An exchange with some friends of mine reminded me of something. Maybe I’ve said this before here but it’s worth repeating.
You cannot partake of the fruit of the tree of life until you have encountered the mist of darkness.
Take a look at these verses from 1 Nephi 8:23-24.
And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost. And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.
There are many ways to interpret this vision and it’s elements so I’m just going to use a particular framing of the vision to make a point that I think is true.
Sometimes in life, we think we are good with God, that all is right, and then we hit this period of darkness and feel a vast separation from God. We may wonder what went wrong, what did we do? Why is this happening?
It seems that in the vision, the mists of darkness only afflict those that have already commenced on the path.
So in one way, these mists of darkness are a sign that you’re on the right track because they are what you must encounter on the way to the tree of life.
It’s not a fun time to be in those mists of darkness.
I think they can be compared in some ways to what Spanish mystic San Juan de la Cruz called “the dark night of the soul” in his poem “Noche Oscura.”
The dark night of the soul is often characterized as a profound spiritual crisis or intense inner struggle that can involve doubt and despair on one’s spiritual journey.
It can be easy to think all is lost and that you cannot see a way out, but remember the vision of Lehi and Nephi.
There is a tree of life on the other side of the darkness, all you need to do is to find the iron rod, the word of God, and press forward because there is an end to the darkness. The word of God leads to a destination worth every step.
This is the time to trust in God’s word, even in its entirety.
Through an experience like this, you’ll come to know that the scriptures are true, that God’s word is trustworthy, and you’ll have the opportunity to taste the fruit of the tree which is delicious beyond all things and will fill your soul with light and bring you to know God in ways that you cannot comprehend.
The darkness has a purpose.
Alma once asked:
And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God?
Alma 5:14
It’s possible, for example, to have been baptized when young, served a mission, gotten married, had kids, and yet not be spiritually born of God. That may even be the case for a lot of people who don’t even realize it, not until they encounter the dark night of the soul, or the mist of darkness in this sense.
We can walk the way of the religious on the outside in a manner that brings great joy and blessings because honoring God and keeping his commandments brings joy and happiness.
But there is a spiritual walk that must occur and in it, there are very real perils and challenges that must be faced in order to actually commune with God and receive from him his promised gifts.
This is why it is so important to understand the scriptures and the sign posts they leave for us so that we can understand what is happening.
This way we do not dismiss our experiences with doubt and resentment and instead accept them as what the scriptures testify that they are.
Doing so opens up the way the ancients took and testified of.
And like them, we can be made partakers of the tree of life and many other gifts that God has promised to the truly faithful.
