\u00a0father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham\u201d (Matthew 3:9).<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve always liked the story of the pre-Islamic Arab hero and poet \u2018Antarah b. Shaddad:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Born to a respected Arab leader and a slave girl, he himself was raised a slave. \u00a0One day, though, his paternal\u00a0tribe was under attack and was losing. \u00a0He stood looking on, holding the reins of his father\u2019s camel. \u00a0Eventually, his father begged his help, but he coolly replied that a slave was good only for tending goats and running errands. \u00a0\u201cAlright!\u201d his father cried. \u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re free! \u00a0Now help us!\u201d \u00a0Whereupon \u2018Antarah went out into the fray and, virtually singlehandedly, saved the day for his tribe.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he nonetheless continued, for a long time, to be looked down upon by others for his low birth.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, when one high-born Arab mocked him yet again as the son of a slave, he famously responded: \u00a0\u201cYou represent the end of the honor of your line. \u00a0I represent the beginning of the honor of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Humility may not have been first among his virtues, but he certainly rose above his origin. \u00a0Here is a loose translation (not by me) of the quotation in the image above:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Give me not the drink of life in servitude,<\/span>
But in pride give me a drink of bitterness.<\/span>
The water of life is hell in servitude,<\/span>
and Hades in pride is a land of bliss.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a bit far afield, I readily admit, from 2 Nephi 30. \u00a0But the basic point remains: \u00a0We won\u2019t be saved by mere\u00a0genealogical descent. \u00a0And the prestige of a great father or a beloved mother or a distinguished ancestor doesn\u2019t automatically transfer to a lazy loser\u00a0child. \u00a0On the other hand, if you don\u2019t come from a distinguished family, you can, nonetheless, work to make your family distinguished.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 The Bible and the Book of Mormon both clearly teach that the Lord works through particular lineages, chosen peoples, selected families. \u00a0 However, today\u2019s reading,\u00a02 Nephi 30, makes it clear that these aren\u2019t exclusive clubs. \u00a0Those chosen people aren\u2019t necessarily more righteous than others, and righteous outsiders can, through their faithfulness, be effectively […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"\u2018Antarah](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2014\/10\/8dfffe151b8ad25ea5ea1ccd933e1ae4.jpg\")
<\/a>