When the Bow Breaks

By David A. Edwards

Church Magazines

When you face setbacks, what do you do? Nephi has an answer.

Stuff happens. It’s a well-known fact of life.

Every day there are accidents, coincidences, random occurrences—things that just happen. (Maybe you’re walking along and a rare exotic bird flies past you. Cool.)

But sometimes bad stuff happens, and when it does, it can feel more significant and less random. (Maybe you’re walking along and a rare exotic bird flies in your face and freaks you out, causing you to fall into a ditch. Not cool.)

How do you react when bad stuff happens to you?

One great example of how to react to challenging events comes from Nephi in the Book of Mormon.

Things Were Hard Enough, and Then …

When Nephi’s family was in the wilderness, things were hard, but the Lord helped them. He even gave them a compass (the Liahona) to direct them (see 1 Nephi 16:10; see also Alma 37:38–46). But they were still in a wilderness, so life wasn’t exactly easy. They had to hunt for their food, for example.

The job of hunting fell to Nephi and his brothers. And they were doing fine—for a while.

But then … snap!

Nephi’s bow broke. This was a big deal, because Nephi’s bow was special. It was “made of fine steel” (1 Nephi 16:18). And his brothers’ bows had “lost their springs” (1 Nephi 16:21), so their arrows probably couldn’t fly with as much distance or force. The result was that they “did obtain no food” (1 Nephi 16:18).

No food. That’s not good. And apparently it was nobody’s fault. It just happened. There may have been explanations (increased heat and humidity as they traveled, for example). But no matter the cause, the problem remained: no food.

Sulking vs. Solving

Understandably, this lack of food meant many in the family “did suffer much” (1 Nephi 16:19). And several of them started complaining. Even Nephi’s father, Lehi, “began to murmur against the Lord his God” (1 Nephi 16:20).

Nephi was probably just as hungry as everyone else, but he reacted differently:

“I, Nephi, did make out of wood a bow, and out of a straight stick, an arrow; wherefore, I did arm myself with a bow and an arrow, with a sling and with stones. And I said unto my father: Whither shall I go to obtain food?” (1 Nephi 16:23).

Instead of murmuring, Nephi got to work on a solution. And although Lehi himself had been complaining, he was still Nephi’s father and a prophet, so Nephi sought direction from him.

When Your Bow Breaks

With the Lord’s help, Nephi was able to get food for everyone. The accident of his broken bow was definitely a problem. But he found a way to solve it.

So, what do you do when your bow breaks? When plans don’t work out? When something breaks down? Or when the lingering effects of a pandemic make life hard?

Here are five lessons you can take from the story about Nephi’s broken bow:

You can’t expect the Lord to just solve your problems for you. The Lord gave the Israelites manna from heaven when they needed food in the wilderness. But He didn’t do that for Lehi’s family in the wilderness, not even when their bows were broken or useless. Usually you need to do something to solve your problems while still seeking the Lord’s direction and help.
Sulking and complaining don’t help. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said: “Try not to complain and moan incessantly. … No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.”¹
There’s always something positive you can do. Unlike the Liahona, Nephi’s new bow didn’t miraculously appear one day. So Nephi did what he could. And the Lord blessed his efforts and helped him succeed. Remember, “The Lord loves effort.”²
Your skills, knowledge, and willingness to do hard things can help solve problems. Making a bow may not have been all that easy. (If it had been, maybe even Laman and Lemuel would have done it.) To do so, Nephi needed to apply skills and knowledge he already had—and maybe even learn some new things. He also had to have the determination to see it through. The problems you face aren’t always easily solved. As you acquire skills and knowledge and become more willing to do hard things, you prepare yourself to solve problems for yourself and others.
You should seek the Lord’s help. Based on past experience, Nephi knew that the Lord could help his family find food (1 Nephi 16:14–16). So he asked his father to ask the Lord for direction. You should seek the Lord’s help. Though He may not give you every detail, He can guide and bless you in your efforts.

Again, stuff happens. But the next time it does, remember Nephi and his bow. There’s always something you can do, and the Lord can bless you.