Over the past few weeks I have felt very impressed that I need to follow the example (and pleadings) of my husband to study my scriptures in Spanish.
So this week I embarked on my journey of reading the Book of Mormon en Español.
There is something to be said about reading the “plain and precious truths” in a translated language. For me, I have made some personal discoveries that have caused me deep reflection.
One example is when Nephi goes into the city of Jerusalem, “being led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do” (1 Nephi 4:7).
“Nevertheless,” Nephi says, “I went forth.”
In Spanish, Nephi says, “No obstante, segui adelante.”
The phrase “seguir adelante” is the same two words that are used in 2 Nephi 31:20 and would translate into English “press forward” as in “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ.”
What a light it sheds on why it was not hard for Nephi to obey the word of the Lord, for he literally “pressed forward” finding Laban, following the Spirit, and retrieving the plates.
A second example found in 1 Nephi 6:3 I shared this morning at family scriptures. It comes at the end of the verse and aptly expresses why Nephi feit so strongly about his purpose of writing the things of God.
In English Nephi writes, “for I desire THE ROOM that I may write of the things of God.”
From Spanish to English it would translate literally like this: “I desire THE SPACE to write of the things of God.”
As I thought about one of my earliest posts, about my stony heart/my heart fleshy, I started reflecting upon the SPACES in my life.
Are those spaces being filled with things of God? Or the things of men?
Are my spaces being used up by mindless, brainless, useless things? Or are they being fulfilled by meaningful, fulfilling, eternal-building things?
Are the spaces within me building, uplifting, encouraging and upholding others? Or are they things that demean, tear-down, belittle and intimidate those around me?
How grateful I am that in any language the word of God can “teach me all that I must do, to live with Him someday.”
It is so great that your Spanish is good enough to read in it, especially the scriptures! Doc's great great great grandfather was the person assigned by Brigham Young to translate the book from English to Spanish, which I've always thought was a cool family tidbit.
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