By David Armstrong

In the Parable of the Mansion, Jack and Francine face a most bizarre and unlikely scenario. Their house hunt looks hopeless until their real estate agent shows them a magnificent mansion and presents them with a “once in a lifetime” deal. If they can come up with a down payment, the agent will pay the balance of the cost of the house. In other words, the agent will buy the fabulous mansion for the young couple, provided they can come up with a reasonable down payment. Unbelievable, right?

But wait, there’s more!

Life can be like trying to carry an armful of glass vases across a hardwood floor where bacon grease was recently spilled and has since dried. Good luck getting across it without falling and breaking something.

Humankind faces innumerable dilemmas individually, locally, regionally, and globally, and has done so throughout history. The Lord once referred to these in a revelation as “the perplexities of the nations” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:79). As grave as many of our predicaments are, none carries more gravity than that described by the ancient prophet Jacob.

At one point in His ministry that marked a turning point, Jesus taught doctrine about our needing to eat His flesh and drink His blood (John 6:51–58). Some who followed Him found this doctrine hard to swallow. They said, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” and then many “walked no more with him” (vv. 60, 66).

Some turn away from Christ for less than a lack of understanding or difficulty accepting His teachings. For some, it takes more, but still they turn away.