Take A Hike!

Here in Montana, one of the best activities to do in this gorgeous piece of the country is to go hiking. Many hikes out here are deep into the mountainous valleys with scenic overlooks awaiting at the end of the trail. I myself have been blessed enough to go on a few of these hikes. There is something about hiking that is different from everyday life. In life, if you have had enough of something, you can just quit doing it and move onto something else. You can stop a movie to go play outside, you can get up from dinner and go to a friends house. You are not just plain stuck there. 

Hiking is a little bit different! The longer you hike, the longer it takes to just leave if you have had enough of it. I was taking a hike over in the beautiful Bitteroot Mountains in Western Montana and we had traveled quite the distance in and one of the missionaries began to get quite tired, enough so that he would need to lay down periodically to catch his breathe. But he was determined to make it to the end of the hike to the lake. After a much longer time than expected we had all pushed through and made it! What a feeling it was to know that we made it all the way up. After a glorious break from walking at our destination, we soon had to make the hike back so we could get home. The hike was equally long and arduous with some slips and falls, but we all knew we just couldn't stop, we needed to press on. If we stopped, there would be nothing to do, nowhere to go. So we finished and all enjoyed relaxing our feet after a 6 and a half hour long trip.

Sometimes in life we are in very tough situations, Heavenly Father gives us mountains to climb to push us to become the people he needs us to be. And many times, I have found myself in a spot where I cannot stop continuing to push forward or else I will face severe consequences. But when I would pick myself up and push forward having faith that I would make it and the God would help me, it made the journey seem a lot easier. I know all who read this will in the future or maybe even are in this situation. My plea is to NEVER lose hope, NEVER give up! Keep pushing, no matter how far away the end of the trail is, it is worth it to make it there. I know from personal experience that lingering in one area is demoralizing and can even be dangerous. Christ is always there with His arms extended towards you to turn to him to ease your burdens as long as you are willing to do your part and push forward. 

Where are YOU in Lehi's dream?

Among one of the more famous stories told in the Book of Mormon is the story of Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life. If you are unfamiliar with the story, click here. In the story there are various groups of people, I am going to go through what are the attributes of those in each group and you can try and find out where YOU are in his vision.

Some of the symbols in this vision are the Tree of Life which the fruit thereon is a representation of the love of God. The mist of darkness is the evils and temptations of the world that keep us from seeing the end goal of reaching the tree. The straight and narrow path is the way leading to the tree and the iron rod follows that path and is the guide for those who wish to stay on the path. The iron rod is representative of the word of God.

The First group of people Lehi talks about are those who were clinging to the iron rod and made their way through the mist of darkness and came and partook of the fruit of the tree. BUT after they partook of the fruit they became ashamed due to the scorning, scoffing, and mocking coming from the people in the great and spacious building. They then fell away into forbidden paths of darkness. These are the people who have tasted God's love, but due to either persecution, trial, embarrassment, or whatever it may be, they turned away from the love they felt. They compromised their joy for what is either popular or appealing.

The second group are the people in the great and spacious building. They were dressed exceedingly fine and mocked, laughed at, and scorned those trying to make their way to the tree of life and also those who did. They are the people who in any way tried to hinder the the people from partaking of the fruit and really hindering the work and glory of God. (Moses 1:39) These are the people in our time who mock those who try and come closer to God. Those who, in any way, hinder others spiritual progression. They are also those who hold up for themselves the treasures of the world and value those more than the things of God. They can also be those who condemn, condescend, or drag down those who are trying to live a good life, but isn't acceptable to this group.

The next group are those who took hold of the rod and pressed forward, holding fast to the rod. Once they reached their goal, the tree, they fell down at the foot of it and partook of the fruit that had fallen down. They disregarded the people over in the great and spacious building and enjoyed the fruit that was desirable above all other fruit. These are the faithful and valiant, the ones who don't care what others say, they do what they know is right. They don't compromise for anything less. They are the honorable and commendable. The one's who are always focused on the eternal perspective. 

Another group of people are those who are lost in the mist of darkness. Some of them may be trying to cross the river to get to the great and spacious building, but can't find their way there. Others are just lost not knowing where to go or how to get back on the path. These people are the ones who have fallen off the path, they either desire riches and wealth, or are lost in sin and transgression, so much so that coming back to the path is daunting and seemingly impossible.They need the help of those holding to the rod! They need to know there is a way back to the path.

I am sure reading this you can identify with some of these people. Even some members of the Church can find themselves in places like the great and spacious building. Sometimes we drag others down or demean them to make ourselves feel more righteous. That is not where we should be! When Lehi was righteous and partaking of the fruit, he desired for others to have that same blessing. He didn't try to hog the fruit all to himself and withhold it from those who may have wandered off the path and then returned. 

I would encourage all of you to figure out which group YOU are in and then to do what it takes to get to where you need to be. For many of you, you know what you have to do, if you don't, click the chat with missionaries link on the right side of the page. So let's all hold to the rod and follow the word of God, he will lead us to where we need to go ALWAYS.