A Nephi Attitude

One thing about Nephi that we can all try to emulate is his attitude. He accepts some pretty difficult assignments from the Lord and is successful because of his attitude, faith, and obedience. In this post, I just want to recap some of the challenges Nephi faces with an incredibly positive attitude. I hope we can all develop a Nephi attitude!

Challenge #1 - Leaving Jerusalem (1 Nephi 2:12,16-17)
Lehi followed the Lord's instruction to pack up and leave Jerusalem with his family. His older son's Laman and Lemuel murmured because this was a very hard thing for them to leave their friends, inheritance, etc. Instead of murmuring, Nephi desired to understand God's intentions, so he prayed! He "did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit [him], and did soften [his] heart that [he] did believe" Lehi's words.

Challenge #2 - Retrieving the Plates (1 Nephi 3-4)
When Lehi is commanded by God to send his sons back to Jerusalem to get the brass plates from Laban, the task seems impossible and dangerous (see more analysis here). Laman and Lemuel "murmur, saying it is a hard thing which [Lehi] required of them." Nephi gave his famous response, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded." After they get to Jerusalem and Laman fails in his first attempt, Nephi pleads with his brothers, "let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord," and helps them devise a second plan. When this plan fails, Nephi is beaten by his brothers and saved by an angel. His attitude continues unwavering, "Let us go up again unto Jerusalem; and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord...Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us..."  His faith-filled attitude leads to success.

Challenge #3 - Bound to Be Left for Wild Beasts (1 Nephi 7:16-21)
On their way back from Jerusalem with Ishmael and his family, Laman and Lemuel begin to murmur (again) and want to return to Jerusalem. Nephi puts them in his place and is rewarded with even angrier older brothers. This time, instead of just beating him with a rod, they decide to "bind [him] with cords" and "leave [him] in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts." Nephi prays for help, and the Lord loosens his bands for him to escape. This really makes his brothers mad, and the cries of Ishmael's wife and two of his children were finally able to soften their hearts. We get another glimpse into Nephi's personality and attitude during this trial when his brothers ask him for forgiveness (remember, it's not even the first time they've tried kill or seriously injure him). Nephi writes, "And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done."

Challenge #4 - Making Plates without Understanding Why (1 Nephi 9)
Nephi is commanded to make an extra set of plates "for a wise purpose, which purpose I know not." Engraving writings into metal plates is not easy, and to make a second set of plates without understanding why must exponentially add to the difficulty (mentally). But Nephi willingly obeys without complaint - more here.

Challenge #5 - Bow Breaks, Hungry Family (1 Nephi 16:18-32)
Nephi breaks his steel bow while hunting. His brothers are angry, and everyone is hungry. Nephi's entire family was "exceedingly sorrowful, even that they did murmur against the Lord." Instead of getting depressed and murmuring, Nephi takes a positive approach. He makes a new bow and some arrows, and then he asks Lehi to pray and instruct him where to go to hunt and bring home some food. Not only does this humble Lehi, but it also allows Nephi to follow the Lord's guidance and slay wild beasts for them to eat.

Challenge #6 - Building a Ship (1 Nephi 17:7-16)
One morning the Lord speaks to Nephi saying, "Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters." A couple problems become apparent to Nephi: (1) he has no ship building experience, (2) he has no tools, and (3) he doesn't even know where to find ore to molten into tools. Instead of complaining about the enormity and seeming impossibility of the task, he has faith and simply asks, "whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship?" Nephi then "strives to keep the commandments", exhorts his brethren to be faithful, and begins making tools to construct the ship.

Challenge #7 - Bound on the Ship (1 Nephi 18:10-21)
Nephi reprimands his brothers for dancing, making merry, and being rude, and this again incites his brothers to anger. With their short memories, they decide it's a good idea to harshly bind Nephi with cords (again). Nephi understands that God wants to use this experience to teach another lesson when he says, "nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power." That takes a lot of faith. While he is bound, a storm arises and threatens their very existence. It took four days of life-threatening storms before they decided it was time to release Nephi. Upon his release, this is what Nephi does: "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." After he prays, the storms cease.