THE PATH

Lehi, the father of the people whose history is chronicled in the Book of Mormon, in the early pages of the Book of Mormon records a revelatory dream about a tree which represents the Love of God and the pathway which one must travel to arrive at the tree and partake of its fruit. His personal account of his dream and his son Nephi’s additions to his father’s remarks have been the cause of many hours of pondering in my mind. (1 Nephi 8, 11)

One of the things I have spent some time pondering about is the path which leads to the tree. Lehi and Nephi have convinced me that there is but a single path which leads to the tree where one can partake of the overwhelming, delicious fruit which is the Love of God. However, I am equally convinced that all who find the path do not walk upon it either at the same pace, or with the same diligence, or with the same blessings, or do all share the same trials, or do all reach the tree and partake of the fruit during their mortal walk.

Let me share some of my ponderings:

There are those who have their feet planted on the path during their formative years that walk steadily toward the tree with only minor deviations - and that is OK and through the Mercy of the Lord they will taste of His love – However, there is a danger that the taste thereof will be a bit bland because of the easiness of the way – We all know that fruit is sweeter when we have paid a price to obtain it.

There are those who have their feet planted on the path during their formative years, but choose to experiment upon other paths before returning to the path and then with faulting steps continue until they partake of the fruit – and that is OK and through the Mercy of the Lord they will taste of His Love – However, they will have had to learn many lessons the hard way and will have denied themselves of many of the blessings of obedience – They will have moments in their maturity when they think of wasted times of ill-advised activities, which if they had not indulged, would have speeded their journey to the delicious fruit – It is possible that because of their grief the fruit may be all the sweeter.

There are those who have their feet planted on the path during their formative years, but choose to permanently wander on tangent, cloudy, muddy paths – and that is OK and through the Mercy of the Lord they will someday taste of a portion His Love in ways they never imagined during mortality – However, their choices will have distanced them from the peaceful, calm, helping hand which the Lord had continually held out to them – they shall leave mortality in ignorance of how delicious the fruit would have tasted and the joy that might have been theirs.

There are those who are given the understanding of the path later in their lives and then trod faithfully within its bounds until they arrive at the tree and partake of the fruit – and that is OK and through the Mercy of the Lord they will taste of His Love – However, there will be moments of reflection when they wonder why their introduction to the path did not come earlier in their lives – Then they will be content because the fruit’s sweetness forever seems to permeate their souls.

There are those who are given the understanding of the path later in their lives and then take periodic journeys to their former haunts before finally firmly planting their paces on the path –and that is OK and through the Mercy of the Lord they will taste of His Love – However, they will spend many days wondering why they could have been so foolish to have partaken of the bitter when they could have had the sweet – Then they will be grateful that they did not tarry longer pursuing worldly pseudo rewards.

There are those who are given the understanding of the path later in their lives and then turn therefrom for the rest of their mortal sojourn – and that is OK and through the Mercy of the Lord they will taste of His Love in ways they never reached during mortality – However, their divergence will have brought them suffering where they might have had healing, sadness when they might have felt joy and darkness when they might have had the light – when finally they are given a portion of the fruit they will be left with the wish of ‘if only’.

There are those who know of the path, but find the way too simple and choose the prideful path of the wisdom of the world – and that is OK and through the Mercy of the Lord they will in ‘that day’ taste of a portion His Love – However, they will have wasted their day of probation, mistakenly thinking that the glitz, glamor and glory of the world was the true fruit which should be sought – they will then be filled with sorrow and grief and seek forgiveness for the rude and unkind words they spewed at those on the path during mortality.

There are those who spend their mortal days never knowing of the path – and that is OK and through the Mercy of the Lord they will taste of His Love – They will have suffered while wandering in whatever light they could find, but when they are brought into His Light they will be overwhelmed with the sweetness of the fruit and a flood of understanding will shower them with the rightness of His plan for them during mortality.

No matter where our lives have led or where we might now presently be, I pray that we might find the path and then follow Nephi and Moroni’s counsel.

And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.(2 Nephi 31:19, 20)

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Moroni 7:48)