Nephi ➡️ and Sam.
Both righteous men. Brothers.
And two different styles of believing.
I think it’s interesting that both of them followed their father and mother into the wilderness BEFORE receiving their own witness that they were really following the Lord.
They had borrowed their parents’ faith.
But after a few days in the wilderness, they both needed to know for sure.
NEPHI prayed. He cried unto the Lord. The Lord softened his heart.
And SAM believed Nephi’s words.
I think a lot of the time I’m like Nephi. I need to know for myself. I plead with the Lord and he eventually softens my heart.
And other times, I am like Sam. The experience and strong witness of others is good enough for me. In fact, it is often accompanied by my own spiritual experience and confirmation.
➡️ But Sam might have had a hard time believing if Nephi hadn’t shared his experience. ⬅️
Nephi shared his witness. And then Sam believed.
When I am like Nephi and I gain a strong witness of a principle or a doctrine, am I sharing it with the people I love?
Not that I need to share it everywhere with everyone.
But am I sharing it with my loved ones who may benefit from it? Or just keeping my testimony and witness to myself?
Conversion is powerful and personal.
But we also have the chance to uplift the Sams around us who may NEED to hear our story in order to start their own conversion.
How many times have WE been grateful for the touching stories that others have shared that have encouraged further conversion in our lives?
Sometimes we are Sam, and sometimes we are Nephi. And when we are Nephi, let’s have his courage to share what we have learned to help convert others.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
2 Responses
I love this thought. Last spring a man in my ward shared basically the same idea, except it was about him. Were talking spiritual gifts in Sunday School and he reminded us that “to some it is given to believe on their words”. He said that was his case, and that he really depended on the rest of us to share what we had gained a testimony of so that he could then begin to gain a testimony as well. It really struck me then and I’m grateful that you’ve reminded me of it. 🙂
Oh that’s a cool way to think of it, too! Thanks for sharing!