Just Like Nephi

Have you ever been reading your scriptures and come across a passage, a story, and you think... That is TOTALLY how I feel? This is why I love the scriptures. This is why scripture study is a commandment and so important. Lately, I am really gaining a stronger testimony of personal revelation through the scriptures. Sunday I was reading my scriptures at the beginning of sacrament meeting and the passage I turned to was where the Lord tells Nephi to build a ship (1 Nephi 17). As you remember the ship was to be built in a way that made no sense to Nephi. He did not understand why the Lord wanted it built that way, it was 'of curious workmanship... not after the manner of men'. Now... keep in mind that Nephi was good with his hands, he was a builder and even he did not understand. It made no sense to him why the Lord wanted it built that way. But he had complete faith and pressed forward and he "went into the mount oft to pray...". What happened? Well, when people saw him building it they mocked him, ridiculed him, told him he was a fool and pretty much told him that the Lord would not tell him to built it, especially not this way. Most of this mocking, persecuting, etc. came from his brothers. What did he do? He built it anyway. Could he explain it? NO. He couldn't explain it at all, ALL HE KNEW was that this is what the Lord told him to do and he was going to do it and nothing would stop him. That is amazing to me. Sometimes I think we go through things in life and no one else understands why we do what we do, or why made the decisions we made, and they think it isn't the right decision, but when the Lord tells you something, he is always right and it doesn't matter what anyone else says/thinks/does. What happened after Nephi finally finished and the ship was built? "...my brethren beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine; wherefore they did humble themselves again before the Lord...". That is HUGE. Anyway... this personal revelation I got on sunday really helped me, it was quite a turning point for me cause sometimes I think we feel like we always have to defend our decisions and sometimes we can't. There just aren't the words because we don't understand them ourselves. It's called Faith, and it's how the Lord helps us to come to him, how he blesses us and helps us progress and grow in him. In the words of an amazing song... "I was taught to believe and never to doubt, the man up above knows what he's talking about... For once in my life I obeyed his commands...". You just have to Look Up, Reach Out, and Hold On. (that's a great talk you should listen to).