1 Nephi 5:1, 7-9
1 And it came to pass that after we had come down into the wilderness unto our father, behold, he was filled with joy, and also my mother, Sariah, was exceedingly glad, for she truly had mourned because of us.
7 And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted.
8 And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak.
9 And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel.
As a mother, I can certainly relate with Sariah’s anxious state as she waited for her sons to return from their mission of obtaining the Brass Plates. She had faith and followed her husband into the wilderness, and that faith was tested as she sent her sons back to Jerusalem to obtain the records. We can see that she was fearful for her sons because she had ‘mourned because of us’, and then her faith was buoyed up when they returned.
How often do we find ourselves faithfully answering a call and then falling prey to fear as we serve? I can think of many, almost daily, examples of this in my own life. As my husband and I work to build our own businesses there are many trials of our faith in everything that we do, and many opportunities for us to become fearful in the sight of our faith. It is always a comfort to read this scripture and know with surety that the Lord will provide the power for us all to accomplish the thing which He hath commanded.
Elder Hales gave a fantastic talk in the April 1990 general conference about returning with honor:
As a young man, I had an opportunity to serve in the U.S. Air Force as a jet-fighter pilot. Each unit in our squadron had a motto that would inspire its efforts. Our unit motto—displayed on the side of our aircraft—was “Return with Honor.” This motto was a constant reminder to us of our determination to return to our home base with honor only after having expended all of our efforts to successfully complete every aspect of our mission.
How can we return with honor to the presence of our Father? Just as the pilots in Elder Hales examples must obey certain rules to avoid disaster, there are laws, ordinances and covenants that we must obey to reach our goal of eternal life; which is the greatest gift of all.
1 Nephi 7:13
13 And if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the land of promise; and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the destruction of Jerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem must be fulfilled.
Wife to Eric. Mom to Quinn. And Twins Avery & Rhys. I believe that I am a child of God. Who loves me & I love him. I believe in date nights to the Temple. To the movies. Out to dinner and especially long hikes.
Wednesday’s are my fave day of the week because, ‘it’s Wednesday David’. Red is simply the best color. And black takes a close second.