Human Weakness | 1 Nephi 19:6

I do not know for sure the source of Nephi's weakness in writing. I know writing for many, myself included, is difficult and takes time and effort. Moroni talked about the same weakness "thou hast not made us mighty in writing; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words." I suspect that it had something to do with their written language.

God gives "unto men weakness that they may be humble." He also takes weakness and the weak things of this world to show forth His great power and tender mercies. Joseph Smith is a prime example of this--he came from humble circumstances to become a prophet of God, full of power and authority. The Book of Mormon similarly came out of weakness with great power and strength. The Lord had a wise purpose for these writings and knew that they would be read by millions of people. The Lord made these writings powerful unto the very piercing of the heart and soul of man in spite of weakness.

How exactly did the Book of Mormon become a strength out of weakness? I do not know for sure, it could have been through the translation process that the Lord made up for its weaknesses. It could be strictly through the power of the Holy Ghost. However, I do know that it came about through the infinite Atonement of Christ. Just as the Atonement bridges the gap for sin and affliction, it makes up the difference for weakness. "My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." Nephi and Moroni's weaknesses were turned to strengths because of their humility and obedience and through the Atonement of Christ.

I am grateful for the power of the Atonement in my life. I know that He can make up the differences where I fall short and that the changes that come and make weak things strengths are not from me but come through the grace of Christ when I allow Him to work on me from within. I know that He shows forth His great and marvelous power in my life through small and simple tender mercies.

Ether 12 It Isn’t a Sin to Be Weak

Wise Purpose | 1 Nephi 19

Nephi is commanded to make the small plates of Nephi for a wise purpose in this chapter. He tells us his objective and purpose for creating these plates. These same principles drive all scripture. See if you can pick out some of those purposes. Here are some of the ones I found and how it relates to the everyday saint:

Scripture only contain sacred things and things of "great worth, both to the body and soul." The everyday saint will find peace and renewal of both body and spirit by daily feasting upon the word of God.

Only the obedient and humble will see its worth. The Lord will bless the everyday believer with great treasures of wisdom and knowledge as they go to Him in humble prayer, full of obedience.

They teach of the coming of Christ. The everyday saint will make Christ the center of their life by studying the scriptures daily. They will see Christ and His enlightenment and understanding coming into their life like "a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

They teach of Christ's attributes. "His loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men." The daily saint will bring great blessings into their life by studying, learning, practicing and emulating Christ's attributes.

It shows the faith of the fathers that came before as they endured bondage, trials and afflictions and it shows the multitude of tender mercies that they received. The everyday disciple who learns of the faith of their fathers and the Lord's tender mercies will find strength and comfort knowing that that same loving and tender God will have mercy on them thus their own eyes will be opened to the multitude of daily blessings poured out from heaven.

They teach of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ and the mercy He has given through the Atonement. "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:26) The everyday follower will look to Christ and the Atonement daily for the strength of body and spirit to overcome the follies of the world and to overcome pain and affliction.

It reveals prophecies and shows the signs of the times especially of the events leading up to the coming of Christ. The saint who studies these prophecies of old will be well-informed in their own time and the times to come. They will find direction in the uncertainties of life as the Lord reveals His will through the power of the Holy Ghost.

They show the visitations of Christ to His people. The saint of God will be visited by Christ in their times of need and they will hear His voice "unto their great joy and salvation."

It is a voice of prophetic warning to the house of Israel to those who have turned from the way. The Lord is ever waiting with arms outstretched, ready and willing to take the burden of those that heed His warnings. The daily disciple who reads, studies and follows the Lord's voice of warning will find their way in a world full of confusion and disarray.

It provides a message of tenderness and love to those who turn back to the God of Israel. A true follower of Christ will find that as they turn back to Christ daily that they will have peace as a river, continually flowing and righteousness as the waves of the sea, continuously moving and progressing toward eternal life. (Isaiah 48:18)

They teach of the Lord's covenants with His children and the renewal of those covenants with the everyday saint who turns their heart towards Him. They will find that they are eternally bound to that loving God who gave them life.

It is a tool for gathering those whose hearts are turned towards the Savior. "Yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in."  The pure in heart will recognize the Savior's words and come to Him daily to be "gathered as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings." (3 Nephi 10:4)

It will be a blessing for all mankind and it will bless the ends of the earth. "All the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord; every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed." The daily disciple will find that the scriptures will open their eyes to the saving power of a perfect Savior and to His multitude of tender mercies.

It was written to turn the hearts of men to the God of salvation. "That perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember [and that I might more fully persuade them to believe in] the Lord their Redeemer." A true follower will be persuaded to remember and believe in the Lord their Redeemer turning to Him every day with full purpose of heart and with faith.

They show the doings of the house of Israel—the Jews, the broken branches of Israel and the Gentiles. "He surely did show unto the prophets of old all things concerning them; and also he did show unto many concerning us; wherefore, it must needs be that we know concerning them for they are written upon the plates of brass." The daily seeker of truth who studies the history and follies of the Lord's people will be able to fortify themselves against repeating those same mistakes. They will learn from their history of what makes a people truly happy.

They are meant to be applied directly to the life of each that read their words. "I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning that ye may have hope." The wise will study the word of God daily seeking divine direction and applying its principles to their everyday lives.

Praise God in Affliction | 1 Nephi 18:16

Affliction and trials are the only way to grow and become purified and refined in this life. Cursing God for them accomplishes nothing, rather looking to Him and praising Him without complaint will bring down the blessings of heaven.

Just as the Atonement covers more than sin, so too does mercy cover more than sin. Christ took upon Himself the pain and suffering of all mankind, thus providing mercy from that pain and suffering. I believe that justice and mercy applies just as much in this situation.  Justice says, "You must triumph over the trials of this life by walking through the furnace of affliction in order to prove that you are fit for the kingdom of God." Whereas, Christ says, "I will lift you up and walk with you through your trials and afflictions and I will pour down my tender mercies upon you." Thus, the counterweight for trials and afflictions are God's tender mercies or blessings. Just as living up to the law of justice without mercy is impossible, so too is living up to the law of affliction without mercy is impossible.

Sometimes, I find myself too busy drowning in afflictions to be able to notice the plethora of tender mercies all around me. How can I praise God if I am not recognizing His hand in my life? The Israelites were symbolically told to look to Christ and live. Nephi says, "I did look unto my God." Both sin and affliction can be overcome by looking to God. Turning towards Christ opens the eyes towards the countless tender mercies that are ever before them. It also opens the mouth to call down additional blessings.

I have started a new Tender Mercies journal to help me recognize the Lord's hand in my life. Each night at bedtime, I try to think back over my day and pick out the tender mercies I have received that day. Sometimes they are huge and undeniable mercies given in answer to prayer, but most times for me, it is small and simple ways—almost imperceptible. The family can also benefit from this by making it a family tradition to discuss tender mercies at dinner or scripture time. Praises and gratitude can only come when actively seeing the Lord's hand.

Mothering

A speaker on Sunday spoke about mothering and how it comes before maternity. It is an instinct or built-in quality given to all women whether or not they have children. He used Mother Eve as an example of this.

This got me pondering about the Garden of Eden and the Fall. At times, I have wondered what if Adam and Eve chose not to fall—was it just left to chance that they would eventually fall? I have learned through my Book of Mormon studies that the Lord leaves nothing to chance. It became very clear to me that Eve and her mothering instinct was not just an instinct it was her very nature, it was at the core of who she really is. Her mothering allowed her to see the big picture and influenced her decisions, allowing her to choose to be a mother inspite of the pain and suffering that would come with it. Her name Eve, "the mother of all living" is more than just a title—it describes her perfectly.

I am grateful to mothers and their innate ability to nurture. I am grateful to Mother Eve and her example of motherhood. I am grateful to my mother for her strength and faith. I am grateful to my wife and her perseverance through trial and for her natural ability for empathy.

Knowledge from God | 1 Nephi 18:2, 9

Loss of Knowledge

Laman and Lemuel were just shocked by the Lord and recognized His power as supreme. They saw the workmanship of the Lord through Nephi and their own labors. They knew it was done through the power of God and were brought down in humility. Yet in a short amount of time, they lose that knowledge. It was not the first time; in 1 Nephi 3:31, the brothers were reprimanded by an angel, yet they continued to murmur and complain as soon as the angel left. These examples demonstrate two ways I can lose light and knowledge that was given to me through obedience and humility.

1. Murmuring and complaining
   See  Seeds of Rebellion.
   
2. Rudeness
   Laman and Lemuel are celebrating and make themselves merry which in and of its self is not bad, but its the way they are doing it with rudeness. They are celebrating their accomplishments—they just walked hundreds of miles through a barren wilderness, built a ship and are sailing to a new land. And, they are taking credit for the power of God. Rudeness comes from selfishness and is the opposite of gratitude and humility. It blinds one from seeing and recognizing the power of God and His tender mercies in their life because they become so focused on themselves and their own accomplishments. Rudeness is caused by a prideful self assurance with no regard for others including God.
   

Retention of Knowledge

In this instance, the scriptures are using the negative to emphasize the importance of this principle. However, I can turn it around and see the positive side or how I can retain the knowledge that the Lord has given me.

1. Take initiative and work hard without complaint with the Lord. Search diligently for His ways and turn to the Atonement for strength.
2. Act with a grateful heart and in humility by recognizing the workmanship of the Lord and relentlessly watching for His tender mercies.

The Sea of Life | 1 Nephi 18:8

Lehi's journey across the sea is very symbolic of this life just like their journey in the wilderness. I have created the following metaphor to illustrate the similarities between sailing on the open sea and this life's journey:

We set sail in the sea of life when we are born and our destination is the promised land or eternal life. We are equipped with the ability to steer our ship through our free will. We are lead with a compass or the Spirit of God and navigational charts, the word of God. The winds of affliction can move us to our ultimate goal and without them we would sit on a sea of glass making no progress. If we use the expert skills taught to us from a loving Heavenly Father, we can use the winds of afflictions and the compass to boldly navigate towards the promised land. The journey won't be easy and will require daily study of our charts. It will require great dedication as we tack back and forth across the sea sometimes only making small progress toward our destination. It will require great skill to navigate around dangers and obstacles. If we use the compass and charts and  persevere, we will make it to our destination. However, if we are not prepared for the winds of affliction or drive directly into them, it may overpower us and drive us back away from our destination to sorrow, bitterness, sin and regret.