16 Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions.
Once again Nephi shows he is the bigger man. He is focused on
the goal of getting to the Promised Land, and he won’t let some minor setback
get in his way. We may consider this to not be minor, him getting bound and
rejected by his brethren. However, in the eternal perspective, nearly every
tragedy in our lives is of little consequence. What matters infinitely more is
our response to trial and tragedy. And Nephi is a great example of not letting his
trials get in the way of his eternal reward, as well as getting to the Promised
Land. We can’t always control our circumstances, but we can always control our response. That was
something my brother, Nolan, taught me way back when I was about 8 or 9 years
old, I think. I was pretty young, but it made a huge impact on me. So it
doesn’t matter what our temptation or test is, it only matters that we pass it.
Everyone is different, and everyone has different weaknesses. What is a huge
temptation to me may not even register as a temptation to someone else. And yet
that same person may be brought down by something that wouldn’t faze me at all.
When looked at in those terms, there is no such thing as a “minor” temptation.
All of them can potentially be devastating, depending at whom it is directed.
What matters is not the temptation;
what matters is the response to the
temptation.
Can you imagine how different this story would end if Nephi
had sought revenge on his brothers? He would have shown himself to be just as
bad as they were. The storm would not have stopped for them, and the Liahona
would not have worked. We should never lose sight of the eternal perspective.
- Mosiah 2:20 (20–21)
