Blessed Art Thou

I have been trying to do better in my parenting at staying positive, attempting to focus on praising the good things my children do instead of dwelling on the areas that need improvement. With that mindset, I was intrigued to see that early on in the story of Lehi and his family the Lord gave specific, positive feedback to both Lehi and Nephi when they proved faithful. After Lehi preached to the people at Jerusalem, Nephi recorded, “For behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life” (1 Nephi 2:1). The Lord commended Lehi for his faithfulness and risking his own life to declare the Lord’s message to the people. Soon after that, when Nephi was seeking to gain a witness of the things of God for himself, he too was praised: “And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart” (1 Nephi 2:19). The Lord gave specific praise to Nephi for his actions and show faith. This is an example of what we should do more often as parents: praise our children for those good things that they are doing, even if their behavior is less than stellar in other areas.

                We see multiple examples of this kind of divine praise throughout the Book of Mormon. When Nephi again sought the Lord, trying to see the things his father saw, an angel commended him in these words, “Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired” (1 Nephi 11:6). When Alma (the older) sought the Lord’s help in resolving a difficult matter in the church, the Lord gave him quite the effusive praise: “And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying: Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi. And blessed are they because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou hast spoken unto them. And blessed art thou because thou hast established a church among this people; and they shall be established, and they shall be my people. Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine. And because thou hast inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed” (Mosiah 26:14-19). Four times the Lord told Alma he was blessed because of his faith and actions. Alma’s son was also given heavenly approval when he was preaching the word to the people: “Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you” (Alma 8:15). Through the words of this angel the Lord made it clear to Alma that He was pleased with him. Many years later when Nephi was similarly faithful in preaching to the people, the Lord said to him, “Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments. And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever” (Helaman 10:4-5). Mormon recorded other words of the Lord that had been given to Lehi meant for all of us who will keep the commandments of God: “Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall prosper in the land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord” (Alma 50:20). In each of these instances, the Lord gave specific, positive feedback to His servants when they accomplished the work He had asked of them. We are likewise commended by Him when we will keep His commandments and teach His gospel. And we should follow His example as we raise our children, giving specific, positive praise for their efforts to do what is right.