Lehi was the first prophet of the Book of Mormon. Early in the timeline of the story of his life as a prophet, about 600 B.C., we learn of an extraordinary vision he received, known today as the Vision of the Tree of Life. In this vision, Lehi saw the Savior’s birth, ministry, and crucifixion, and also saw Satan’s efforts to undermine the Savior’s critical work on earth.
In this vision, he saw a tree, also called the Tree of Life, representing the love of God. A river of water ran near the tree, referred to as filthy water and representing Satan and all he stands for. Along the bank of the river, leading to the tree, was an iron rod, representing God’s word. A straight and narrow path led alongside the rod and to the tree. The tree held a fruit that was highly desirable, but you had to follow that very narrow, straight path to reach the tree. It might seem an easy thing to do, but as Lehi watched, many people intentionally left the path or wandered off of it, sidetracked by various distractions.
Lehi watched four groups of people start off on the path. The first started off well, but then encountered an intense mist of darkness. This mist represents temptation. The mist caused the people to fall off the path and wander away, because it was no longer easy to see the path and remain on it. Once off, they likely became distracted by all the temptations and neglected to return, and so they never obtained the desirable fruit.
The second group pushed on through the mist until they found the iron rod. They took hold of it and kept going, not allowing the mist to distract them from their goal. Regardless of the challenges, the iron rod—the word of God—kept them focused on the rewards at the end of the path. All was not well with this group, however. Even though they made it to the tree and tasted of the magnificent fruit, they quickly began looking around, checking out the reactions of others. There was a “great and spacious building” nearby, representing pride. The people in this building, dressed in elegant clothing, taunted the people who were eating the fruit. The people who had been enjoying the rewards of their journey suddenly found themselves embarrassed by the taunts, and quickly rushed off the path and joined those who felt that following the path was foolish or silly.
A third group found the path, stayed on it through the challenges, ate of the fruit and didn’t look around to collect opinions on their decision. Those people stayed to collect the rewards of their journey without any distractions at all. They received the fullness of the promised blessings.
The final group frequently fell into the river and drowned, or tried to find their way to the building with the rich and mocking people, but instead got lost and wandered aimlessly on strange paths.
This vision clearly outlines all the things that can happen to us as we seek out the path the Savior wants us to follow. Finding it isn’t enough. We have to have the focus and concentration to stay on it to the end, regardless of the temptations and distractions offered along the way. Certainly the world, led by Satan, offers many of those. He has gone out of his way to disguise sin as pleasure. Those sins can keep us from reaching a joy far greater than any temporary, worldly pleasure Satan might have to offer.
There are many people who do not have our best interests at heart. Unfortunately, it is easy to listen to them and to back down when it gets challenging. Teenagers, for instance, often care deeply about the opinions of their peers, and the teasing they receive for dressing modesty, practicing chastity, or spending the Sabbath doing the Lord’s will can push them off the path and onto one that seems easier, but robs them of true joy.
Many people wander aimlessly through life, playing games, watching television, and functioning without any purpose at all. They can spend their entire lives wandering around, never remembering the goal they once set for themselves, perhaps at baptism or other critical moments in their lives. When their lives end, they have nothing to show for the time they put into their lives.
The only way to return to our Father in Heaven is to get on the straight and narrow path, hold on to the iron rod (God’s word) and ignore the efforts of Satan and the world to distract you. Heaven matters. God matters. Don’t let anyone or anything distract you from enjoying the fruits of the Gospel and God’s love for you.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
