You Are In It

To my daughter, 

                President Boyd K. Packer, who was the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles when you were born, gave a talk about Lehi’s vision of the Tree of Life which I was reminded of yesterday. He made a powerful statement about it: “In the eighth chapter of 1 Nephi, read about Lehi’s dream. He told his family, ‘Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision’ (1 Nephi 8:2). You may think that Lehi’s dream or vision has no special meaning for you, but it does. You are in it; all of us are in it…. Lehi’s dream or vision of the iron rod has in it everything a young Latter-day Saint needs to understand the test of life.” That gives us an interesting perspective as we read his vision; instead of seeing only an account of one person’s dream over 2600 years ago, we should look to see where we are in it and what it can teach us about our test in life. He continued and gave us this warning: “One word in this dream or vision should have special meaning to you young Latter-day Saints. The word is after. It was after the people had found the tree that they became ashamed, and because of the mockery of the world they fell away.” In the vision there were those who were described this way: “I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.” These are people who found the gospel, entered into the waters of baptism, and were moving forward on the covenant path. But the next verse says this: “And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost…. And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also” (1 Nephi 8:24, 28, 33). So these people who had tasted of the fruit became ashamed of it because of the mocking of the world, and they forsook the tree and were lost into that great and spacious building.

                From this account President Packer gave us this warning: “At your baptism and confirmation, you took hold of the iron rod. But you are never safe. It is after you have partaken of that fruit that your test will come.” He continued, “The mist of darkness will cover you at times so much that you will not be able to see your way even a short distance ahead. You will not be able to see clearly. But you can feel your way. With the gift of the Holy Ghost, you can feel your way ahead through life. Grasp the iron rod, and do not let go. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, you can feel your way through life.” The iron rod is of course the word of God, and we must never let go of reading the scriptures, listening to the words of living prophets, and hearkening to what the Lord has asked. We must never let go of the iron rod, always seeking to hear the voice of the Spirit to direct and protect us in our lives. President Packer further warned you and me, “You who are young will see many things that will try your courage and test your faith. All of the mocking does not come from outside of the Church. Let me say that again: All of the mocking does not come from outside of the Church. Be careful that you do not fall into the category of mocking.” There are those in and out of the Church who would mock the Lord’s standards and His servants. Wherever it comes from, we must ignore it. We must be among those who “heeded them not” and stayed at the tree (1 Nephi 8:33). President Packer helped us understand how to do this: “You live in an interesting generation where trials will be constant in your life. Learn to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. It is to be a shield and a protection and a teacher for you. Never be ashamed or embarrassed about the doctrines of the gospel or about the standards that we teach in the Church. You always, if you are faithful in the Church, will be that much different from the world at large.” I hope that you will always seek to listen to the voice of the Spirit and follow His promptings. Remember that if you are to be a faithful Latter-day Saint, you will be different from the world—and that’s how it should be. You will be tempted over and over again to join those in the great and spacious building to receive the praise of the world, but never forget what happened to that building and those in it as Nephi saw: “I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great” (1 Nephi 11:36). I pray that you and I and all our family can stay always at the tree and be true to our covenants with the Savior so that we can forever enjoy that fruit which is indeed “desirable above all other fruit.” 

Love,

Dad