Scriptures

Lehi and his family were prompted to leave Jerusalem before King Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed it in 586 BCE.

There must be that lingering doubt, when following the Lord, as in “what would life have been like otherwise?”

I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also have perished. 2 Nephi 1.4

Lehi knew the answer: had they stayed they would have perished.

What if the alternative to the choices you made was actually a much worse life?

Meaning

We hardly ever get to know how it would otherwise have ended. What if you took job A over B? What if I hadn’t broken my wrist? What if I had moved into X house vs. Y - who would I have met?

I’m not sure we’re supposed to know how it could otherwise have turned out. I’m not sure it matters much, either. Because I’m sure there were a lot of good people who weren’t prompted like Lehi to leave. (Consider how Abinadi had to stay.)

So I take this as “that’s interesting.” In this case, Lehi got to know the alternative ending to the story. He got to learn that he had avoided destruction in Jerusalem and could instead finish his days peacefully in his promised land.

We also often compare our lives to how perhaps it could have been better (thanks social media). Do you ever wonder if it could have been worse had you not made that good choice in your life?

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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: