Lessons on the Book of Mormon 2020
Lesson No. Two
Go and Do Hard Things – 1 Nephi 3:5-7
It was a hard thing to obtain the plates of brass – When the Lord commanded Lehi to have his sons return to Jerusalem to obtain the plates of brass, Laman and Lemuel “murmured saying it was a hard thing which was required of them….” Lehi then spoke to Nephi: “Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.” Nephi’s response is well known:
“I will go and do the things the Lord hath 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 3:5-7 emphasis added). The 2020 Youth Theme for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is go and do. I would add go and do hard things. (Go and Do: 2020 Youth Theme)
Why are some people able and willing to do hard things while others are not? All of Lehi’s sons knew that it would be a hard thing to obtain the plates. During the course of our lives we encounter many hard things. The example of Nephi is instructive in doing the hard things that are required of us:
Faith – Nephi was willing to “go and do” because he had faith in the Lord. We need to have faith that the Lord will prepare the way for us to accomplish the things we have been commanded to do.
Attitude – Nephi was determined to “go and do” while Laman and Lemuel continually wanted to quite and turn back. Nephi did not murmur whereas Laman and Lemuel were master murmurers. Murmuring and whining undermines our confidence in ourselves and in others. Attitude usually determines our success in any worthy endeavor.
Expectation of others, particularly family – Laman and Lemuel gave negative reinforcement to each other as their wives did later on. Nephi’s good choices were reinforced by his parents and later by his wife. I remember an Elder whose parents made it clear to him that coming home early was not an option so he stayed and learned to do hard things and became a good missionary. Another Elder’s parents felt that if he was unhappy he should return home. He left immediately. If our children are to do hard things they must be encouraged and not coddled.
We grow in our capacity to do hard things, and we can begin by making our bed – In a commencement address Admiral William R. McRaven, Commander of U.S. Special Operation Command focused on the slogan of the University of Texas, which is What starts here changes the world. He had 10 suggestions to help the graduates change the world. His first one was a reminder to them to make their bed. He said:
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.
“If you can’t do little things right, you will never do big things right. And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made – that you made – and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed” (Wall Street Journal, May 24, 2014).
Doing hard things is a challenge we face throughout life, and the challenge begins early:
In life we grow from one capacity to another. Good study habits and work responsibilities prepare us to do harder things when on a mission. A mission is wonderful preparation to do harder things.
Getting married, raising and supporting a family, serving in the Church, living the gospel, and doing it all simultaneously qualifies as doing a hard thing.
Hard things become the most important and joyous parts of our lives. In truth we have come to this earth to learn to do hard things.
Doing hard things often requires grace, the enabling power of Jesus Christ - “It is through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts” (Bible Dictionary, Grace).
Most often we receive grace to overcome personal challenges that can be very hard, even impossible, to do by ourselves. This includes physical, mental, and spiritual challenges of all types. Remember, nothing is to hard for the Lord. (See Genesis 18:14)
Repentance allows us to avoid the hardest of all things which is the suffering endured by our Savior when He atoned for our sins - Concerning His suffering Lord said: “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit.” The Lord warns that if we do not repent “[our] sufferings would be sore – how sore you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not” (D&C 19:15, 18). Those who don’t repent will experience an extremely hard thing when they suffer as He suffered.
If we repent all hard things will be made light through the grace of Jesus Christ, and the Lord will strengthen us so we can bear up our burdens with ease as we submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. (See Mosiah 24:15)