2 Nephi 7-8

(July 28, 2014)

                As I read these chapters, for some reason my mind fixed on the thought of turning to Abraham and Sarah.  I thought about the sheer lifetimes of effort and work required to get me to the point where I was in my progression.  I thought of those who struggled that I knew of – my grandfather, who converted to the Gospel and worked to provide opportunities for my Father.  My Great-Grandfather, who was the first member of the Church in my family.  My Father, who struggled over the course of a lifetime to provide for me.  My Mother, who sacrificed everything she had or could have had so that I would have the best chance at success in life.

                I then thought of those I didn’t know who did likewise.  The ancestors who survived on meager food, so as to scratch out an existence and have a family.  The centuries of progress, backwards in time, culminating in who and what I was.  It was simply awe-inspiring to realize the untold millions of sacrifices required to make of me what I was today.  I felt overwhelmed by a sense of my own ingratitude for my failures to live up to those who had come before me.

                I also turned my mind forward.  Was I living in a way that I was passing on these blessings to my children, and their children?  Certainly there was more that I could and should do in that regard.