Day 8

This one is a little out of order but needed to sort out my thoughts on it. This one has to do with Laman and Lemuel after the three days in the wilderness, this is where we first meet them. Laman and Lemuel are murmuring. On the surface I can understand murmuring, I mean packing up "family, provisions and tents"and leaving into the wilderness because the great city of Jerusalem would be destroyed. That had to be rough, camping is rough and even more so when you don't know when it is going to end. Their murmuring included leaving their "gold and their silver, and their precious things" and I would have to think about what that might mean for us today. But it went deeper than that, Nephi described them as being like the "Jews at Jerusalem who sought to take away [Lehi's life]" and that they didn't know "the dealings of that God who had created them", in fact it was so deep that their father had to speak to them "with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him".  This thing, this murmuring, has me thinking about me and my state, we have acquired so many precious things.

I was raised with few precious things, or at least by my standard of living today. I grew up in the desert, the Mojave Desert to be exact. We lived initially in a one room cabin, if you can imagine that (most people can't) and then in a single-wide mobile home. There were 10 of us kids at home during that time so it was close quarters. Resources were tight and I am sure some might even describe it as a group traveling through the wilderness, and I guess if do the math, I was there a little over 8 years. But I remember as a young man hearing my mother speak of receiving a blessing that we lived there with the purpose that several of her children needed that experience. I guess I was like Nephi in some small way because I believed "in the words which had been spoken to my [Mother]". In fact I remember hearing my Mother speak words often, the words of being lead by the spirit, and yea, I did believe them. As I consider the few precious things they seem insignificant, and as the scriptures say, 'moth doth corrupt' and if they haven't had a go at them the searing desert sun has probably taken a fair shot at them.

I often feel like Laman and Lemuel, or at least a sense of wandering and I forget "the dealings of God" in my life. It is subtle and slow and so very imperceptible. It can turn into rebellion, and Nephi uses that term and progression, through revelation, he describes it as murmuring, but then the Lord says "in that day that they shall rebel against me", our murmuring can do the same, it can turn into rebellion. I think humility keeps a heart soft and broken, it staves off the hardening and murmuring of the heart that then rebels. Nephi's heart was softened until he believed. The figurative heart is used in Proverbs 3:1, "but let thine heart keep my commandments". And I love this reference, I heard it yesterday as I was contemplating Laman and Lemuel's murmuring, because it drove home the point that Laman and Lemuel hearts were not soft, not humble. The Sacrament prayer for the blessing of the bread speaks of the body of Christ and we promise to keep the commandments. I have come to associate the Savior's mortal sacrifice, the sacrifice of the body, with that of physically keeping the commandments. He gave his life, his body through out his entire earthly ministry, he walked and preached and healed the sick and raised the dead, fasted to prepare himself. All physical activities. We keep his commandments by giving all we have. But in Proverbs the prophet teaches, "let thine heart keep my commandments." Wow. Laman and Lemuel's hearts weren't in it. Their hearts were on the precious things they left behind. In an ironic turn of events, their hearts weren't wandering, they were firmly planted on the things they left back home.

As I consider that I had few precious things, I can't consider it without feeling a great deal of gratitude. I have seen so often the setting of hearts on precious things and it brings me sorrow. We can find comfort and ease in those things, and when kept within the bounds established by the Lord through his prophets we can even find joy in the blessing of having those things. But how quickly we place them before everything else and our "heart keeps [not his] commandments" and forgets "the dealings of God" in our life. Few precious things are often seen as a curse, but "all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things."

Was the problem only the precious things or is that just a symptom of a heart hardening? It sure feels like a symptom, being grateful and humble and keeping the commandments doesn't keep us from precious things (in fact Jacob clarifies that pretty well), quite the opposite, but it keeps our hearts planted on the foundation of Christ, keeps our heart broken and soft and easily entreated. We feel with our hearts, the pains, the joys, the sorrows, and happiness of others, perhaps a soft heart leads us to know the Savior and without a soft heart we can't truly know him.

Well, I think I have a better idea of how this might apply to me, at least at this time in my life. It changes with time, but for now it is meaningful.

• Watch for murmuring, it is a sign of a hardening and wandering heart.
• Consider your precious things, what effort are you putting into them (percentage of income or time) in relation to the effort you put into the basics, pray, scriptures, family home evening. It might be a sign of a hardening heart, or a wandering one.