“Satan drags, but God leads.”

art by Kenzie Jo

I was talking to a good friend the other day and she mentioned that Laman and Nephi both received answers to what Lehi’s dream represented—but Nephi got his answers from God and Laman got them from Nephi—and what a big difference that made. 

Joseph F Smith said, “The spirit of God speaking to the spirit of man has power to impart truth with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact EVEN WITH HEAVENLY BEINGS. Through the Holy Ghost, the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot be forgotten.”

Obviously, we want our children to have personal experiences with the Lord like Nephi—but we can’t MAKE that happen.

As I was pondering Nephi’s early spiritual experiences though, I noticed a pattern.

Nephi’s experience where he was visited by the Lord (1 Ne 2:16) came because he cried unto the Lord wanting to understand the things His father saw in a vision about needing to leave Jerusalem. 

Nephi’s experience of seeing an angel and being led by the spirit to get the plates came after Lehi received revelation from the Lord to get the brass plates. 

And Nephi’s vision in 1 Ne 11 came because he desired to know the things his father saw in his dream of the tree of life. 

Nephi’s early spiritual experiences seemed to be spurred on by his father having and sharing his own personal experiences.

That really struck me. 

As I have consistent experiences with God and share those experiences with my kids, it just might inspire them to have experiences of their own. 

We can’t force, but we can inspire. 

As Tyler Griffen said, “Satan drags, but God leads.”