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What the Book of Mormon Teaches Us about God’s Plan Using Lehi’s Vision of the Tree of Life Few Book of Mormon themes have received as much attention as Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. President Boyd K. Packer stated that, “This vision is the central message of the Book of Mormon.” It has been the subject of songs, paintings, and many gospel discussions. One of the reasons that it is so powerful is that it is not just a dream about a tree, a building, a river, and a path; it is a metaphor for life. Lehi’s dream seems to give the needed direction to help us navigate successfully. The dream is true to life with its mists of darkness, mocking fingers, moments of joy, concern for family members, and a strait and narrow path. Luckily, we are told the dream twice, through the eyes of two prophets, Lehi and Nephi. Lehi tells the story; while Nephi us gives the interpretation. Through reading and gaining an understanding of this metaphor, we are able to more successfully understand how we need to live in order to return to live with Christ. In 1 Nephi, chapter 8, Lehi begins the chapter by saying to his family, “Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision.” At the beginning of the book,