*Coaching and the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Alma and Nephi examples
So how does life coaching work with the gospel of Jesus Christ? In so many ways!! God has a plan for us. Men are that they might have joy. Part of His plan is that we might experience positive and negative emotions in order to learn and grow, develop empathy and compassion, and experience what life has to offer. When we turn to the Lord and "look unto [Him] in every thought; doubt not, fear not," we learn not only to trust Him, but to desire the thoughts He intends for us to think--thoughts about our great worth and the worth of all His children, and thoughts that will inspire the feelings to fill the measure of our creation and help accomplish His great work on this earth. When we choose to see things from the Lord's perspective, looking to Him for our thoughts, we see things from an eternal perspective. We see the good and maybe even the purpose in all things.
We see evidence of this in 1 Nephi 17:2 and 20. I find it so fascinating that Nephi and Laman have such different perspectives of the same situation. In verse 20, Laman is ornery and has a lot of negative thoughts going on. He complains about his father and brother and how foolish they are for leading them to wander in the wilderness. He murmurs that their women have toiled and had to struggle in childbirth in the wilderness. He gripes that they've suffered so much, "save it be death", and that it would have been better that they should have died than suffer all their afflictions.
Now just 18 verses earlier, Nephi expresses his gratitude to the Lord for their amazing blessings for the exact same situation! He sees how great their blessing are. He says their women were strong like the men, with plenty of nourishment to feed their babies. And they bore their journeying without murmuring and were strengthened and nourished by God, who provided for them. They were even able to live on raw meat (they must not have had to cook much--no wonder they didn't complain!).
This example shows us that we can find gratitude, peace, and joy in any situation. It doesn't mean we won't feel sorrow or grieve or struggle or suffer. That's all part of life. But it means that we can turn to the Lord and have a more celestial perspective on things if we choose to. Through Him, we can choose joy and have peace through our relationship with Him, revelation, and the power of the atonement.
A similar story occurs with the people of Limhi and the people of Alma. Both people are in bondage to another people. The people of Limhi really struggled with being in bondage, but the people of Alma turned to the Lord. I believe they looked unto Him in every thought. Because they had great persecutions and afflictions, they cried unto their God.
Even thought they "[could] not [vocally] raise their voices to the Lord their God,” the people of Alma “did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts” (Mosiah 24:12). The Lord responded to his people:
When they were delivered from bondage, they knew that none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God. He gave them great ideas to helpe them escape, and had power to keep the Lamanites asleep. The people of Alma thanked God because he had been merciful, and eased their burdens, and delivered them out of bondage.
Maybe in this situation, the Lord gives them atoning power as they looked to Him in every thought. Maybe He gave them believable thoughts that strengthened them and that is what lightened their burdens. They didn't feel them upon their backs. This is the power of the atonement working. They believed and trusted God, that He could help them, and when they turned to Him, He gave them that power. The Lord eventually delivers them from bondage to the Lamanites, but they had already been delivered spiritually before it actually happened. Is this because the power of the atonement worked through their trust and belief that the Lord could deliver them? Because their thoughts from the Lord gave them power to do hard things, overcome their struggles with being in bondage, so they developed patience, felt love, and could cheerfully submit to all the will of the Lord. I wonder how much the Lord gives us power from the atonement through the power of His and our thoughts.
Think of how we are in bondage to our thoughts. That is what can take away all our power. But when we look to the lord for our thoughts, we are delivered from the bondage of our negative and lying thoughts.
We see evidence of this in 1 Nephi 17:2 and 20. I find it so fascinating that Nephi and Laman have such different perspectives of the same situation. In verse 20, Laman is ornery and has a lot of negative thoughts going on. He complains about his father and brother and how foolish they are for leading them to wander in the wilderness. He murmurs that their women have toiled and had to struggle in childbirth in the wilderness. He gripes that they've suffered so much, "save it be death", and that it would have been better that they should have died than suffer all their afflictions.
Now just 18 verses earlier, Nephi expresses his gratitude to the Lord for their amazing blessings for the exact same situation! He sees how great their blessing are. He says their women were strong like the men, with plenty of nourishment to feed their babies. And they bore their journeying without murmuring and were strengthened and nourished by God, who provided for them. They were even able to live on raw meat (they must not have had to cook much--no wonder they didn't complain!).
This example shows us that we can find gratitude, peace, and joy in any situation. It doesn't mean we won't feel sorrow or grieve or struggle or suffer. That's all part of life. But it means that we can turn to the Lord and have a more celestial perspective on things if we choose to. Through Him, we can choose joy and have peace through our relationship with Him, revelation, and the power of the atonement.
A similar story occurs with the people of Limhi and the people of Alma. Both people are in bondage to another people. The people of Limhi really struggled with being in bondage, but the people of Alma turned to the Lord. I believe they looked unto Him in every thought. Because they had great persecutions and afflictions, they cried unto their God.
Even thought they "[could] not [vocally] raise their voices to the Lord their God,” the people of Alma “did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts” (Mosiah 24:12). The Lord responded to his people:
Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. (Mosiah 24:13–14)The narrative continues, detailing a miraculous occurrence for Alma and his people. “And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord” (Mosiah 24:15).
When they were delivered from bondage, they knew that none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God. He gave them great ideas to helpe them escape, and had power to keep the Lamanites asleep. The people of Alma thanked God because he had been merciful, and eased their burdens, and delivered them out of bondage.
Maybe in this situation, the Lord gives them atoning power as they looked to Him in every thought. Maybe He gave them believable thoughts that strengthened them and that is what lightened their burdens. They didn't feel them upon their backs. This is the power of the atonement working. They believed and trusted God, that He could help them, and when they turned to Him, He gave them that power. The Lord eventually delivers them from bondage to the Lamanites, but they had already been delivered spiritually before it actually happened. Is this because the power of the atonement worked through their trust and belief that the Lord could deliver them? Because their thoughts from the Lord gave them power to do hard things, overcome their struggles with being in bondage, so they developed patience, felt love, and could cheerfully submit to all the will of the Lord. I wonder how much the Lord gives us power from the atonement through the power of His and our thoughts.
Think of how we are in bondage to our thoughts. That is what can take away all our power. But when we look to the lord for our thoughts, we are delivered from the bondage of our negative and lying thoughts.
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