A Personal Liahona

Surprisingly, two talks in the most recent general conference focused on patriarchal blessings. Elder Randall K. Bennett told a very personal story of his struggles as a boy because of the threat of divorce in his family. He related how receiving his patriarchal blessing as he dealt with this struggle was a great source of strength for him. He said, “I studied my patriarchal blessing frequently and, as a youth, often daily, which helped me feel the comforting, guiding influence of the Holy Ghost, who helped reduce my anxiety as I followed His promptings…. When my parents finally did divorce, my patriarchal blessing, as President Thomas S. Monson taught, had for me become ‘a precious and priceless personal treasure,’ even ‘a personal Liahona.’” Interestingly, Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita also quoted the same talk by President Monson and similarly said, “I frequently and prayerfully read my patriarchal blessing; it always gives me encouragement…. President Thomas S. Monson explained, ‘The same Lord who provided a Liahona for Lehi provides for you and for me today a rare and valuable gift to give direction to our lives, to mark the hazards to our safety, and to chart the way, even safe passage—not to a promised land, but to our heavenly home.’” I love this idea that our blessings should be like the Liahona was to Lehi and his family: personal, dynamic direction to us that is contingent upon our faithfulness.

               I think there are a few ways in which our patriarchal blessings are similar to the Liahona of old. First, we receive direction in our patriarchal blessing through the written word. It is a recorded blessing meant to be studied and read and pondered, just as the Liahona gave direction through written words. Nephi recorded, “And it came to pass that when my father beheld the things which were written upon the ball…. And there was also written upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it.” Like the Liahona, our patriarchal blessing is contingent upon our faithfulness. Just as the Nephites had to keep the commandments of the Lord in order to receive guidance from it, so too do we need to be faithful to the Lord if the promised blessings are to come to pass in our lives. Nephi recorded that the Liahona did “work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them” (1 Nephi 16:27-29). Elder Yamashita taught that the blessings promised in our patriarchal blessing come to pass “if you live worthy” of them. And just as the words of the Liahona changed from time to time, the words of our blessing will take on new meaning as we get older and as our lives change. He suggested, “Just as scriptures we have read many times have new meaning to us later, our patriarchal blessing will have a different meaning to us at different times. Mine has a different meaning now than it did when I was 30 and when I was 50. It is not that the words change, but we see them in a different way.” As the Nephites took the Liahona with them on their journey to the promised land, its words physically changed based on their needs and circumstances. The words of our blessing of course will not actually change over time, but as we understand it through the Holy Ghost, its messages for us will be adapted to our current circumstances. We are so blessed to have the personal messages of our patriarchal blessings to guide us personally and powerfully like the Liahona of old. Now we just need to heed its words in our lives; paraphrasing Alma, “For behold, it is as easy to give heed to [our patriarchal blessings], which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land” (Alma 37:44).