It's not really hard

In a time when I see some of my children having an easier time with life, and some harder, I see that God's commandments and living the life that God prescribes for us to the best of our abilities provides a life of tranquility and happiness. There is great upheaval this week with two of my kids. They will eventually get it right and become the greatness that they are intended to be, but for whatever reasons - and I have been part of those reasons - they have chosen to live a more difficult life. Right now, both are paying the price for what they thought was a more liberated, live for today, I choose for me lifestyle.

It's hard to see your kids struggling so much. In one case, the words have been said. In the other case, the words can't be said because isolation was chosen between the child and those who most want to love and assist.

It's like you know your life is in the toilet, so rather than reach out for the hand that will pull you out, you flush the tank again.

Clearly, none of us have it all correct - we're all in the toilet to some degree, but I think the key factor is a willingness to choose love, to choose the Lord, and a yearning for his guidance and the lifestyle he would have for us.

I didn't feel like I had anywhere else to go in the scriptures today, so I kept reading Nephi. 1 Nephi 15. It's cool that he requested to see what his dad was given in Lehi's dream, and then got it - and more. I think the Lord does things that way. It seems he is just yearning and waiting to fill our cups, if we'd just slide it over to him. Oh - and take off the lid.

So here's Nephi teaching Laman and his brother. He's unloading all this awesome stuff on them - guidance directly from one of the greatest men to walk the earth - and a man who is also their brother. It's awesome. It's a path to happiness, success, long and short term awesomeness. Do they take it as the gift it is? Do they understand that the Lord just dumped an entire pirate ship full of treasure coins on them? Of course not.

Verse 16. "...Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear".  I guess I get that it's more than they are able to bear, because Nephi just dumped a 55 gallon barrel of stuff into their sippy cup. That would be more than they are able to bear. But hard things? It's the word of life! From their point of view, it might be hard. He's asking them to give up a lifestyle full of vice and darkness and come swim in the pool of fresh water. That must be hard when you're used to a lifestyle that isn't so fresh.

Of course the same applies to me - because none of us are perfect. We like the vices that we surround ourselves with. Swimming with feces in the water is more acceptable when they are feces we've chosen.

For you the reader, please don't consider this writing to indicate that I am above or greater than in any way. I use these words to teach myself, to motivate myself, to help myself understand that like Laman and Lemuel, my vices don't make me happy. They drag me down. They smell like sewage. It's hard letting them go - it's "hard things", but the end result is much greater happiness and centeredness of our souls.

May we be more like Nephi - asking and receiving gifts. Less like Laman - and thinking the bright path to happiness is too hard. I hope I and my children figure this out sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I'll love them.