Thus we see

Obedience and eight years in the wilderness

"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness." - 1 Nephi 17:3-4

In the Hebrew language spoken by many writers the Book of Mormon, punctuation is not used. The English uses periods, question marks, and other signals of intent, but the Hebrew language uses select phrases at the start of each sentence to convey similar meanings. For example, the phrase "and it came to pass" occurs frequently and basically equates to a period. Another phrase used a bit less often is "and thus we see." This is usually followed by a powerful summarizing statement with a gospel message.

As Lehi's family reaches the shore of Bountiful, Nephi delivers an "and thus we see" statement about the relationship between their journey and their diligence in keeping the commandments of God. It is clear that we are blessed when we keep the commandments of God. Lehi's posterity experienced many blessings in their travels in the preceding 16 chapters, but also experienced times of sorrow and rebellion. In verse 4, Nephi tells us that their journey of around 1000 miles took eight years to complete. In comparison, the Mormon Pioneers completed a trip of similar length across America in a matter of months.

In Alma 37:41-47, we see why the journey took so long. At times they were "slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence" (v. 41). They also did not always "heed to this compass" that the Lord had delivered them (v. 43). When they ignored the Lord's commands, he did not guide them through the Liahona. When everyone except Nephi murmured after the broken bow, the Lord did not guide them. But Nephi had faith, and he trusted in the Lord and his father. He acted on his situations and worked to keep the commandments of God.

Whether we are traveling across the wilderness or progressing through school, we are all faced with trials and tribulations. We all have choices between right and wrong. In these times, we must follow the Lord. We need to act on our situations like a thermostat and not be a victim like a thermometer. If life gets cold, make it better and follow the Lord.

We must fulfill the commandments of God. We must live by the natural law and conscious that guide us. If we do so, we can have the means to journey through our life and into exaltation.