Wilderness Training and Survival

As I have read the account of Lehi and his family journeying into the wilderness I have always been puzzled by several items in the account. I am first perplexed when Lehi tells his sons to return all the way back to Jerusalem to get the written record of their people. To go back and get the genealogy of their fathers means considerable time lost! perhaps weeks!  But did they miss the message earlier from God to go back and get those darn records! Did they imagine someone else had grabbed them and then in a family  discussion realize...,

" I thought you got those!"

"No, you told me you were getting the brass plates, remember?"

Nevertheless, the four sons go, two willingly and two unwillingly,  all the way back to Jerusalem and return with the record of their people.

The next befuddlement for me,  comes when in a " Oh yeah....we need wives for our sons" moment  Lehi tells his sons to return to Jerusalem a second time to have Ishmael, who has daughters, and his family join them in the wilderness.

Huh?

Didn't they just go back for some plates and couldn't you just have told them,  Lord to get the wives when they were in town last time?

Nevertheless, the four sons go and return after much time has passed with Ishmael's family and with future wives in tow. 

I wonder why such seeming disorganization comes from God?

These same questions have been discussed in Sunday School lessons and the answers are usually 

1. they needed to learn patience

2. the Lord wanted to see if they would obey

3. or they needed to learn how to rely fully on the Lord

I have accepted and agreed with those answers. I believe the series of events was purposeful but in my frail human way I still wonder if someone missed the prompting earlier on. 

For me there is personal application today because I have been asked to return to "Jerusalem" and while I want to say that I have more of a positive, Nephi attitude than a negative Laman one,  I can't say for sure. 

My Story?

Jon was offered a job in Nashville. We prayed and asked if it was the right decision for our family that we would have that confirmed feeling of approval. We did. 

We moved forward with faith and confidence in the answer we had received.

We worked so hard on getting our house ready to sell... 

Painting

Scrubbing

Fixing

The attitude was if we do our part the Lord will do His part. 

Amen to that, Sista! 

Our family left behind all our personal belongings and landed in a glorified hotel room, which is wilderness-like, in Nashville. We fasted and prayed that our house would sell quickly. We made several trips back to fix light switches and a tiny hole in the basement shower. 

We picked neighborhoods and wards in Nashville. We felt confident that our time in the apartment would be short. Shane and Cassie went to youth conference there and made new friends. They went to weekend get-togethers, pool parties, basketball games and movies with their newfound friends. They attended friend's soccer games and cheered them on.

Jon and I, mostly me, like Sariah, began to lament. The looming school start date was coming at me fast! Where would the kids go to school in Nashville? Friends offered support and help with ideas. Hope wavered and logic kicked in.

Finally, Jon and I came to the conclusion that coming back here and putting the kids in school was the best answer. Yesterday we tried and tried to make sense of how to stay in Nashville and get kids in school so we could be together as a family. Our gut tells us every time that I have to return to the wilderness and wait and survive... endure it well. 

And learn.