The lesson manual for this week suggests that we "may find spiritual insights if [we] compare the Jaredites’ voyage across the ocean to [our] journey through mortality," but in my experience, those insights may be a mix of encouraging and disheartening. From what I've read, the Jaredites had a pretty rough journey. Their water-tight barges were buried under mountain waves, attacked by whales and sea monsters, and driven by terrible tempests and fierce winds. Yet, whenever they were buried under the waves, the Lord brought them forth out of the water again; the sea monsters and whales couldn't break them; and the fierce winds continually blew them to the Promised Land, which they eventually reached, safe and sound. It was a rough journey, but they were delivered, protected, continually comforted by the light of the Lord, and eventually carried over into the Promised Land. Their journey was rough, but it ended well. Ours will be and can be, too.
We, too, will have to endure a rough crossing, but if we follow the example of the Jaredites in praising the Lord and putting our faith in Him, we, too, will be led to our Promised Land, the Celestial Kingdom.
I'm not sure I'm thrilled about the prospect of experiencing a journey like that of the Jaredites, but it's a little too late to decide that now. We're already in the barges, and there's nothing but mountain waves and sea monsters in every direction. The only questions now are whether we'll seek the Lord's protection from the mountain waves and sea monsters and where we'll end up when we finally hit land. I want to land in a good place, and I want to get there safely. To that end, I will sing the Lord's praises and let His fierce winds drive me toward the Promised Land.
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