Lessons from the Writings of Jacob

Here are some things I’ve learned and tried to apply to my decisions as I’ve studied the words of Jacob over the past two weeks:

Teaching

• An effective teacher is motivated by a deep desire for their students’ happiness. They put their best efforts into their teaching, because they want their students to experience the peace and the confidence which the gospel can bring into their lives.
• Effective gospel teachers pray to understand what Heavenly Father wants them to teach.

Priorities

• The gospel is simple, and we need to avoid overcomplicating our obedience or service with unrealistic and unnecessary expectations. We generally know what we should be doing, and we should avoid “looking beyond the mark,” busying ourselves with less-important activities at the expense of the things that matter most.
• Even if we feel that our circle of influence is very small, we should remember that we are not forgotten. We should make the most of our current circumstances, trusting that the Lord has placed us where we are for a reason.

Revelation

• We should pray to understand what God wants us to do, not merely to make requests of Him.
• We need to connect frequently with the sources of revelation in our lives, in order to ensure that our testimonies are strong enough to withstand challenges.

Thoughts

• We ought to be aware of our patterns of thought. If we find ourselves beginning to “labor in sin,” we should repent and change those thought patterns.
• If we are tempted to think unkindly of other people, we should look for and learn from their positive attributes. We should also remember that behavior is influenced by multiple factors and give others the benefit of the doubt when they treat us unkindly.