Reading Ether 6–7 Jared and his people had a problem—actually two problems.
They had a light problem.
How do you see when your vessel is buried under the water?
And they had an air problem.
How do you breathe?
It struck me that we face both kinds of problems in our lives.
Some problems are light problems. They matter, but they’re not life-threatening. We’re trying to see clearly. We’re making decisions. We wonder where the answers will come from. And somehow, as we move forward, light comes. A thought. A feeling. A quiet nudge.
I have no doubt that when we’re living as the brother of Jared and his people were living, those moments are guided by the Holy Ghost.
But then there are air problems.
These are the moments when we feel like we can’t breathe. When the waves are too big, the winds too strong, and we are completely out of our depth. These are the moments when we don’t just want guidance—we need it to survive.
And the pattern is the same: we have to ask.
The Lord’s instruction to the Jaredites always fascinated me—holes in the top and the bottom of the barges. Open them for air. Close them when the water comes in. It probably didn’t make complete sense at the time. But when they were tossed in the depths of the sea, I’m sure it became very clear.
How often does the Lord guide us in ways that don’t fully make sense—until later?
Another thought stayed with me as I read.
When the winds blew and the waves rose, those very forces were what carried them forward. I have to ask myself:
Do I complain about the winds that are actually moving me where I need to go?
Ether also reminds us of something simple, but powerful: remembering matters.
The Jaredites knew about Noah. They had history. They had examples. And when the people later prospered under Orihah, I don’t think it was by accident.
They remembered.
I once had a counselor tell me something that surprised me. After I had explained all the difficulties in my life, he said, “It’s very simple. You don’t remember.”
What?
He told me to write—to keep a record of what was happening, both good and bad—and to return to it when making decisions.
I took that to heart. My journals have become a reference not just for me, but for my family.
Remembering changes everything.
There’s also something beautiful in Ether 6:
All of the barges arrived together.
That feels like a miracle in itself.
No one was lost. Wouldn’t it be great if we could reach our Promised Land and be able to say “No one was lost”?
Of course, this peace doesn’t last forever.
In Ether 7, the people begin to forget. Contention returns. It always does when remembering fades.
So what does it really mean to prosper?
The Book of Mormon is clear:
“Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land… but… be cut off from my presence.” (2 Nephi 1:20)
Prospering isn’t about ease or comfort.
It’s about presence. The Lord’s presence.
Do I have the Lord with me?
That’s the question.
Because I know this much—I cannot afford to navigate life on my own. I need His guidance every single day. And when I have it, even the winds and waves begin to make sense.
If I were to sum it up:
- Light problems → seek guidance and move forward
- Air problems → cry out and rely completely on Him
- And in all things → remember
Because remembering is what keeps us anchored to Him.
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