1 Nephi 15

(July 14, 2015)

                It is somewhat of a pastime among Mormons to sit around and talk about how foolish Laman and Lemuel are (as if we wouldn’t be so foolish were we in their shoes).  In fact, I am guilty of this particular vice more often than I care to admit myself.

                But am I so really different from the pair of murmuring brothers as I’d like to think that I am?  After all, how often have I been guilty of the same thing that they do in this chapter?  Presented with a difficult situation, they claim that they haven’t put in the effort to inquire of the Lord because He hasn’t made it known to them.  But, of course, the Lord supports us in our efforts rather than enabling us in our lack of effort.

                That brings up another, equally risky trait.  While Laman and Lemuel did not seek the Lord because He didn’t make the truth known to them upfront, I sometimes like to think that the Lord makes truth known to me upfront as an excuse not to put forth the effort for myself.  I will get a feeling and ascribe that feeling to revelation, when it reality it is often nothing more than a feeling.

                I can know that because, just as Laman and Lemuel were incorrect to think that the Lord would give them without asking (short circuiting the process of their learning), the Lord likewise does not short circuit our process of learning by requiring us to do our part to learn and understand.  In the end, He will guide us to the truth and He continues to reveal that truth to us, but not in a cheap or costless way.