1 Ne 5-8

Chapter 5

Sariah starts to murmur against the Lord and Lehi. Sometimes our parents will question the Lord but they should ask the Lord for comfort when they are unsure. They are not always perfect and I as a parent myself I sometimes forget and will complain but I know that if I ask the Lord for his help he will comfort my fears.

This chapter also touches on what the Brass plates contained and this is what I found.

1. account of the creation (vs 11)
2. account of Adam and Eve (vs 11)
3. record of the Jews from the beginning (vs 12)
4. prophecies fo the prophets (vs 13)
5. genealogy (vs 14)

Chapter 7

when things get tough we forget to seek out the Lord for help and sometime we rebel against what is right

Chapter 8 - The Tree of Life

This is one of my favorite chapters of first Nephi. The dream starts out with Lehi in a "dark and dreary waste" (vs 7) - - - I interpret this as the trials of our faith

Lehi prays and then he finds himself in a "large and spacious field" and sees a tree a little ways off in the distance and he walks toward to eat the fruit.- - - to me the fruit is Eternal Life or the gospel

When we have tasted the sweetness of the fruit we want everyone to partake and enjoy it, but not everyone likes it or is unsure.

Then Lehi notices that there is a rod next to the tree and this is supposed to represent the Word of God (the scriptures). And along the rod is a straight and narrow path, which can also represent the Gospel.

Across the river is large and spacious building which in this vision is representing the World and the wickedness in it. How many times have we listened to the mocking that comes from this building that we sometimes shy away from the path? Sometimes we listen and sometimes we don't but we should never let go of the rod.

When we let go the "mist of darkness" surrounds us and we get lost in the temptations of the world. We should be clinging to the rod with all our might. It's hard for us when we see a family member who lets go and can't find their way back. We should be praying for them in hopes that they do find it and grasp and hold on to it. Just like Lehi called out to Laman and Lemuel.

I just love how we can use the scriptures to liken them in our lives so that they become more personal. This is what I'm trying to do and by writing down my thoughts as I read will help me to do this.