we're not there yet

Reading in Ether today, it's surprising what children we all are. The story is in Ether 2, and it talks about how Jared and his brother were able to not have their language changed, and they were able to keep their friends from having their language changed as well. They had enough wisdom to know that staying in place wasn't the gift they wanted from the Lord - that there was a better place for them.

I don't know why, but this reminds me of the board game Risk, where you are trying to win by taking over all the world. You have to have your own place first, then you expand your empire. I have always liked Africa and Australia. The last place I want to try to dominate is europe - way too many ways to be attacked.

Same thing for staying in whatever land the land of Babel was - all your future enemies might be leaving and going somewhere else, but you're still in the center of everyone. Not a good war strategy if you want your progeny to survive. A new continent separated by thousands of miles of water? Yes and thank you.

And they knew that they would be going there - or strongly suspected that at least - they mentioned something like "and who knows if the Lord doesn't send us someplace awesome" - their words were slightly different, but yeah.

So they are guided by the hand of the Lord to a beach, where they set up camp for four years. Long time to be camping. They thought perhaps that this was their promised land. They didn't know, right? It was probably very nice compared to Babel.

But in forgetting to ask the Lord what needed to happen next, they got comfortable. They would have stayed there forever - the place had a beach! But in the Lord's eyes, they were on a trip from New York to California and they stopped and stayed in Indiana. Indiana's nice, but it's not California.

And how did they make such a mistake? They relied on themselves. After much guidance by the Lord, they got where they decided the goal was, then stopped relying on the Lord. This is nice Lord - thanks. We're done with you now. We'll pray really fervently next time we need something.

And this is no pile of wayward children - it contained the brother of Jared. This is one of few men ever who got the Lord to extend his arm and create light in rocks. This is one of few men who saw the flesh of the Lord. The only man I know of that is called by another name - presumably out of reverence. God the Father and Jesus are called by many other names, but only the brother of Jared is called this way - at least as far as I'm aware.

So here's the wisdom: how often do we get where we think we are going, then stop relying on the Lord? How often do we get comfortable and then decide we've got this? How often do we decide we don't need the Lord when we mistakenly decide life is good enough?

And we didn't get far enough. And even if we perhaps did, we still need the Lord. So we wait, dig ourselves a comfortable hole, then call on the Lord in pleading tones to get us out again?

I think the lesson there is that we must always remember him, and keep his commandments which he has given us. That we can always have His guidance.

Works out much better that way. That's what I believe.