2 Nephi 1

(January 21, 2015)

                Awful chains is such an apt description of sin, as is the need to awake in order to break free of those chains.  I myself have struggled against my personal chains for decades – pulling futilely against them until the Lord saw fit to grant me relief.  And I can tell you that, pulling against them it is clear that they are chains.  This, to me, is another demonstration of Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling and the divine translation of this book – when I was in my 20s I didn’t understand the chains of sin.  It wasn’t until I was in my late-30s up until today that I began to understand the truth of what was written here.  Joseph couldn’t have written it – Lehi, though, could.

                Waking up is another key concept.  It wasn’t until I woke up that I began to recognize the depth of my entrapment and slavery.  It was so much more comfortable to remain asleep, but by waking up and experiencing those chains in their fullness I realized both their destructive capacity and my need for Divine assistance to escape.