I have read the Book of Mormon since my baptism in 1995. But it was not until I got married that reading about Lehi's sons journeying to and fro from Jerusalem became meaningful to me in terms of my own family.
It seems that the Lord wanted Lehi to have a forever family. He first told Lehi to leave everything behind and save his present family by taking them to the promised land. While they were still in the wilderness, the Lord told Lehi to send his sons back to get the record of past family members. After that, He sent them to get Ishmael and his daughters. This was preparing for their future family.
Creating the link between the present, past, and future of our eternal family is an important responsibility that I need to treasure—just like Lehi did. Perhaps these experiences helped prepare Lehi for the vision of the tree of life and an understanding that the love of God should be cultivated within an eternal family.
Salote Malani Maiwiriwiri, Hawaii, USA