Seeds of Rebellion | 1 Nephi 16:20-23

Reading daily brings a lot of peace and comfort as I read about the Atonement, but it also opens my eyes to areas where I am lacking or in need of improvement.

Affliction can lead to humility before the Lord or it can lead to being negative. Negativity manifests itself as a small murmur which, left unchecked, leads to complaining against the Lord then on to rebellion.

Murmuring → Complaining → Rebellion

Why does this progression happen? It ultimately falls within the pride cycle, but I believe that it boils down to the state of the heart. The natural man's defense against pain and heartache is to harden or close off the heart by keeping those negative emotions locked within. As those negative emotions build, they are released through murmuring and complaining which leads to further hardening of the heart.

Murmuring → Hardened Heart → Complaining → More Hardened Heart → Rebellion

Open rebellion does not just happen spontaneously, it requires a hardened heart and begins as a quiet murmur. It applies to all aspects of life whether it be family, church, school or work. Murmuring is like cancer. It may not seem bad in the beginning stages but it grows to all-out rebellion—whether it be against family members, church leaders, bosses or God.

Allowing these negative feelings to run wild even if those receiving them are well deserving, will lead to hardening of the heart against the Lord and His Spirit. This progression can only be broken like the pride cycle through humility before God—not submissiveness to the situation but to God and His will.

I love Nephi's example of positive behavior in the face of adversity. Nephi was suffering from affliction as much as the others, yet he chose not to murmur. He chose to be positive about the situation. He chose to do something about his situation. He had no experience building bows and arrows—he was use to finely-crafted ones that were made out of steel, but he worked hard, did his best, inquired of the Lord, and the Lord did the rest.

I can take the easy way out by sitting back and complaining about my circumstances or I can do as Nephi did, strive to make things better by working hard to resolve the situation and by going to the Lord for help. He will help me even if it means giving me power to bear my burdens.

It's a choice to be negative or positive. Choose to BE POSITIVE no matter what the circumstances. Negativity can be habit-forming—the knee-jerk reaction to any bad situation. I struggle with breaking this mold. But, I know that as I turn to the Savior and trust in Him that I can find the confidence to change.