Atrophy
With the fall came the passage of time, and with the passage of time comes atrophy. Everything that is ordered is in a state of decay. It takes great effort to fight against this decay. Without effort, construction will erode, machines will fall apart, organizations will collapse, and even knowledge will fade away. This is abundantly clear in 1 Nephi 16. It’s clear all throughout the scriptures, but stands out particularly to me in 1 Nephi 16. There are wide swings in faithfulness in this chapter, that can only be explained by the passage of time. Nephi didn’t go and find food, and the very next day his brothers threaten to kill him because of the death of Ishmael. No, surely after he brought home food Nephi would have been celebrated and revered because of his exceedingly great faith. Certainly they would have recognized his faith and trust in the Lord is what literally put food in their mouths. However just a few short verses later, Laman and Lemuel were threatening t...