Reading 1 Nephi, you might get the impression that Nephi was somehow larger than life. “Large in stature” both physically and spiritually (1 Nephi 2:16), he seemed unshaken by the trials he faced. Or at least that is what we might assume. While Nephi’s faith was remarkable, his tender words in 2 Nephi 4 reveal that even faithful people sometimes feel “wretched” and “easily beset” by temptations. Here we see someone who is trying, who wants to be joyful, but whose “heart groaneth because of [his] sins.” We can relate to this and to the hopeful determination that follows: “Nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted” (see 2 Nephi 4:15–19).

While Nephi and his people learned to live “after the manner of happiness” (2 Nephi 5:27), they also learned that happiness does not come easily or without periods of sorrow. It ultimately comes from trusting the Lord, “the rock of [our] righteousness” (2 Nephi 4:35).