Faith Like Lehi

Faith is a topic I’ve studied over and over again in my life. I’ve had times where I have felt like my faith is unwavering, strong, and guiding.  In contrast to that I have had moments where I have felt my faith fading. Faith to me, is trust. Trusting in God, and trusting in His perfect plan even if I cannot see the full outcome.

Why is it sometimes so hard to believe, to trust, to hope on? Something I learned in my religion class at BYU this week is that God isn’t interested in making our lives easy. We should thank Him for that. He wants us to experience our full potential. He wants to see us grow and become like Him. He wants us to take that “leap of faith” and trust Him. I firmly believe that we struggle, that we have hardships for our benefit. Sometimes God doesn’t immediately reach out to help us. In fact oftentimes He comes on the fourth watch.
We knew coming to earth that we would have to walk by faith, not by sight. Each day we have an opportunity to prove our trust in the Father. 

This week as I started the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ over again. As I learned about a loving Father named Lehi and his family, I learned about faith.  Lehi and his family were commanded to leave Jerusalem because of the wickedness that was encircling them. Without second-guessing the Lord, Lehi left all to follow the Lord.  In first Nephi chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 we read,

“And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him.

And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left His house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him save it were his family.”

I want to have faith like Lehi who forsakes all he has to follow God.  Lehi trusted that maybe God knew something he didn’t fully know. Lehi and his family were greatly blessed for following the counsel of the Lord. Faith is action and we are taught in the scriptures that faith without works is dead. If we trust in the Lord and act on His promptings we will as Lehi’s family did “prosper in the land.” 

I will try to be better like Lehi by sacrificing small things to better know my Savior. Lehi gave up all his worldly possessions. In todays world there are many things trying to distract us from God’s plan. Our relationship with the Father is far too priceless to sell short because of the distractions of the world.