2024 is the year my heart was healed through the power of forgiveness. Scriptures teach over and over again that we are blessed when we “frankly forgive”. (! Nephi 7:5-21). One of the blessings that I’ve experienced first hand after forgiving someone who I felt had wronged me eight years ago, is to find renewed hope, faith, and even a renewed purpose and strength to find light; especially a desire to seek after spiritual things and no longer carry subtle hostility that carries over into many aspects in life.
Holding fast to the word of God leads me to the Savior and helps me feel His love.
Symbol from Lehi’s vision | Meaning | Questions to ponder
Tree and its fruit (1 Nephi 8:10–12) | When you keep commandments and are changed daily, the spirit helps you find gratitude in all that you have, and helps you find joy in doing good and in working hard. The spirit changes you from the inside out and helps you find true happiness. The fruit and the rivers of water that come from the Tree represent the joy that comes from the LOVE OF GOD | Inviting others to read the Book of Mormon, seek righteousness, and find Christ is something that I should do every day with those whom I meet when prompted.
River (1 Nephi 8:13) | The river could represent the fast pace of knowledge, ideas, opinions, and choices that have current and influence especially if you are standing in the middle of it and not anchored to anything stable on the shore. | How can I have the strength to resist the flow?
Rod of iron (1 Nephi 8:19–20, 30) | The iron rod symbolizes stability, a guide, something that I must actively hold onto for it to be of any worth to me, among other things. Anything that comes from God perhaps? Scriptures, prophet writings, truth? Being filled with the LOVE OF GOD every day is perhaps another way of describing feeling the Spirit. For 8 years I carried a burden that God did not Love me, nor was I feeling the love of God–all of that changed when I made it a new year’s resolution to ask those who had offended me or I had given ofence for forgiveness. When doing so, the person who had offended me sought my forgiveness. I gave it to him and from that moment on, I’ve felt a renewed spirit of GOD’S LOVE in my life, more strength, a clearer mind, more focus, and above all more joy and love towards everyone especially my family and Andrea. What a blessing indeed! | How can I actively hold onto the iron rod every day? How will it help me throughout my life? How can I help influence others to do the same?
Mist of darkness (1 Nephi 8:23) | These mists of darkness could be symbolic of voices and opinions that confuse good vs. evil, discourage someone from holding onto the iron rod, discourage someone from believing in the church and in Christ, trials, hardships, life experiences that can blow and push you away from the path–unless you are holding onto the iron rod with all of your might during these mist of darkness times. |. What kind of mists have you endured so far in your life? Were you blown off the path? If so, how hard was it to find the path again? Were you holding onto the iron rod during these times? How can I hold onto it more regularly and with more determination?
Lehi’s vision of the tree of life is one of the most powerful symbolic descriptions of the mortal experience found in any scripture that helps explain hardships, trials, joys, and warnings that apply to all.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-home-and-church-book-of-mormon-2024/03?lang=eng