Can you imagine how difficult it must have been for Nephi to follow his parent’s and leave Jerusalem? Just think for a moment how you would feel if your father came home tonight and said, “We’re moving. I don’t know exactly where we’re going, but the Lord has told us to go.” I’ve often wondered if I would have acted more like Laman and Lemuel than like Nephi. How difficult would it be to give up everything you know; your home, your comforts and all your friends to go somewhere not even your parents know anything about? I believe that would test even the most obedient young person.
But Nephi sets an example for all of us by what he did … He prayed and asked the Lord for help in understanding his Father. In I Nephi 2:16 Nephi records,
“… I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father.”
Nephi says the Lord softened his heart, but I believe Nephi already had a humble heart - a heart that would allow the Lord to touch it and communicate with him.
Do you have a soft heart? Think about it for a moment. When you are asked to do something around the house for your parents, do you ever “dig in your heels” and complain? I have certainly had plenty of moments like that in my life. But I believe a “soft heart” hears and desires to understand. Then the soft-hearted person follows the spirit. This is what Nephi did. As difficult as it was for him to leave everything he knew, he softened his heart and was able to receive understanding from the Lord. I hope each of us will take the opportunity to soften our hearts and listen to our parents, Church leaders, and especially the Spirit. If we do, I promise, we too, can reach the Promised Land the Lord wants us to find.
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