"Cool, where the tools at?"
Well… come to find out, it’s been quite some time since I’ve written a letter to you all haha! That’s on me! But goodness, the last little bit has been sweet! I’m with a great companion, Elder Major (he’s a fellow Aggie so we get along great;))! Overall, life has been good! How are you doing? How’s life for you? Write me a little note and let me know. I’d love to hear from you:)
There’s been so much that has happened, so many things, and I’m not even sure where I want to go with this letter. I was telling my amazing mom that I promised I would write a letter and I had lots of ideas for what to write about. I wish I could go back to that moment and remember what ideas those ideas were haha! Because, as of right now, I’m sort of drawing a blank. So what we’re gonna try and do is keep moving forward, and we’ll see what happens! Strap up;)
Lately, I’ve had some troubles. I’ve had some things that have weighed on my mind. I have had some people hurt me. I’ve felt weighed down, embarrassed, etc. Don’t get me wrong, the last couple of weeks have been really good, but it’s come with its fair share of challenges! As life often does;) So, as I’ve been going through this, I’ve tried to turn outwards and bury all my problems. In case you were wondering… that’s not the recommended method. One day, there was a companionship of missionaries who called and broke down and said that they’ve been struggling over the past little bit and that they just really needed some help. Well, I was just exhausted that day, and I wasn’t being the very best Elder Steadman. Instead of consoling these missionaries, I decided I’d give them a chapter of the Book of Mormon to read. I told them to call me back once they’d finished it and tell me what they'd learned. You’re probably thinking, “That’s not a lazy thing to do. That’s actually kind.” Well, here’s the catch. I didn’t have time to think of anything, so I went with my lucky number and the very first book in the Book of Mormon. So, without thinking, out came the words, “Alright, I want you to go read 1 Nephi 17, and I want you to figure out how and why this chapter applies to you, and your top takeaways.” And just like that the words came out of my mouth. After giving the assignment, I figured it was only fair for me to do the same thing I had just told them (and refresh my memory on what in the world happens in that chapter haha). Luckily, this chapter is fantastic and has some really great insights! So, I want to talk a little bit about that today.
First, a little background information... there’s a guy, his name is Nephi, and he’s super awesome. He and his family have been trekking through the wilderness for the past 8 years. Now… they come to the sea front and the Lord tells Nephi to go up a mountain so He can talk with him. Let's dive into some scriptures in 1 Nephi 17!
“And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful (The place where the sea front is) for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountain. And it came to pass that I arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.”
Okay, so here’s Nephi, probably asleep or just pondering, because the Lord tells him to “arise." So with that word choice, it seems to imply that he’s laying down, sleeping, or taking a break. And in the middle of this, Nephi gets told to get up and start hiking! I would imagine it wasn’t just a quick walk. The Lord didn’t say, “Walk down the road a little bit.” He said to go into the mountain (I think sometimes the Lord will make us put in some our own effort before He gives us direction and answers). Nevertheless, Nephi heads to the top of the mountain and then starts praying. It says he “cried unto the Lord.” Okay, let's keep reading.
“And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.”
Wow! Okay, so he just got woken up, he’s been on this hike, and now the Lord says, “Yep, I’m gonna need you to build a boat!” Geesh! That is intense! The Lord doesn’t hand him any blueprints or anything. He simply tells Nephi that He’ll show him how to build this ship.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’d probably start asking some questions. Ummm… how in the world am I going to build a boat? Heck, where is this boat going to take us? Do you have blueprints for this? Etc., etc.! But this next little part is something I wanted to highlight: Nephi’s response! “And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?”
Or in other words, “Cool, where the tools at?” How legit is that response? That is so super cool! All Nephi wants to know is step one. He knows he’s going to need some tools to build this boat, so he just asks where he should go to get those tools.
I’ve had some struggles, I have felt some guilt, I have felt loneliness, I have felt "less than", I have felt behind, I have felt all of these things that aren’t the most fun to feel. I feel like the Lord woke me up from what I was doing before the mission and told me to “get hiking!” I know it was much nicer than that, but it does often feel like a hike for us to talk to the Lord. We need to make sure we’re in good standing before Him so we can understand him more clearly. We need to be putting in work on our end for us to receive His guidance in a clear way!
Now, the Lord has told me, “Luke, I want you to become the person I need you to be. I need you to build that person. But I don’t want you to worry, because I’m going to show you how to do that.” Now, like I said earlier, sometimes I want the Lord to just tell me what that is! Who do you want me to be? What do I have to do? Why do I have to go through these certain tough things? Can you show me the outcome now? Those are the thoughts that come through my head, but I’m grateful for Nephi and his example... He instead basically says, “Okay, well, I’m gonna need some tools for this.” I often tend to jump right ahead and give myself unnecessary stress. The Lord has the blue prints for who He needs me to be, so instead I can ask, “Heavenly Father, I’m struggling right now, what can I be learning from this? What take aways are there? How can I use this to bless others?” Everything that happens in our lives can be used as a “tool”, this allows us to build our very own “ship”. And spoiler alert, but Nephi does end up building a ship and they sail to the “promised land!”
I know that these tough times are opportunities for me to acquire some tools. And, little by little, with the Lord’s guidance, I’m going to start building my own ship. Because I know that eventually, this will help prepare me to sail off into my own personal “promised land”. I know that as you act as Nephi did, turning your tough situations into opportunities, you will see the positive more often. The hard times will start to fade, and you will realize the Lord is building you into something better than you could have built on your own.
God loves you! He is the architect; he has the blueprints; and He loves you. Don’t be scared of the climb. Go collect your tools and start building yourself into who He needs you to be. Your promised land awaits:)
Have an amazing week!
再见!
There’s been so much that has happened, so many things, and I’m not even sure where I want to go with this letter. I was telling my amazing mom that I promised I would write a letter and I had lots of ideas for what to write about. I wish I could go back to that moment and remember what ideas those ideas were haha! Because, as of right now, I’m sort of drawing a blank. So what we’re gonna try and do is keep moving forward, and we’ll see what happens! Strap up;)
Lately, I’ve had some troubles. I’ve had some things that have weighed on my mind. I have had some people hurt me. I’ve felt weighed down, embarrassed, etc. Don’t get me wrong, the last couple of weeks have been really good, but it’s come with its fair share of challenges! As life often does;) So, as I’ve been going through this, I’ve tried to turn outwards and bury all my problems. In case you were wondering… that’s not the recommended method. One day, there was a companionship of missionaries who called and broke down and said that they’ve been struggling over the past little bit and that they just really needed some help. Well, I was just exhausted that day, and I wasn’t being the very best Elder Steadman. Instead of consoling these missionaries, I decided I’d give them a chapter of the Book of Mormon to read. I told them to call me back once they’d finished it and tell me what they'd learned. You’re probably thinking, “That’s not a lazy thing to do. That’s actually kind.” Well, here’s the catch. I didn’t have time to think of anything, so I went with my lucky number and the very first book in the Book of Mormon. So, without thinking, out came the words, “Alright, I want you to go read 1 Nephi 17, and I want you to figure out how and why this chapter applies to you, and your top takeaways.” And just like that the words came out of my mouth. After giving the assignment, I figured it was only fair for me to do the same thing I had just told them (and refresh my memory on what in the world happens in that chapter haha). Luckily, this chapter is fantastic and has some really great insights! So, I want to talk a little bit about that today.
First, a little background information... there’s a guy, his name is Nephi, and he’s super awesome. He and his family have been trekking through the wilderness for the past 8 years. Now… they come to the sea front and the Lord tells Nephi to go up a mountain so He can talk with him. Let's dive into some scriptures in 1 Nephi 17!
“And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful (The place where the sea front is) for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountain. And it came to pass that I arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.”
Okay, so here’s Nephi, probably asleep or just pondering, because the Lord tells him to “arise." So with that word choice, it seems to imply that he’s laying down, sleeping, or taking a break. And in the middle of this, Nephi gets told to get up and start hiking! I would imagine it wasn’t just a quick walk. The Lord didn’t say, “Walk down the road a little bit.” He said to go into the mountain (I think sometimes the Lord will make us put in some our own effort before He gives us direction and answers). Nevertheless, Nephi heads to the top of the mountain and then starts praying. It says he “cried unto the Lord.” Okay, let's keep reading.
“And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.”
Wow! Okay, so he just got woken up, he’s been on this hike, and now the Lord says, “Yep, I’m gonna need you to build a boat!” Geesh! That is intense! The Lord doesn’t hand him any blueprints or anything. He simply tells Nephi that He’ll show him how to build this ship.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’d probably start asking some questions. Ummm… how in the world am I going to build a boat? Heck, where is this boat going to take us? Do you have blueprints for this? Etc., etc.! But this next little part is something I wanted to highlight: Nephi’s response! “And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?”
Or in other words, “Cool, where the tools at?” How legit is that response? That is so super cool! All Nephi wants to know is step one. He knows he’s going to need some tools to build this boat, so he just asks where he should go to get those tools.
Now, let's bring this back to my life, and if it applies to your life in some way too, then that’s amazing. If not, I’ll give you the same invitation I gave the other missionaries. Go read 1 Nephi 17 and tell me what you learned form it;)
I’ve had some struggles, I have felt some guilt, I have felt loneliness, I have felt "less than", I have felt behind, I have felt all of these things that aren’t the most fun to feel. I feel like the Lord woke me up from what I was doing before the mission and told me to “get hiking!” I know it was much nicer than that, but it does often feel like a hike for us to talk to the Lord. We need to make sure we’re in good standing before Him so we can understand him more clearly. We need to be putting in work on our end for us to receive His guidance in a clear way!
Now, the Lord has told me, “Luke, I want you to become the person I need you to be. I need you to build that person. But I don’t want you to worry, because I’m going to show you how to do that.” Now, like I said earlier, sometimes I want the Lord to just tell me what that is! Who do you want me to be? What do I have to do? Why do I have to go through these certain tough things? Can you show me the outcome now? Those are the thoughts that come through my head, but I’m grateful for Nephi and his example... He instead basically says, “Okay, well, I’m gonna need some tools for this.” I often tend to jump right ahead and give myself unnecessary stress. The Lord has the blue prints for who He needs me to be, so instead I can ask, “Heavenly Father, I’m struggling right now, what can I be learning from this? What take aways are there? How can I use this to bless others?” Everything that happens in our lives can be used as a “tool”, this allows us to build our very own “ship”. And spoiler alert, but Nephi does end up building a ship and they sail to the “promised land!”
I know that these tough times are opportunities for me to acquire some tools. And, little by little, with the Lord’s guidance, I’m going to start building my own ship. Because I know that eventually, this will help prepare me to sail off into my own personal “promised land”. I know that as you act as Nephi did, turning your tough situations into opportunities, you will see the positive more often. The hard times will start to fade, and you will realize the Lord is building you into something better than you could have built on your own.
God loves you! He is the architect; he has the blueprints; and He loves you. Don’t be scared of the climb. Go collect your tools and start building yourself into who He needs you to be. Your promised land awaits:)
Have an amazing week!
再见!
What a great analogy and application that just as the Lord helped Nephi build a boat that seemed impossible, He can help us build ourselves to be what He wants, if we come near unto Him.
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