Asking like Nephi instead of questioning like Laman and Lemuel

As Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is it okay to have questions about the gospel, the prophet, the leaders? I would say most definitely yes...in fact, it is spiritually healthy to ask questions but please hear me out and keep reading.

One main purpose of this life is to become an agent to ourselves. Agency is essential to our eternal identity and honestly we could not make it to the greatest kingdom without it. Also remember that was the difference in the plan that was rejected and the great plan that was accepted. In order to be an agent to ourselves we do need to understand what we are choosing and why.

But as we ask questions lets look to the scriptures to two examples of brothers, raised in the same household who also asked questions but did so with different intents and with different outcomes. Lets think of Nephi vs Laman and Lemuel who were all faced with their father's, the prophet's, counsel to leave their familiar and comfortable home and go into the wilderness and face some hefty obstacles. I can't even imagine how hard this decision would have been. I am sure we only know a tiny part of what they suffered.



Nephi had "great desires" and he did "cry" unto the Lord. Nephi is then sad that his brothers murmur about it and the Lord tells Nephi "Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.

Nephi knelt in prayer, he really wanted to know the truth. He cried unto the Lord which to me is an emotional, diligent prayer and he was lowly of heart. He got an answer which in the end would prove to set his feet sternly on a path of faithfulness and obedience. He later became truly blessed by the Lord and was able to withstand hardships and even save all his family several times as they made their travels because of his faith.

His brothers were faced with the same question but instead of kneeling in prayer, crying unto the Lord and diligently seeking to know the truth with lowliness of heart (it later says that they even admitted not asking the Lord) they questioned still, a lot. In fact they had lots and lots of questions. They continued to question but they didn't ask. They never resolved their concerns with the Lord. These brothers actually tried to be good but they didn't do the simple things of the gospel. They were great leaders and were, in their culture meant to lead since they were the elder brothers. I think that in some way (now this is my own opinion here) they might have loved the "hunt" more than the prize, the loved to eloquently ask questions and make others, that they considered to be blindly following, stop, think and question as well. They only wanted answers that suited their own purposes. When we diligently seek with lowliness of heart we need to be prepared to sometimes not get the answer we want or think we should get.

I hope I can be like a Nephi. It was like he put his running shoes on once he got his answer and he took off in a sprint, He never wavered, looked back or stopped once he received his answer. He was able to spiritually progress much, much more along the way and bless the lives of others. In fact, his faithfulness reaches in and blesses my life today many years later by being one of the first to compile his own thoughts into what we know as The Book of Mormon today. I want to try to avoid being like Laman and Lemuel who questioned but didn't ask. Their pride was an issue that entangled them to the end and kept them from reaching their full potential.