Dear Brothers,
Your stiffneckedness (1 Nephi 2:11) and your murmuring (1 Nephi 2:11-12), your hard words and your smiting (1 Nephi 3:28), your hardness of hearts and so blind in your minds (1 Nephi 7:8), not hearkening and forgetting (1 Nephi 7:9-12), your anger and plotting to destroy your brother (1 Nephi 7:16).
You saw an angel (1 Nephi 3:29), you had things explained to you because you did not believe the Lord could reveal them to you (1 Nephi 14:9-11), even explained they were too hard for you to bear (1 Nephi 15:1). You repented (1 Nephi 7:20-21), and you were at times humble (1 Nephi 15:5) but continued on plotting to return to Jerusalem and killing your father and brother (1 Nephi 16:35-38), and even with the chastening, you received from the Lord (1 Nephi 16:39) and later the shaking the Lord gave you (1 Nephi 17:54-55) you had your brother bound with cords on the ship sailing towards your promised land (1 Nephi 18:11) with only the threat of destruction by the power of God to soften your hearts (1 Nephi 18:20). You saw a life-threatening storm cease at the prayer of your brother (1 Nephi 18:21) and you made it to the promised land (1 Nephi 18:23-25). Your decisions eventually led to the division of your family (2 Nephi 5:1-8). You are both famous for it. How could you be so ungrateful?
But then I realized, in your Father’s dream with the tree and the fruit, there was an important piece of the story that was missing for me. You would not come and partake of the fruit that brought your dad so much joy (1 Nephi 8:18;35). That tree you both missed out on was the “love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things… Yea, and the most joyous to the soul (1 Nephi 11:22-23).”
You never had that love of God sink into your hearts because they were too hard to receive it.
You did not act in ingratitude, at least not to the degree to be ungrateful after tasting God’s love, because you were never fortunate enough to taste it.
The scripture in 2 Nephi 31:14 scared me for you “After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me.”
I was scared that because you denied the Christ you would be without saving, to be ungrateful to that degree seems to God a most unholy act. But you never partook of the fruit of the tree. You never knew his love. I hope that one day you do and that you embrace it.
Your friend and sibling,
The reader of the Book of Mormon
Choosing to eat of the fruit, and feeling that joy that comes from the love of God, being grateful for the path, the rod, and the tree, and then heeding not the scorners in that foundationless building who call all away to denial of that sweetest experience is the hope for all God’s children.