Posts Tagged ‘character’
December 16th, 2008
“Wherefore, I, Nephi, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence.
And it came to pass that I did make tools of the ore which I did molten out of the rock. ”
Do you have character?
I once heard a definition of character as “the determination to stick to and follow a decision after the excitement of making that decision has passed.” I love that. How many of us get excited about a decision, new goal or direction we want to take while we are making the choice, and then in the coming days, our determination wavers, we fall back into old habits or fail to establish the new ones we hoped for. Nephi isn’t making a change or course correction here, but he does show amazing determination to follow the Lord’s commandments. He began the arduous task of constructing a ship by making tools out of molten ore. All of this in hopes of obtaining a promised land which they had never seen; a land much better than where they currently where, which they named “Bountiful”.
Likening the scriptures to ourselves, if we are to obtain our “promised land” (be that wealth, a comfortable home, ability to spend more time with family, freedom to choose what to do with your time, means to serve more, etc…) we need to make righteous goals and stick to them. That determination will show the Lord our willingness to keep his commandments. Once the Lord knows that we will not waiver in our constancy in serving Him (through a pattern of dedicated service, faith and attitude), our tests will lessen and the windows of heaven open and His blessings will pour over us. Obtaining our “promised land” before then may be possible, but it will not be done with the joy that comes from blessings of the Lord.
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