A great quote leading up to MLK Jr day:
Behold I have dreamed a dream 1 Nephi 3.2
Lehi dreamed many dreams. It got him in trouble with his boys, as Laman and Lemuel “did murmur in many things against their father, because he was a visionary man” (1 Nephi 2.11).
Lehi’s wife, Sariah, also murmured against him, “she also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.” (1 Nephi 5.2)
Lehi’s response to this is great:
I know that I am a visionary man; for if I had not seen the things of God in a vision I should not have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with my brethren. But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness. 1 Nephi 5.4–5
This response teaches me a few things:
- when people struggle, they can complain against a good thing and make it a bad thing. “Why do you always have to be such a goodie two shoes?”
- The response is “if I weren’t such a goodie two shoes I’d be miserable”. Helps remind people of the value of their own biases.
Complaining is a natural part of life. Just be careful what you complain about.
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Bryan lives somewhere at the intersection of faith, fatherhood, and futurism and writes about tech, books, Christianity, gratitude, and whatever’s on his mind. If you liked reading, perhaps you’ll also like subscribing: