REL 275 forum week 3

Nephi's experience building the ship and crossing the sea is a blueprint for how we can deal with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. 

Here's what I have learned.

Step 1 is the call. In 1 Nephi 17:7, Nephi is called up to a mountain and in 17:8 the Lord commands him, "Thou shalt construct a ship." The Lord will ask us to do really hard things, often things we've never done before. Step 2 is our response. In 17:9 Nephi responds by asking "whither shall I go that I may find ore?" Nephi shows us that having faith in what the Lord asks of us means trusting that the task is possible, and asking the Lord for the right tools for the job instead of asking for the job to be taken away.

Step 3 is facing the haters. In 17:19, Nephi's brothers are very critical of him, saying that "we knew that ye could not construct a ship." Nephi ignores them, like we should all do with our haters. Step 4, mentioned in 18:2, is doing things God's way instead of our way. Nephi says the way he built the ship was "not after the manner of men." It's tempting to deal with challenges in the way we're used to, but that is counterproductive.

Nephi shows us that step 5 is frequently going to the temple and seeking revelation (18:3 "And I Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord"). It's silly to think God would tell us how to do every part of the huge challenge all at once. Constant communication with God is the key to accomplishing what He asks. Step 6, according to 18:16, is thanking God and not complaining even when it gets hard. Finally, step 7 is completing the task and showing gratitude to God. 

These chapters made me reflect on certain things in my life that I feel I've been commanded to do right now. Some of these challenges seem unsolvable. I'm not sure how to fix all of these problems right now. But Nephi teaches that I don't have to know, I just need to trust that God does, and learn each part of the instruction manual from Him step by step.