Laman or Lemuel??

This morning while I was driving to work I started feeling sorry for myself. It started my day off wrong. I knew it was Satan trying to discourage me - but I still chose to feed the fire. I let myself get really down. There were a couple of "blessings" that I thought that I deserved but wasn't given at this time.

So as the day drew on I knew I needed to get myself out of this funk. So I stopped myself and thought this: what is the eternal perspective that I need to keep in mind? The "blessings" that I was so worried about only have importance on my time here on earth - it doesn't affect my life after this. I realized that I have been blessed - it's better than a temporal blessing - it's an eternal blessing. This helped me to start to feel better.

As I was driving home I was thinking about this eternal perspective and another thought came to my mind. I realized I was being a Laman or Lemuel this morning, instead of being a Nephi. Laman and Lemuel murmured over the littlest things. They focused on the materialistic things rather than on the spiritual things.

Example: Lehi was commanded in a dream that he needed to send his sons back to Jerusalem to obtain the plates of brass. What was Laman and Lemuel's response? That it was a hard thing that was required of them. What was Nephi's response? "I will go and do the things which the Lord had commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:1). Nephi had an eternal perspective - he knew of the importance of having the brass plates. Laman and Lemuel did not have the same perspective because they did not look toward God.

As I was driving home I was listening to General Conference. Elder Donald L. Hallstrom in his talk, Turn to the Lord said the following: "Never let an earthly circumstance disable you spiritually." He spoke of Joseph Smith and the trials he was put through. He quoted the following scripture: "And as for the perils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me. . . . Deep water is what I am wont to swim in. . . . I . . . glory in tribulation; for . . . God . . . [has] delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth” (D&C 127:2)." Elder Hallstrom then went on to say, "Joseph’s confidence in overcoming constant opposition was based on his ability to continually turn to the Lord."

By turning to the Lord it will help us to maintain this eternal perspective.

"Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all, Art though greater than he? Therefore, hold on thy way...thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever."

So when we're feeling sorry for ourselves keep this scripture in mind. Christ has felt all of our pains, our trials, our heartaches. He felt them for EVERYONE....so why do I think it's okay for me to feel for myself - just me. I have been blessed with a lot. And just because I'm not being patient and I want everything NOW doesn't mean that I have to doubt that the Lord knows what's best for me.