Sometimes, lessons jump out at you from unexpected places in the scriptures. I've been wondering all week how to approach this week's lesson on the selection of the 12 Apostles. I went through all the scriptures listed in the manual and wondered, "what am I going to do with the other 40 minutes of class time?"
Then I read something about the experience with Peter before his call to the apostleship. In Luke 5, Christ was teaching the people near the Sea of Galilee and a large crowd was gathering. He saw two ships docked as the fishermen were working on their nets after an uneventful night of fishing. Christ entered one of the boats and taught the crowd from there. When he finished, he instructed Simon (not Peter yet) to "Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught" or large catch (vs. 4). Simon responded that they had been fishing all night without any success, "nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net" (vs. 5).
This may be obvious to some of you, but it was one of those, "how long has that been in there??" moments for me. I knew he went back and always thought, "Good job Peter, you're such a trooper" but never tied it in with anything, so I missed the bigger picture...
-Hey, Nephi. Would you mind going back to Jerusalem? Turns out we need the Brass Plates (see 1 Nephi 3). Nephi says, "Sure Dad, anything the Lord asks!"
-Hey, Nephi, this is going to be a long trip. Would you mind going back to Jerusalem to pick up Ishmael and his family? Thanks. (see 1 Nephi 7). By this time I would've been murmuring, "anything else you need while I'm in town? If we forget anything else, we'll just have to do without because I'm not going back in again" but Nephi is faithful and goes without complaining.
-Alma, I know you just got kicked out of Ammonihah, but would you mind going back? Yeah, the Lord needs you to tell them to repent or be destroyed. "Have fun storming the castle..." (see Alma 8). Even though the people of the city had just "reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city" (verse 13), he "returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah" (verse 18). No complaining, no "you could've told me while I was still there", just willing obedience.
-Samuel (the Lamanite, not the Old Testament prophet. See Helaman 13), how about going back to Zarahemla and "prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into [your] heart" (verse 3).
So, when the Lord asks us to do something, again, what is our attitude? Do we complain a little? Maybe subtly remind the Lord (as Peter did) that we just tried that and it didn't work? Imagine if Naaman only dipped himself in the river Jordan six times instead of seven. "Three... nope, Four... nothing, Five... still not getting any better here... Six, that's it. I'm going home!" Or do we, like Alma and Samuel the Lamanite, immediately turn around and go back? Simon Peter's previous try simply didn't work, it's not like the fish threw him off the lake. Alma was thrown out of the city, but went back faithfully and "speedily".
Why does the Lord so often ask us to do things repeatedly? Just once, wouldn't it be nice to have someone come up and say, "Here is the golden horseshoe and silver platter you ordered, will there be anything else sir?" The first time I prayed for a testimony of the Book of Mormon, I didn't get an answer. Didn't get one the second time either, or the third... I think I had read it at least four times before my answer came, and I can't imagine it would've had the same lasting impact had it come when I asked the first time when I "took no thought save it was to ask" (Doct. and Cov 9:7).
So, what I learned from Peter, and by extension the other examples used here, is that I will be asked to do things over. Things which didn't work out well, or at all, the first time. Things I would rather just leave behind and move on. Things which the Lord knows I could do better. Will I grumble a bit, or welcome the opportunity?
Then I read something about the experience with Peter before his call to the apostleship. In Luke 5, Christ was teaching the people near the Sea of Galilee and a large crowd was gathering. He saw two ships docked as the fishermen were working on their nets after an uneventful night of fishing. Christ entered one of the boats and taught the crowd from there. When he finished, he instructed Simon (not Peter yet) to "Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught" or large catch (vs. 4). Simon responded that they had been fishing all night without any success, "nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net" (vs. 5).
This may be obvious to some of you, but it was one of those, "how long has that been in there??" moments for me. I knew he went back and always thought, "Good job Peter, you're such a trooper" but never tied it in with anything, so I missed the bigger picture...
-Hey, Nephi. Would you mind going back to Jerusalem? Turns out we need the Brass Plates (see 1 Nephi 3). Nephi says, "Sure Dad, anything the Lord asks!"
-Hey, Nephi, this is going to be a long trip. Would you mind going back to Jerusalem to pick up Ishmael and his family? Thanks. (see 1 Nephi 7). By this time I would've been murmuring, "anything else you need while I'm in town? If we forget anything else, we'll just have to do without because I'm not going back in again" but Nephi is faithful and goes without complaining.
-Alma, I know you just got kicked out of Ammonihah, but would you mind going back? Yeah, the Lord needs you to tell them to repent or be destroyed. "Have fun storming the castle..." (see Alma 8). Even though the people of the city had just "reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city" (verse 13), he "returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah" (verse 18). No complaining, no "you could've told me while I was still there", just willing obedience.
-Samuel (the Lamanite, not the Old Testament prophet. See Helaman 13), how about going back to Zarahemla and "prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into [your] heart" (verse 3).
So, when the Lord asks us to do something, again, what is our attitude? Do we complain a little? Maybe subtly remind the Lord (as Peter did) that we just tried that and it didn't work? Imagine if Naaman only dipped himself in the river Jordan six times instead of seven. "Three... nope, Four... nothing, Five... still not getting any better here... Six, that's it. I'm going home!" Or do we, like Alma and Samuel the Lamanite, immediately turn around and go back? Simon Peter's previous try simply didn't work, it's not like the fish threw him off the lake. Alma was thrown out of the city, but went back faithfully and "speedily".
Why does the Lord so often ask us to do things repeatedly? Just once, wouldn't it be nice to have someone come up and say, "Here is the golden horseshoe and silver platter you ordered, will there be anything else sir?" The first time I prayed for a testimony of the Book of Mormon, I didn't get an answer. Didn't get one the second time either, or the third... I think I had read it at least four times before my answer came, and I can't imagine it would've had the same lasting impact had it come when I asked the first time when I "took no thought save it was to ask" (Doct. and Cov 9:7).
So, what I learned from Peter, and by extension the other examples used here, is that I will be asked to do things over. Things which didn't work out well, or at all, the first time. Things I would rather just leave behind and move on. Things which the Lord knows I could do better. Will I grumble a bit, or welcome the opportunity?
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