5

Where Should We Go?

And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit. And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; and at the head thereof I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.
—1 Nephi 8:13–14

Thoughts, Insights, and Observations

Lehi had found the lone source of ultimate joy and happiness, and after the humbling and frightening experience of traversing the dark and dreary wilderness, he beheld before him the tree of life. Its fruit was ripe and ready for the taking. And at this point, it wasn’t so very hard to come by. All he had to do was go forth and partake. He did partake, and he found maximum sweetness and joy. And it did, in fact, grow on trees.

It’s interesting to note the order in which Lehi saw the elements of the dream. The first thing he saw as he emerged from the dark and dreary wilderness, was the tree. After partaking of the fruit, he noticed the river. While looking for the source of the river, he saw a few members of his family, and called to them. At this point, Lehi had not yet seen the rod of iron or the great and spacious building.

When Lehi encountered the tree, he knew that the fruit was “desirable to make one happy” (1 Nephi 8:10). Sariah, Sam, and Nephi, on the other hand, “knew not whither they should go.” It appears they weren’t moving at all, since Lehi says “they stood.”

In the book of Acts, we read about a man of Ethiopia who was reading the book of Esaias (Isaiah) when Philip drew near and said, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” and he responded, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” (Acts 8:30–31; evidently, even those who lived 2,000 years ago sometimes needed help understanding Isaiah). We could all use a guide from time to time, someone who knows. Lehi knew. And he wanted to share what he knew with a loud voice to those he loved most.

Applying the Dream to Our Reality

Each person is born into this world in his or her own unique circumstance. My mother was born into the Church and has ancestors who crossed the plains. My father joined the Church after serving in World War II and witnessing much of the great and spacious building. My mother has remained near the tree her whole life with no desire to go touring. My father saw enough of the great and spacious that when he tasted the fruit of the gospel the contrast was powerful and unmistakable.

Perhaps we could say that each of us has different starting lines in life. Some are born and raised in the great and spacious building and find the tree. Some go through life without knowing anything about the tree, and are kept from the joys of the gospel because they don’t know where to look. But once we have tasted of the fruit, or the love of God, as Nephi called it, we can become guides who beckon to others with a loud voice.

Joseph Smith called on all of us to serve as “guides” when he observed from Liberty Jail:

For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven. (D&C 123:12–13; emphasis added)

In this world, it appears that some instinctively know where to go and what will make them happy. Some say, “I’ve known from my earliest years that God lives. I’ve never doubted, I’ve just always known.” Others have struggled and suffered and endured and have come later in life to the knowledge of the truth and of what matters most. Still others stand still not knowing where they should go. Our role is simple and was defined by the Savior in seven words: “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32).