1 Nephi 3:7

And it came to pass that I, Nephi said until my father, I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

There have been times when I felt I was on the Lord’s errand, waiting for him to prepare the way for me to accomplish what I felt were righteous purposes, and yet I hit roadblock after roadblock. Some of my times of greatest trial came when I was Relief Society President, doing my best to serve and be worthy of the Lord’s help. I have to confess that I am much more impressed with the instantaneous result of Moses lifting his staff and parting the Red Sea than with Nephi and his brothers multiple tries to get the plates from Laban. Asking didn’t work. Bribery didn’t work. The answer ultimately was for Nephi to do something that went against all he had been taught was right and cannot have been easy.

The thing that impresses me most about Nephi is that he didn’t give up, and he didn’t quit trying when he did not achieve success. It is, of course, always helpful when you’re going for “the third time is the charm” to have an angel come and give you a little pep talk.

What keeps some people trying in spite of difficulties while others become overwhelmed? I am guilty many times over of wanting an instant “parting of the Red Sea” solution rather than a “Plates of Laban” trial and error solution.

For me, there is a great lesson to be learned from God commanding Nephi to build a boat. I wrote a roadshow once featuring Nephi building the boat. The theme was “Back to the Future--Mormon Style.” Our roadshow was called “Brian and His Shorts of Many Colors.” A young man from the present took some power tools back in time to help Nephi build his boat. One of the musical numbers featured Nephi and clan singing “You’ve Got to Change Your Evil Ways” to Laman and Lemuel. Good stuff!

So God comes and says basically “Nephi, I want you to build a boat, and I’ll show you how.”

Nephi, being the obedient, respectful sort doesn’t say, “Is this going to be a comedy of errors like getting the plates from Laban?”

He doesn’t say, “Okay, where are the detailed blueprints, building materials and the construction crew?”

Instead, he knows that there is a long process, starting with the very essential elements.

1 Nephi 17:9

And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?

And after the Lord tells him where to go to find ore, he has to make a bellow of the skins of beasts to blow the fire that he made by smiting two stones together. Then he fashions the tools and builds the boat, but instead of a construction crew, he has hecklers, telling him how stupid he is for trying to build a boat. My roadshow version was much better as Nephi shows amazement at things like a power screwdriver and instant fire from a little stick with a red end.

As I think about it, Moses parting the Red Sea was the miracle at the end of his long line of struggles to accomplish his assigned task of freeing the Children of Israel. Why then is it that I want the boat to just come floating up when what I need to be doing is asking where I can find ore to molten tools?

When people struggle to understand trials, their own or those of someone close to them, we often hear “If there is a God . . .” I am always saddened when I hear that. I wonder how I would feel if every time I failed to do something needful around the house my husband said, “If you loved me . . . “ There are some things that should not be questioned. I try never to suggest that there is a possibility that God does not exist. I may wonder from time to time if He is listening, but I never doubt that He exists.

I struggle from time to time to understand the reasons for unending trials, the kind that take people to the very edge of their faith, especially for people I love dearly and would keep from trials if it was in my power. Perhaps it is ultimately those boundary-defining moments that molten our ore and make us into the tools the Lord needs us to be in building His kingdom. But it is usually years before we can see the growth and the reasons and that fire can be so overwhelmingly hot at times. Perhaps we err in praying for the end to the trials and should rather pray that we and those we love will have the power to endure. I write not as one who has all the answers but who has learned to trust that someday there will be answers, and that even our darkest moments will be shown to have had purpose.

I once penned a short poem.

I know all about the refiner’s fire. I’m in it.
Here is my energy-saving plan. Begin it.
All it boils down to is that
I need You to turn down the thermostat.

Sometimes in times of trial, I have allowed myself to become overwhelmed to the point of not trying anymore. When I am able to begin to come out of my slump, I have always told myself that if I can think of just one thing to do to move forward, things will eventually get better. It is doing that one thing that usually helps to get me unstuck.  

Nephi was a man of action. When he broke his steel bow and they could not find food, he fashioned a bow out of wood and out of a stick, he made an arrow. He did something. Nephi never quit trying. I don’t want to count the number of times I have found myself moaning and complaining like Laman and Lemuel rather than doing like Nephi. And every Nephi can use a Sam, someone on his side, giving help and encouragement, someone who will come in when it seems the whole world has gone out.