Metaphors

I had a similar experience (albeit in the modern world) to the exodus of Lehi from Jerusalem into the wilderness. Lehi, received a vision that they needed to leave Jerusalem and so the next day they packed up and left and "dwelt in a tent". The beginning of my junior year in high school my father took a position as an instructor in a far away place much different than where were living at the time. As a family we fasted to know if we should all move so that we could all be together. That Sunday when my father was attending church one of the church leaders said he didn't know why, but that he felt impressed to tell my father that he should be with his family. We took that as an answer to our prayers and moved to be with him. Both Lehi's family and my family recognized the need to be together. In today's modern world it is sometimes hard and many times impossible for families to be together all the time. It was a little bit hard to leave all my friends and be the new guy, but I knew that our family was supposed to be there and we were all together and that is what mattered most.

Lehi used metaphors to try and relate the gospel to Laman and Lemuel. I don't think they quite grasped the concepts he was trying to teach them, but at least they made it to the promised land (barely). Metaphors and analogies are a powerful way to teach the gospel, and a powerful way to learn the gospel. Being able to see God in things is a gift that I wish I had. I know people that are really good at relating every day things to their eternal perspective. This is a good skill to teach our children and to remember in our family relationships.