1 Nephi 1 (The book of 1 Nephi, chapter 1)

The Book of Mormon starts with the Book of Nephi. The paragraph before the start of Chapter 1 is a summary of the whole Book of Nephi written by Nephi himself (you will also find a little summary at the beginning of each chapter in italics that was added later by editors).

Nephi is the son of a prophet named Lehi who lived in Jerusalem around 600 B.C. during the time of the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament. Lehi has been preaching to the people of Jerusalem, telling them to repent or the city will be destroyed. They mock him and want to kill him. But the Lord shows Lehi remarkable visions, and he rejoices in the goodness of God and the promised-coming of a Messiah.

Lehi preaches to the people of Jerusalem

I’ve always really liked the very first verse of the Book of Mormon. Nephi introduces himself by saying, “I, Nephi… having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God…” So in the same breathe Nephi is saying that he has had a really difficult life, but he has been “highly favored” of God. I love his acknowledgement that even though bad and hard things happen to him, it doesn’t mean God is not aware of him, has abandoned him, or does not exist. It is very strengthening in the middle of challenges to be able to recognize the ways God blesses us and to see his goodness, even if we don’t fully understand the “mysteries” of why certain things happen as they do. This doesn’t mean we have to like the challenges or pretend they don’t hurt. It just means don’t overlook the blessings and mercies that also exist. 

--Megan