Hello!
So this week, after getting rather frustrated with one of our investigators because he wouldn't let go of his problems and think about something else, ie Christ, the real solution of all his problems, I came up with a scriptural story and applied it to his situation. It's Numbers 21;6-9. It's the story of the Brazen Serpent.
6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 ¶Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
The fiery (and flying, according to Alma) serpents represent our problems. They are too many to handle, and a single bite is enough to kill us (spiritually) if left untreated. Unfortunately, too often we think about taking a sword, and killing each one individually. But there is no way we can do that; there are too many, and the consequences of failing are too high. But God sent His only Begotten Son for us, so that if we look at him, we might live. Be healed, and find a real solution to our problems.
Helaman 8:14-15
14 Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.
15 And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.
While it is understandable to be looking at the fiery flying serpents who can kill you with a single bite, there is a more excellent way. Something I'm learning to do is not to look at the most terrible and frankly the downright most terrifying beasts imaginable (kudos to whoever thought that fiery serpents were not enough to scare the Israelites, but decided to make them fly too), but look at the author of our Salvation, even Jesus Christ. We face a lot of opposition, but it's important that we let that go, and just focus on the one person that does matter: Jesus.