I was reading this morning in Ether 6 and was reminded of the metaphors of life given by the Jaredites journey to the promised land.
So, imagine you are in your life boat on the journey toward the "promised land" (exaltation):
"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... (God is at the helm. He is with great effort, helping you on your journey toward exaltation.)
"And thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind....they were many times buried in the depth 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...(Okay, so He didn't say that the journey was going to be smooth sailing.)
"And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish...[and] when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters...(If we are spiritually prepared by following the instructions from the Lord for a successful journey, then when we feel like we are drowning from the trials of our journey, all we need do is cry out to the Lord and he will deliver us.)
"And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land...thus they were driven forth before the wind...("Stay in the boat", God is still with us, "blowing" us toward our eternal goal.)
"And they did sing praises unto the Lord...and...did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord...("When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed. When you are discouraged thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.")
"And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water... ("Press forward with a steadfast faith in Christ", and no victory will be obtained by the adversary, because the light of Christ will be with us both day and night, both in good times and in bad, and we will come off conqueror.)
"And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water...("Does the journey seem long?", well it might be. How can we become long-suffering if we are never required to suffer for a long time?"--Brian K. Ashton, 2nd Counselor in the Sunday School General Presidency)
"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... ("More gratitude give me, more trust in the Lord, more pride in his glory, more hope in his word, more tears for his sorrows, more pain at his grief, more meekness in trial, more praise for relief.")
"And it came to pass that they went forth upon the face of the land, and began to till the earth...(Though the trial may be over, a new journey must begin; one that prepares for the future and teaches the younger generations to press forward, work diligently, and stay true to the everlasting God in heaven.")
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