Where to Cast Thine Eyes: Family

Before Lehi's vision of the tree of life, his family had undergone chilling griefs which produced faith in the God of deliverance. Nephi and his brothers returned from multiple trips to Jerusalem and returned with the brass plates and the family of Ishmael, having relied on the Lord's ability to provide a way for them to keep the commandments. Using the concept of deliverance, Lehi comforted his wife Sariah when she feared the loss of her sons. His language was that of obtaining a land of promise and the Lord's ability to deliver (1 Nephi 5:5-6).

Shortly thereafter, he dreamed a dream of the tree of life (1 Nephi 8). In his dream he was delivered from many hours in darkness, after praying, to behold a tree and partake of the fruit thereof. Upon experiencing great joy his thoughts naturally turned to his family, for whom he cast his eyes round about. He then beckoned and called unto them.

Contrast this series of events with a narrative which directly follows. Beholden were others pressing forward, and having caught hold of the end of the rod of iron they eventually partook of the fruit. They too, cast their eyes, but were, contrastingly, ashamed at what they beheld. The consequence of where they cast their vision engendered shame, and they fell away into forbidden paths, and were lost.

The crux of this comparison isn't so much about where those who fell away cast their eyes. One cannot even pin down the portion of the picture before them on which they focused. In actuality, their vision could have been to one or all of a multitude of things: men and women, old and young, a spacious and great building, a structure high in the air, exceedingly fine dress, attitude, mocking, point of fingers, scoffing, etc. Indeed, one may assume that different of the people of the concourse were drawn by different things, for they fell away into forbidden paths (notice the multiple paths).

What is important is that Lehi cast his eyes to find his family. He maintained a singularity of vision, and a singularity of purpose. Family. Having directly sought his family, he may easily have overlooked the distractions which pulled so many from the fruitful bough of the tree of life. He must have taught this principle to his family, because later in the chapter we read that Lehi's family, indicated in writing by "we," heeded them not.
In short, even the visions which come to us in our sleeping or waking hours testify that we must keep an "eye single to the glory of God (D&C 4:5)," which glory is manifest in eternal families.

I love my family.