running. I realized that yesterday was not a unique experience; while I enjoy m

When I read stories in the scriptures about heavenly manifestations, miracles, and visitations from Christ and angels, it is easy for me to imagine that there is something special or different about the people who received those visitations. Clearly there must have been something unique about their circumstances; they must have had inside knowledge, privileged  access, or some special conduit to God not available to the rest of us. But in reality, we all have access to the same mechanisms for knowing God and learning his Gospel as the prophet heroes and heroines of the scriptures.  This truth is most profound when I think about how Christ came to realize and carry out his own earthly mission. He had enough certainty to make the ultimate atoning sacrifice based on nothing more than faith. His confidence was derived from scripture study, prayer, fasting, and instruction from the Holy Ghost. I don't see evidence in the New Testament that  Christ had special access to God, he pe

The knowledge that we are free to choose our actions "cheers our hearts" because it is empowering and gives us ownership of our lives and destinies.  As Jacob teaches,  "cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved" (2 Nephi 10:23-24). The other aspect of this verse that is encouraging is that salvation is not entirely up to me, "that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved." We can both choose the life that we want AND count on divine help to achieve it.   The Bible Dictionary explains that "It is through the  grace  of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and

God has given us the ability to choose whatever we want. In life we exchange our time and energy and resources for the things that are most valuable to us. When we die, this self-determination continues, and we choose how and with whom we want to spend eternity. God's judgement is not about tallying the good and evil things we have done, but a self-assessment of the person we have become. Jacob teaches we will have a perfect knowledge of ourselves: "Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness" (2 Nephi 9:14). This knowledge of who have have become will not only determine where we will choose to spend the afterlife, it is the reward (or punishment) we will receive.  "Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart, for a knowledge of their iniquities shall sm

Jacob uses the words of Isaiah to remind us to remember the power of God, celebrate the eventual victory of good over evil, overcome fear of man, and abandon sin.  Isaiah uses a number of terms to address us as readers: "ye that follow after righteousness, "ye that know righteousness," "my people," "my nation," "the people in whose heart I have written my law," "arm of the Lord," "Jerusalem," "thou afflicted, and drunken, and not with wine," and "Zion." Each seems to reflect a different facet or our nature and role as followers of Christ, and encodes some implicit instructions The People in Whose Heart I Have Written My Law  I love the progression of the terms used by Isaiah from those who "follow after" righteousness, to those who "know" righteousness, to those "in whose heart I have written my law." I interpret this to mean those who are striving and attempting

Jacob quotes a warning of Isaiah to avoid idolatry and trust in God instead of our own strength. " Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow" (2 Nephi 7:11, Isaiah 50:11)  A similar caution was revealed through Joseph Smith in the Doctrine and Covenants in describing human weaknesses and failings:  " They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall" (D&C 1:16). We "kindle fire" and "walk after our own way" when we disregard the teachings of God and rely on our own opinions and thinking. Fire and sparks are an appropriate metap

Nephi's brother Jacob recounts history and the words of Isaiah in his role as a spiritual leader of the people. Jacob's introduction offers a useful model to asses how conscientious I am in serving others: He says  "... I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world" (2 Nephi 3). Do I hope for the well-being of others? Am I consistently and urgently concerned about those around me? Do  I invite others to make good choices/repent? Do I regularly and sincerely share the scriptures and my testimony?  While I may care about people in an abstract way, and do not actively harm others, rarely do I exhibit the kind of love that Jacob describes. I get distracted by my own wants and selfish pu

After Lehi's death, Nephi is warned to separate himself and and his people from Laman and Lemuel, who plotted to kill him. They said, "let us slay him, that we may not be afflicted more because of his words" (2 Nephi 5:3).  Laman and Lemuel's extreme response to Nephi's teachings and chastisement reminds me of the psychological principle of cognitive dissonance.  We hold many thoughts about the world and ourselves. When they clash, a discrepancy arises, resulting in a state of tension. Since the experience of dissonance is unpleasant, we are motivated to reduce or eliminate it, which can give rise to irrational and sometimes maladaptive behavior ( McLeod ). Laman and Lemuel felt conflict between their actions and the teachings of Nephi. The feelings of dissonance were so acute, they were willing to murder their brother to find reprieve.  Many of the self-defeating decisions that I have made in my life have stemmed from my unwise attempts to reduce disson