“And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters.
And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.
And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over me, saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work.”
Don't Heed the Scoffers
Lets paraphrase this as an entrepreneur.? Instead of “build a ship”, substitute “start a business”, and other appropriate things.? Here’s my (true) version:
“And when my brethren saw that I was about to start a business, they began to caution me, saying: Are you sure? Starting a business is a big task. Do you really think you should leave your good job to try starting a business that might fail?
And thus my brethren did crush my spirit, and were desirous that they might not support my idea, for they did not believe that I could start a successful business; neither would they believe that I had prayed about it and felt it was the right thing to do.
And now it came to pass that I, Eric, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice, assuming they were correct, saying: We knew that ye could not start a successful business, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work.”
Another version of this story that directly relates to me:
- You want to pay off your mortgage early instead of enjoying your money now?
- You want to save a million dollars for retirement?
- etc…
Of course, the story doesn’t end there. Its hard to find support for (what appear to be) risky ideas, and its true that starting a business IS a big task, not for the faint of heart.? But if properly planned and timed, the payoff can be great, just as it turned out to be for Nephi.
What examples have you had were scoffers have shot down your good plans? Did you heed them or press on?
Posted in C) 1st Nephi | 
Tags: book of mormon, build a ship, cross waters, lacking in judgment, mormon, murmur, nephi build ship, nephi fool, scripture
>What examples have you had were scoffers have shot down your good plans? Did you heed them or press on? <
Actually, its the other way around. As a YM advisor I’m usually shooting down the wild ideas of the boys in the quorum who are always wanting to go skydiving or skiing in Europe.
Didn’t the Saviour advise us to be like little children? 🙂
Its good that they can think big and hopefully they don’t lose that creativity by having their ideas being constantly beaten down. Of course we have to operate our organizations within policies, guidelines and budgets, but dreaming big is a blessing.
One of our local scout groups just went to Switzerland for a week to go rock climbing and several other activities there. They planned and saved for 3 years, but what an experience – thanks to some big dreams and a lot of planning and work.