The Lord tells us that we need to “have an eye single to the glory of God” to do His work. That means we need to be selfless and focus on the Lord’s will, not our own.  Joseph learned this lesson the hard way.

Joseph was finally able to begin translating the gold plates that Moroni had given him. Martin Harris volunteered to help as a scribe. But Martin’s wife didn’t understand or believe in what Martin was doing. She demanded to see proof of the translation. When Martin asked if he could take the pages of the translation to show his wife, Joseph asked the Lord if that would be allowed. The Lord told him no. Martin kept begging and so Joseph asked again. After several tries, the answer was a conditional, “yes.” But after Martin took the pages, they were lost! Joseph lost the ability to translate for a time. The Lord knew this would happen. He had prepared many years before, telling Nephi to keep two sets of plates. Joseph repented and the translation finally continued.

The Lord knows what is best for us. As we follow His commandments and learn to focus on His will instead of our own, we will be blessed and we’ll be able to help others. We’re promised that if we are faithful in keeping God’s commandments, we’ll be lifted up at the last day.