Lehi's Dream

Lehi’s dream was simple but profound.  There was a iron rod leading through the darkness and murky waters to a tree, the tree of life with fruit that symbolizes the love of God.  It is the best food Lehi ever had and so he desired his family to have it.  Feeling Gods love in all its power is beauty beyond words and once you experience it for yourself you want to share it with the world starting with those closest to you.  Its power is life changing and ultimately for the better, though it depends on the individual.
Personally I have found no better analogy, no better story that sums up how to attain Gods love and salvation than the dream of Lehi.  It appears in the very beginning of the Book of Mormon, which above all else is another testament of Jesus Christ, and for me it is perhaps the best part of the Book of Mormon and certainly one of my favorite Gospel stories.
And then there was a house full of people who mocked and laughed at those partaking of the fruit.  Now people often add details like these people swilling booze, smoking, being sexual and really any sin visceral enough to illicit a vigorous response.  But the point is well taken, these are people not only uninterested in the gospel but think that it is laughable and are also repulsed by the gospel for whatever reasons.  So again, point taken.
But times are different now than they were then, though there really is nothing new in terms of sin or virtue but since we live in the age of information thanks to the world wide web every sin is only a click away. 
Matter of fact on my blogger dashboard I am given the referring sites and URL’s that make up my blogs traffic sources and imagine my surprise when I click on a link only to find out that it is a porn site and double my amazement when I see that I’m getting repeated hits from said site.
I try not to judge but I can’t help be bothered by the thought that someone is gratifying their sexual desires only to suddenly wonder what I’ve been up to and then find their way to my blog,…… repeatedly.
My point is that in Lehi’s dream this house of heathens is far off in the distance and now it seems that that house has now moved not just closer to the iron rod which represents the word of God but perhaps also the path we are called to follow, and now hovers over top of that rod and we as followers of Christ must wade our way through all manner of sin to reach the fruit of God’s love.
But hope is not lost because though all that is sinister and evil about humanity is available on the web, all that has ever been good, every virtue and every inspiring story humanity has to offer is also available to us.  The web is nothing more than a medium, a tool of communication and it can be our greatest tool for salvation or our Achilles heel.  It all depends on what you desire, you reap what you sow.
But Lehi’s dream is to my mind crucial, and it seems to be so for so many Mormons because we have been given such a simple story to guide us to salvation.  There will always be haters, naysayers, and those that stand against everything and anything we stand for.  Namely what some characterize as false beliefs or “weird” practices.
I’ve always been baffled, quite honestly, about the debate between those who believe they are saved by grace and those of us who say it’s actually a combination of grace and works.  I’ve heard some quote scripture and say that it proves all you have to do is pray and declare to God that you believe in Jesus and the Gospel he preached.  And then you don’t actually have to back it up with works because they see that as trying to “purchase” salvation.
While I would say that for those of us who believe it is a combination of grace and works the answer is that yes grace is fundamental because we are not perfect, we’re human.  But when we Mormons describe the works portion of the equation we relate that we believe that as Jesus said the righteous will be known by their fruit or in other words the works of their lives.  The way you treat others and live your life is proof or disproof as to whether or not you have been truly saved and for as much as you try, for as perfect you may be, you likely will not be as perfect as we are called to be, on this side of eternity anyway.
But that’s where the unconditional love of Christ and the Grace of God come into play and make the difference.  Remember if we achieve perfection we would be translated, wouldn’t we?
We are given a great analogy in Lehi’s dream to guide us through our journey on Earth.  We are told to rely on the word of God in this dream and elsewhere in scripture we are warned against trusting in the arm of flesh, in essence the philosophies of men mingled with scripture.  It’s not that having your own take or philosophy of the Gospel is wrong, we must have that and Jesus ensured that we have that agency to have that liberty.  But God wants us to rely on his word, either in scripture or as related to a prophet, because only God is capable of the leadership we need and deserve.  God will not fail, but the arm of flesh sooner or later will.
May that be a real lesson to us. May we learn to trust in the Lord. For, "It's better to put your trust in the Lord than your confidence in man. It's better to put your trust in the Lord than your confidence in princes" (Psalm 118:8-9).
Jeremiah 17:5 warns, "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord."
And if your testimony is rooted more firmly in the arm of flesh rather than the word of God we are in danger of being led astray or of losing our testimony and leaving the one church that we believe has the Gospel in all its fullness.   
If to you any man or woman represents the Gospel perfectly, when they inevitably fail or fail you in some way you may find your faith shaken.  But if your faith is in the word of God, whether in scripture or in divine revelation to our prophets, both ancient and modern, then it will take much more to shake your faith.
And if you hold to that iron rod which represents the word of God then that will guide your path through the murky waters that life at times has to offer, you will successfully wade through that house of people mocking you, saying you believe in a “different Jesus,” those who entice you with sins of every kind, tempting as any forbidden fruit can be but not as satisfying, fulfilling or ultimately in your best interest as the fruit of God’s love is.