As a student of Brigham Young University and as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”), I get the opportunity to study the Book of Mormon. This is book holds a great deal of information and truth for those who seek it. The first prophet who writes in the Book of Mormon is named Nephi. His father is named Lehi. Lehi was also a prophet from the city of Jerusalem. Lehi and his family have left the city to avoid the destruction foretold by God. When they are traversing through the wild, Lehi has a dream. He tells his family and sons about it, and Nephi is so intrigued that he wants to see the same dream. He acts. First, he wanted to know everything behind the dream. Then, he truly believed that God would tell him what he wanted to know. He then sat and pondered. And in 1 Nephi 11:1 it says: “…as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I had never before seen, and upon which I had never set foot.” He is then shown everything that Lehi had seen, and he is even given an explanation of the symbols being used in the vision.
Prayer is our way of communicating with God.
You will not always have an experience that is like that. In fact, I have never had a vision. Personally, I think that visions are a very special form of communication from God, and the need has not been enough for a vision to be necessary for me. But as a prophet and a writer in the Book of Mormon, Nephi was shown those things because he needed to know, but for the benefit of the millions who have read, and will read the Book of Mormon. It has illustrated truths for me and I know that if you read it for yourself, you will find the truth as well.
In 1 Nephi 11:16 reads: “And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?” It’s a question that anyone of us can ask ourselves. Christ was born in a stable. That is not a nice place for birth by most peoples’ standards. So why should someone so important be born in that lowly place? As Christ continues to go through his life, He is perfect in every way. He lives a life of humility and serves everyone. When Jesus suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, He felt the pains and sorrows of every person to ever live. He was in the deepest pit. He was at the worst low that anyone has ever been at. He was perfect and never had any reason to feel those pains, but He did it for us. Jesus Christ can help us through anything. He knows everything that you feel. He knows what it feels like to be treated like dirt, and He also knows how to overcome it all. He did rise up and beat all His opposition. He pulled through, and now He only has the desire to help us through as well.
Sometimes I think that Jesus Christ is reaching down to pull me up through life, but then I remember that Christ has suffered through it all. I realize that He is below me, pushing me up and making sure that I don’t get left behind. We can always tell Christ to leave us alone, but He is always waiting right next to us to help us when we ask for it again. I know that His one desire is for everyone to return to be with God. We only need to ask for Christ’s help, and He will take our burdens of sorrow, guilt, and pain away. He will carry us if He has to. Through Christ, we have the chance to return to God.
By Demetri S.
Demetri is a student at BYU who is currently undecided on his course of study. He is from Palo Alto, CA. He enjoys drawing, playing the violin, soccer, and mountain biking.
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