Tipping the Scales

Every time I read 2 Nephi chapter 2, I'm surprised by how much is jammed into one chapter! But what stood out to me the most this time around, was the importance of Man.

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion . . over all the earth . . ." (Genesis 1:26)

In the Genesis creation accounts, God is able to speak things into creation, and land and time and animals are formed as He will. But, when it comes to mankind, God is particular about how He goes about it. Instead of commanding them into existence, He goes down and creates them after His own image. Man kind is no beast or accident of evolution, as some creation stories my say - we are the center piece to all that was formed for this earth.

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so . . . righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness. . .Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation." (2 Nephi 2:11-12)

Lehi understood the purpose of the fall of man better than most people do today. Life is a giant scale - on one side sits our trials, and the other sits our blessings. We can only receive the blessings after the trial of our faith, but when we chose to face our trial the Lord's way, there will be an equal and opposite reward. That being said - image if Adam and Eve had stayed in Eden. Never knowing right from wrong, trial nor blessing. Their scale would forever remain balanced - but it would forever be empty.
God did not create us to sit around with empty scales for all of eternity. We are here on this earth for the purpose of trying to better ourselves, and that can only be done through trial, error, and continual faith. If we continually chose to turn to Christ in our times of fear and pain and heartache, He will be there to help us time and time again. His atonement has already tipped the scales in our favor.

New Year, New Wave

During the crazy start of the semester, it is very easy to get caught up in what is right in front of you, and you forget to look at the world around you. More importantly, it is easy to forget the blessings that are all around you. I feel like I have been floating around for the past year, not really accomplishing anything besides what was required - school, work, church attendance. Taking things as they come can be a good way to not get stressed, but it is a good way to stop progressing, too.

Faith is not a stagnant idea. Faith is built upon action, and not just letting things happen to you. Make things happen. I felt really impressed the past week with Nephi's actions to retrieve the plates, as well as his actions in receiving Lehi's dream.

"And I was lead by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth. . . " (1 Nephi 4:6-7)

 Nephi was active while seeking the plates. His eldest brothers felt it only necessary to give their bare minimum effort. They were told to get the plates, so the asked once, and when it went . . . badly, they gave up and headed home. And when the angel told them to go back to Jerusalem, they begrudgingly went to the wall of the city and stopped there.

Nephi, on the other hand, would not take no for an answer. He knew his father and the Lord required much more from him than a "we tried." He tried until his ideas were spent, and then he willing to let the Lord take over. Likewise, when confronted with questions and concerns about Lehi's vision, Nephi took action.

"For it come to pass after I had desire to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught way in the Spirit of the Lord. . . " (1 Nephi 11:1)

 His brother chose to act as victims, complaining that is was too hard for them to understand and left it at that. But, Nephi chose to act instead of being acted upon. He turned to the Lord for the answers and was blessed greatly for it.

As this crazy new semester begins, I need to work hard to remind myself not to be acted upon. I could easily get swept under the tide and fight to keep my head up as wave after wave of challenges come in each week. But I don't have to do that. I can't let that happen. Because when we chose to let stress guild our lives, we have no room for the Spirit to guild us. When I am so focused on secular work, my spiritual growth is the first thing to be thrown out. God is all around us all the time. We just need to take a moment to let Him in.