My Book of Mormon Hero

I love Nephi. It's not that I haven't studied the other prophets in the Book of Mormon, it's that Nephi is still my favorite! I even like 2 Nephi. :)

A talk in Church yesterday mentioned some of my favorite qualities about him. He delighted in the scriptures. He frankly forgave those who had wronged him. He was obedient to all the of the commandments, yet still unfailingly humble. I think of the story of the broken bow. Everyone in the family, including Lehi, had starting murmuring about the lack of food. Nephi got to work and made a new bow. Before leaving, he asked his father, the prophet, where he should go for food. Nephi probably could have done it on his own, but he made sure to respect his father by asking him for direction first. He made no assumption that he could do the task on his own, even though he probably could have. He put his trust in the Lord.

The speaker mentioned that it is through our obedience that we gain the capacity to deal with our challenges. It was through Nephi's obedience that his life was spared so many times. He easily could have been killed by his brothers on several occasions, but the Lord protected him each time. It didn't save Nephi from all suffering, but he continued faithful to the commandments of God, giving thanks each time his life was miraculously spared.

I've never been threatened with death, almost drowned in a huge storm, or been forced to run away from home so my brothers wouldn't kill me. I've never seen an angel, written down the record of my nation, or been a prophet. Nephi's example is very inspiring to me. No matter what I go through, there's no excuse to give up and say that it's too hard!