18 And it came to pass that they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power.
19 And behold, the words of the Lord had been fulfilled unto my brethren, which he spake concerning them, that I should be their ruler and their teacher. Wherefore, I had been their ruler and their teacher, according to the commandments of the Lord, until the time they sought to take away my life.
I didn't think much of these verses at first, but as I reread them I realized something that has stuck with me and is always on my mind now.
Nephi didn't want power, he didn't want to be their king at all, he just wanted them to all be happy together without one person having say over all the others. Heavenly Father wanted Nephi to be their ruler, not because he wanted Nephi to be the "BIG MAN" to yell and demand they bow to him, but he wanted Nephi to be their ruler so that he could teach them and guide them. And if he was in the position of ruler he could effectively teach his people the commandments of the Lord.
I thought this was such an interesting concept. How often do we want to be the leader so we can really have say of what can or can't happen? How often do we want a bit of power? I know for me, I like to have that little sense of control at times, and I am sure we all do because that is just natural! But instead of wanting to lead so we can control and say what's what, we should want to be leaders so we can TEACH, so we can GUIDE, so we can UPLIFT.
As missionaries we will be leaders. Let us all make sure that we don't fall into Satan's trap of wanting power and glory, but instead be humble leaders willing to learn as we go and teach with the spirit and guide others into the light that comes with the gospel.
HAPPY, HAPPY SABBATH
-- Sister Wagner
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