A Pricked Conscience

1 Nephi 7:16

And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.

Laman and Lemuel were angry because they knew Nephi was right, but they did not want to admit it. They wanted what they wanted, and they did not want to be told they were wrong. Nephi had pricked their conscience. 

When faced with guilt, I have two options: change the behavior that triggered the guilt, or eliminate the reminder of the guilt. Laman and Lemuel did not want to change, so they chose to attack the reminder. Had they succeeded in killing Nephi, their guilt for disobeying the Lord and abandoning their father would have only been compounded by the guilt of murder. They might have pushed it out of their minds for a while, but ultimately it would have caught up with them. I cannot sidestep the consequences of my decisions forever.

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