fortitude: mental and
emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously
Last night I watched one of my all-time favorite movies, “Dan
in Real Life,” with a group of close friends. One scene stuck out to me like
never before. Dan and his daughters were in the midst of an annual family
reunion when he inadvertently fell for his brother’s girlfriend. In an effort
to get away from the couple and their lighthearted flirting he took his
daughter, niece and nephew on an impromptu field trip:
The scene reminded me something that happened back in
August. I was sitting on my couch and spotted a Book of Mormon on a nearby
shelf. It was the standard paperback issue the missionaries carry around. One
of my friends had left it in my apartment by accident while he was on splits
with the elders. On that particular afternoon my head was whirling. Something
rather confusing had happened and I wasn’t sure what it meant. I didn’t know if
I should feel hope or indifference. I picked up the book, closed my eyes,
flipped it around a few times so I wouldn’t know which cover was which, and
opened it. Keeping my eyes closed I placed my finger on the page. I opened my
eyes and read Ether 2:23:
And the Lord said
unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light
in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in
pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by light of
fire.
I recognized the story. The brother of Jared had just
built eight barges so his people could cross the ocean and inherit the Promised
Land. The barge design was completely enclosed except for a hole in the top and
in the bottom which would allow for light and air whenever the barge was on the
surface of the water. The brother of Jared had just asked, “Behold, O Lord,
wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?” (Ether2:22). The Lord continued:
For behold, ye
shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will
bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also
the rains and the floods have I sent forth.
And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot
cross this great deep save I prepare you
against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye
that I should prepare for you that ye have light
when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea? (Ether 2:24-25)
Before I continue the story of the brother of Jared I
want stop and look closely at these verses. First off the Lord compares the
barges to whales in the sea. The barges were designed to be completely
submerged while withstanding a beating from the ocean. Waves, winds, and floods
are each mentioned twice. Once the elements let up the barges could return to
the surface of the water and the top hole could be unstopped to allow for new
air. The word “prepare” is mentioned three times in verse 25. The brother of
Jared’s preparation included building the barges but it didn’t end there. The
Lord promised to prepare the people to cross the waters by giving them light.
He challenged the brother of Jared to figure out how to light each barge.
The mere prospect of riding in a modern-day submarine
freaks me out quite a bit. The idea of time-traveling back to the era of the
Tower of Babel and watching people construct vessels with no steering equipment
freaks me out even more. As mentioned in verse 23 there were no windows - only
a measly skylight in the top of each barge. The people were expected to commend
the vessels to the sea and leave all steering in the hands of the Lord. Okay, I
might be able to get on board with that but then the Lord promises to hammer them with waves, winds and floods. Holy cow.
Luckily the brother of Jared was a man of great faith, “highly
favored of the Lord” (Ether 1:34). Through his faith and prayers he and Jared successfully
avoided the confounding of tongues at the Tower of Babel (Ether 1:33-35). The Lord
spread that blessing to his family, Jared’s family and their friends and family
(Ether 1:36-37). The brother of Jared had led these people away from the tower
and through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land (Ether 1:38-43). He
had already had a hand at testing out similar barges in the sea in the
wilderness (Ether 2:6-7). Having already spent at least four years in the wilderness
with these people he certainly knew their strengths and abilities. Some part of
him knew the voyage was possible. Instead of backing down he stepped up to the
Lord’s challenge and came up with a solution for lighting the barges. “And it
came to pass that the brother of Jared, (now the number of the vessels which
had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the mount, which they called the
mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock
sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass;
and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount,” (Ether 3:1).
The third chapter of Ether gives an amazing account of
the brother of Jared praying to the Lord for forgiveness and pleading with him
to touch the sixteen stones, “…that they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels
which we have prepared, that we may have light when we cross the sea,” (Ether3:4). Paraphrasing can do this chapter no justice. It’s worth a review if you have
a few minutes.
After the Lord touched the stones, “the brother of Jared
came down out of the mount, and he did put forth the stones into the vessels
which were prepared, one in each end thereof; and behold, they did give light
unto the vessels” (Ether 6:2). The final preparations were made and once all of
the supplies were gathered the people, “got aboard of their vessels or barges,
and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God”
(Ether 6:4). We know that the Lord always makes good on his promises:
And it came to
pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the
face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon
the waves of the sea before the wind.
And it came to
pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the
mountain waves which broke upon them, and
also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the
wind. (Ether 6:6-7)
Although they were driven down into the dark waters time
and time again, “no water … could hurt them,” (Ether 6:7) because of the manner
and quality of the construction of the barges. Their physical preparation was
sufficient and their spiritual preparation was constantly tested. In order to
return to the surface the people would “cry unto the Lord.” The wind driving
them to the Promised Land was constant as were their songs of praise and
prayers of thanks (Ether 6:8-9).
And thus they were
driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that
could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the
water or under the water. (Ether 6:10)
These remarkable people survived these conditions for 344
days (Ether 6:11). That is three weeks shy of a year! If I had to choose between
spending 344 days in a sea-tossed barge or 344 days crossing the plains with
the pioneers I would probably pick the pioneer trek. That’s saying a lot!
And they did land
upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the
shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the
land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy
before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.
(Ether 6:12)
I’m grateful for that day back in August that led me to
rediscover the story of the brother of Jared. Much of the tumult and confusion
of summer has passed and, as predicted, fall is settling me down into a new,
calmer rhythm. As a result I’m vulnerable to a constantly creeping false sense
of security. Although I’m not in a barge several meters under the ocean’s
surface I am living in a wild world full of dangers and temptations. Perhaps
the greatest danger is forgetting I need God and the greatest temptation is to
become lax in following His commandments. I want my heart and my testimony to
be fortified and tight, “light unto a dish” (Ether 2:17). I don’t mean I want
my heart to be closed. I just want to make sure I open it at the opportune
times to let in new light and air. (Metaphorical light and air, that is. I don’t
want a pulmonary embolism!)
I have kept Ether 2:24-25 on my bathroom mirror for the
last month and a half. Remarkably September is already coming to a close. I’ve
had many joyful days this month. Sometimes things are going so well I look at
my bathroom mirror and think, “How could I have ever needed that scripture?” In
those moments I carefully read the verses out loud and remind myself that
anything can change at any moment. God has promised challenges and he has also
promised deliverance. May I never cease to see his miracles in my life.
