Ginseng root and the Gospel

In one of my classes, I discovered something super cool that I didn't know about Joseph Smith's family. I got my info off of the Church's website, and you can read more about it here

"Around 1802, Joseph Sr. invested in ginseng root, a promising commodity, but a partner stole the returns, leaving the Smith family virtually bankrupt. Joseph Sr. sold his farm and paid down other debts with Lucy’s dowry. After continuing to struggle as a farmer in Vermont and New Hampshire, he finally moved his family to Palmyra, New York, purchasing a farm in nearby Manchester in 1818."

This is ginseng root. Google tried to tell me that it can prevent everything from stress to fatigue to old to cancer. Pretty cool.

Anyways. Basically Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith had actually been pretty well off financially in the beginning of their marriage. They had the support and love of their financially stable parents, which helped them get settled. Then, due to some unlucky circumstances, they got ripped off by greedy men engaging in shady business practices and became dirt poor. 

I can't imagine how frustrating that would have been for Joseph and Lucy. Like, really? I think suddenly becoming super poor would be a majorly depressing life event for anyone, but especially for two people who came from somewhat stable economic backgrounds, and who would someday raise a family of 11 children. What a bummer.

Imagine, however, the effects that such an economic background would have had on the young Joseph Smith Jr. Such "indigent circumstances", as Joseph called them, would have shaped who he became. Think of all the time a 19th century farm boy would have had to meditate. I don't know much about farming, but I know that it's hard work. It's physically demanding, time-consuming, constant work. Joseph would have had hours every day to think and imagine and dream as he plowed and pulled and pruned. 

We 21st century people have a hard time imagining living such a life. In our fast-paced, ever evolving world, we're lucky if we get ten minutes to meditate every day. Phones, Facebook, friends, even freeway accidents: they all riot for our attention and distract us from what matters most. What would we gain if we, like Joseph, could take time for "serious reflection" and meditation (JS-H 1:8)? We might discover that the heavens will open for us just as they did for a young boy with careful questions and constant faith.