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| ©Darrell Wyatt |
When I was younger and just about ready to get my driving permit, my dad decided to let me drive the block home from a friends house with him. I had never been in the driver's seat before, and I was a little nervous. I started out fine, albeit very slowly. I headed down the street and promptly ran the first stop sign. I was afraid if I stopped, I wouldn't be able to get started again since the car had a manual transmission. At the turn, I thought that I was doing fine. I began to turn the wheel and accelerate. The problem was, I didn't turn the wheel nearly hard enough and headed across the road and straight for a barn. Luckily, because I was going so slowly, the car rolled to a stop on its own before I could do any damage to the barn or the car. My dad handled the whole thing in stride. He knew that it wasn't really my fault, since I had never driven before. He did drive the rest of the way home, though.
Looking back, I think I know what happened. I had watched my parents drive many times. I sort of knew, from watching them, how to drive. Turn the wheel when necessary, apply the brakes to slow down, use the lever to turn on the blinkers. But I didn't know how hard to turn the wheel or what pressure was necessary to speed up or slow down.
This morning, I read of the Nephites' descent from "great order in the land" to "a state of awful wickedness". They had defeated the Gadianton robbers and lived in peace for a few years. They began to prosper exceedingly in all things - crops, riches, clothing. They were very blessed.
And the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances of learning; yea, some were ignorant because of their poverty, and others did receive great learning because of their riches. (3 Nephi 6:12)
Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this - Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world.
And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity...(3 Nephi 6:15-16)
These were the same people who had seen the signs of Christ's birth. They continued to receive signs and wonders from heaven, and just a few years prior, "there was not a living soul among [them] who did doubt in the least" all the things that had been prophesied. The very same people who were now committing all manner of sin and iniquity.
Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them; therefore they did wilfully rebel against God. (3 Nephi 6:18)
Willful rebellion. I really hadn't thought of that before. It's like my driving experience. Because I hadn't been given the proper instruction, I couldn't be held accountable for my driving errors. However, now that I have been through a driving course and learned all the proper techniques and driving rules, anytime that I run a stop sign or exceed the speed limit amounts to willful rebellion. If I break the rules, I do not do it ignorantly. I know the rules.
The same is true in other aspects of my life. I have the knowledge and light of the gospel. I know why I'm here and where I'm headed and what's expected of me. If I neglect to make the right choices, I am willfully rebelling against God. That's pretty powerful.
I watch my kids, and the rate that they learn, and I can correlate my first driving experience with their little lives. My younger children are learning the basic rules - no stealing, no lying, love one another, while my older kids are gradually gaining the knowledge that they need to really be able to follow all these rules. They are learning the reasons behind the commandments. They are learning, in depth, the consequences that come from breaking the commandments.
Just as I watched my parents drive and relied on their knowledge that first time I got behind the wheel, my kids are relying on my knowledge of the gospel until they can have a firm grasp of the gospel principles on their own. Their simple testimonies are grounded in the testimonies that my husband and I have. Some of their sins are in ignorance. They don't have the knowledge yet to make all the right decisions all the time. They have to lean on us, as parents, to guide them through until they do have the knowledge of their own. My example to them is vital. I cannot let them ever see me in willful rebellion - even if they don't understand what that means. I must be steadfast in keeping the commandments at all times, and continue helping them build their own knowledge. Eventually, they're going to have to take the wheel on their own. I can only work and hope that I've given them the knowledge and skill to drive safely.
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