Beckoning from the Tree

Recently, a lady I know sat down with their teenagers to talk about cell phone usage. She told them that she and her husband would be setting time limits on certain apps on their phones. 

When one child expressed a little bit of unhappiness with this new limit, the mother said that she would set the same exact time limits on the same apps on her phone. They would all be in this new challenge together, and she would take the lead. I LOVE THAT SHE DID THIS. 

She was then shocked the next day when her “time limit” alert came much sooner than she expected. She didn’t realize how much she probably needed the time limits, too. 

What a beautiful example of a mother leading by example in her family. She is now able to sympathize and work on her own habits, while setting an invaluable example for her teenagers. 

Who partook of the fruit first in Lehi’s dream? 

Lehi.

This fruit was “desirable to make one happy”. 

Lehi tasted of that happiness and joy first. And THEN he desired that his family should partake of this same happiness. 

I think the order of this is so important. 

He tasted of this joyous fruit, STAYED by the tree, and beckoned his family members to come join him. 

He didn’t tread through the mists of darkness, he didn’t search through the great and spacious building, he didn’t wade through the water. 

He stayed by the tree as an example for his family members to follow. And many of them did follow him!

This is my passionate viewpoint for “Come Follow Me” as well. 

Are WE studying and learning and growing from the scriptures, tasting of that fulfilling JOY that comes from the Book of Mormon, and then beckoning our family members to come join us?

Or do we sometimes try to push them towards the tree while forgetting to stay by the sweet, white, happy tree ourselves?

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s a whole lot easier to teach a lesson about being kind and patient than it is to actually be kind and patient all the time. 

But when we make the journey to the tree, taste of the happiness, and then beckon others to join us, we make a much more compelling argument than if we have tasted it and then left. 

Taste the joy FIRST, and then stay by the tree.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black