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Cover image: “Tree of Life” by Kazuta Uota.

The guidebook claimed that the Pu’u O Kila lookout would provide not only one of the best views on the island of Kauai, but in the whole Pacific. I highlighted that sentence in neon yellow, so my husband and I would remember to check it out. Weeks later, on our anniversary trip to Hawaii, we headed up highway 550 to see what all the fuss was about. On the way, I consulted the guidebook once again, noticing the warning that heavy mists often arose from the ocean, obscuring the beautiful view. We pulled into the parking area of the overlook, discovering that the author of the guidebook wasn’t kidding. Walking over to the railing, we found that the mists completely hid everything more than a foot beyond the fence. Though we were disappointed, there was really nothing to do but laugh. We couldn’t resist documenting the moment and the mist that so thoroughly hid the promised beautiful vista:

<figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><figcaption>Mist at Pu’u O Kila overlook, Kauai.</figcaption></figure>

Driving back
down the highway, I marveled at how completely the heavy mist had obscured our
view. Not surprisingly, my mind filled with images from the scriptures: the
mists of darkness that hid the path leading to the glorious tree of life which
the prophet Lehi saw in a vision. I think it is no accident that the vision of the
tree of life, with all its symbolism, appears just fourteen pages into The Book
of Mormon. The vision could have been given to any of the prophets–and maybe
it was shown to others–but it is
Lehi who records it. Thus, even though many readers of The Book of Mormon struggle
to make it past the “Isaiah chapters” of 2^nd Nephi, they have already
found something of great value by encountering Lehi’s extraordinary vision.

Before the
vision can have any real meaning for us, it is essential to identify what the
tree symbolizes. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland “taught that the tree of life is a
symbol of Jesus Christ. He said: “The images of Christ and the tree [are]
inextricably linked…Christ is portrayed as the source of eternal life and joy,
the living evidence of divine love…” (1) Next, we must identify the symbol
which leads to the tree, referred to as the rod of iron. “What meaneth the rod
of iron…that led to the tree? …it was the word of God; and whoso would
hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never
perish…” (1 Nephi 15:24 ) What
does Lehi’s vision mean for us? It
shows that we must maintain a firm grip on the iron rod while keeping a laser-focus
on Jesus Christ.

“Pondering the value of having a single-minded
focus on a goal brings to my mind an incident which occurred decades ago. My
oldest brother, Steve, and I were touring several Asian countries with a group
of university students. First stop: Japan. On a Sunday morning, as the group
boarded a crowded subway, Steve found a seat a bit away from his friends. The
motion of the train, combined with jet lag, lulled him into a sound sleep. In
fact, he slept so deeply that he was completely oblivious when his group
reached its destination and exited the subway.

Blissfully unaware of their departure, my
snoozing brother continued his journey out of Tokyo–way out of Tokyo. He finally awoke when a subway janitor brushed a
broom against Steve’s shoe.  Looking
around, he found that he was sitting on a deserted subway car, having reached
the end of the line. Instead of a bustling city around him, there were only
empty fields. Back in downtown Tokyo the subway signs had romanizations under
the Japanese kanjis (symbols) so even those who didn’t speak Japanese could
read and understand, but Steve was now so far out of the city that the signs
had only kanjis, which he could not
read. He had no way of even knowing the name of the place he had reached. An
attempt to use a pay phone only brought frustration since the Japanese operator
spoke no English. What does one do in such a pre-cell phone predicament? How
does someone so lost reach their destination?

While a dozen thoughts and prayers rushed
through his mind, Steve spotted a blonde head among the few dark-haired people
on the subway platform, and he approached its owner, hoping she could speak
English and help him. Bingo. The blonde woman was an American, working in Japan
as an English teacher. She kindly identified the symbols for Tokyo for Steve
and even copied them onto his hand in ink. 
After steering him in the right direction, she encouraged him to keep
looking for the same kanjis on the subway signs and follow them till he arrived
back in Tokyo. Telling him that one symbol stood for to and the other for kyo, she
cautioned him against switching the order or he would end up in Kyoto, hundreds
of miles from where he wanted to be.

Fortunately, Steve was carrying enough money in
his wallet to purchase tickets for the ride back to Tokyo. There was no napping
on this journey, no casual approach
to finding his way. The first order of business, he discovered, was to preserve
the two ink symbols on the palm of his hand since the combination of heat
humidity, and nervous perspiration were threatening to melt them away. Palm up
and flat, he studied the symbols closely, looking for corresponding kanjis on
subway signs. Occasionally, he had to get the attention of a Japanese traveler,
point to his hand, and say, “Tokyo,” so people could help him find the correct
symbols. Many hours later, Steve arrived in downtown Tokyo, taking a cab for
the final leg of the journey to the Miyako Hotel, where his university
group–especially his sister–was greatly relieved to see him again.

By identifying the symbols to follow and
keeping a single-minded focus on his intended goal, Steve made it safely back
to Tokyo. In order to reach the tree of life and partake of its fruit, we must
be focused on our goal with the same intensity.” (2)

President Boyd K. Packer spoke powerfully about the meaning of
Lehi’s dream: “One word in this dream or vision should have special meaning to…Latter-day
Saints. The word is after. It was after
the people had found the tree that they became ashamed, and because
of the mockery of the world they fell away.

“And after they had tasted of the fruit they were
ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into
forbidden paths and were lost…

“And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange
building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the
finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also.” That was the test; then Lehi said, “But
we heeded them not” (1 Nephi 8:28 , 33;
emphasis added). And that was the answer.”
(3)

<figure class="aligncenter size-large">8:34 )" /><figcaption>“Heed Them Not” by Sarah Merkley</figcaption></figure>

Wherever we find ourselves along the path which
leads to the Savior, I recommend four ways to lessen the effects of the mists
of darkness and the impact of the pointing fingers:

1. We must be clear in our understanding of what constitutes the rod of iron: it is the word of God as taught in the scriptures and by modern day prophets and apostles. The internet has flooded us with information, some of which is useful, none of which should replace God’s word. When we place too much confidence in the creators of the endless blogs, podcasts, social media posts, and articles at our disposal–we are on shaky ground. Everyone has an opinion, and many people are articulate, passionate and persuasive in expressing their views. While we may find some elements of truth or discover sound advice among the many available voices, the moment we begin to replace daily feasting on the word of God with any other voice, our hands slip from the iron rod and we are at great risk spiritually.
   
2. A powerful antidote for the influence of the great and spacious building lies in a very different building–the holy temple. The more we become acquainted with the Plan of Salvation, as taught in the temple, the more we will understand “…things as they really are…” (Jacob 4:13 ) We will begin to more easily recognize the influence of the pointing fingers and immunize ourselves against its effects. “The more time we spend in the peaceful, uncluttered atmosphere of the temple, where modesty and simplicity prevail, the more we become aware of the contrast between the Lord’s ways and the ways of the world.” (4)  Eld