16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.
17 And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he believed in my words.
18 But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them.
19 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.
When I think about Nephi, I picture a man with great wisdom and confidence. We're reminded in this scripture that Nephi was not very old. He lived in a time of great turmoil. There was contention in his family, and in his city. So many different people were telling him different things that he should believe and feel. When you think about it like that it kind of sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Nephi made a choice. He chose to ask, in prayer, what was right, and he was blessed for it. That same ability and same blessings have been given to us. Nephi's blessings came because of his faith and because he sought diligently.
"Diligently" doesn't mean that the first time Nephi asked, he received a vision or a definite answer. Definitions of diligently include "constant in effort to accomplish something" and "characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort." We all have the power to be diligent. To continue trying, to keep pushing forward, even to start again when we have slipped.
I am so grateful for my testimony. There are two components of my testimony that I consider to be the greatest gifts in my life. First is my knowledge that my Heavenly Father knows me by name, and the second is that, no matter how long it has been or what I have done, He hears me each time I come to Him in prayer. There have been times in my life that I have struggled with great trials, and this has helped me. But more significantly, it is the day to day trials, and sometimes simply getting through each day, where this has become even more important to me. Without this knowledge, I don't know how I would keep going. There would be times that all of this simply wouldn't be worth it. Times that I felt too alone, and life too heavy. How grateful I am that during those times, small, simple, tender mercies happen in my life that remind me about what I already know and have simply momentarily forgotten. When I stop and think, I realize how often those tender mercies happen.
At the age of 17, I had a pretty good testimony. Nothing earth shattering, just a quiet assurance that the things I had been taught all of my life were true. One night, after a week at Education Week listening to great speakers, my friend played a song for me. The song was "Never A Better Hero" by Kenneth Cope. While listening to that song, I came to know, in a way that I could never deny, that my Heavenly Father knew me by name. Years later, though I haven't always lived a perfect life, I still know this. This knowledge has been my rock and my salvation through the years. I am so thankful for the testimony that I have been able to share these last few months. It has been strengthened through my sharing and through hearing the thoughts and testimonies of so many others. Prayer works. He is listening. He knows you and He loves you.
I look forward to spending the week with you!
Love, Sis. Norris
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