Mormon 8

When I read Mormon 8, I can almost hear the sadness in Moroni's words. And yet, I can hear determination in those words as well. As Moroni observes the destruction of his people, he says over and over that this work will come forth. It is as if he is answering all those who say it won't. Almost as if their words are replaying themselves in his mind and so he tells us in many different verses that these records will not be destroyed and anyone who doesn't recognize their worth when it is brought forth--well, it will be to their detriment. An example of this is Mormon 8:26, which reads in part:

"And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it..."

I can see the faith it would take after witnessing the Lamanite's victory in every other aspect of his life. His father, Mormon, and all his family and friends have been killed. Moroni expects to die any day at the hands of those same men that have sworn to destroy the records and therefore the religion of the Nephites. Yet he speaks of how these records that contain the gospel will one day "shine forth out of darkness." (Mormon 8:16) I guess I shouldn't say it took great faith because in Mormon 8:34 he tells us that he was shown the time when the Book of Mormon would come forth, so he knows it will be given to future generations. Still, when I read Mormon 8, I feel like he may be trying to remind himself that this is not the end of these things he has held so dear even though at times he might feel that all is lost. His father's work with the records will not be wasted even though no one in his own time listened, neither the Nephites nor the Lamanites. He is telling us that this record was written for us, and so we shall receive them.  How we receive them...if we believe on their words and take them into our hearts...that is up to us.

Changed

Somehow my busy life crowded out thoughts of this blog for quite sometime. I have been forced to slow down a bit this week and so I have returned. Writing about my gospel study helps to sharpen and clarify what I have learned. As I try to put things into precise words my understanding grows and so does my desire to share what I have learned. Today I just want to share a quote that touched me deeply when I read it. Ezra Taft Benson said, "Christ changes men, and changed men change the world."

Mormon 6-9

 I love the wrap up in Mormon 6-9.  It comes before the actual end of the whole Book of Mormon because Moroni says he is hiding up the records and moving on.  Then later finds he has more time to write.  It makes him seem more real to me.  He knew so much.  He was shown a great deal, yet he didn't know everything.

I love the wrap up in chapters 6-9 even more because it breathes of life and truth. Sincere testimonies are borne and they strengthen my own testimony.

Mormon 9:21 says:

"Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth."

Mormon 5--Communion

Mormon 5:2 reads:  "...they repented not of their iniquities but did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them."

I think this too often describes me.  The scriptures say to pray always.  They tell us to pray anywhere about anything.  Some days I pray often throughout the day in my heart but fail to devote time to a true morning and evening prayer.  You know the prayers where your attention in truly focused on communicating with your Father in Heaven and actually listening for answers.  Those are the prayers that peel away the layers of distraction and worry and allow for repentance and peace.  Those are the prayers that untie the knots in my stomach and that bring me closer to my Savior.  They must not be forgotten or pushed aside until fatigue makes it difficult to think and seek real communion with that Being who created me and everything around me.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to pray.  For the freedom I have to worship and pray how I see fit and to teach my children to do so.  I'm so grateful...I need to show my gratitude by remembering always to take time out of my day and take advantage of the great gift that is sincere prayer.

Mormon 2

In Mormon 2, Mormon is appointed to lead the Nephite army at age 16.  They fought long and hard.  They won and lost battles.  Mormon say in verse 8 that "there was blood and carnage spread throughout all the face of the land."  Finally, the people begin to lament and mourn  what is happening.  Mormon says that he began to rejoice when he saw this because he knows the wonderful mercy of the Lord, but then in verses 13 and 14 he says:

"But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.  And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God..."

Those verses are very interesting to me.  Sorrow for sin needs to be sorrow because we realize we have done what is contrary to that which is right.  We should sorrow because we have chosen to act in defiance to God's will.  Therefore, we have separated ourselves from his fold.  It is a slightly different way of thinking about it than being sorry because wickedness often does bring with it consequences that cause us no end of sorrow and trouble.

Mormon

From 4 Nephi we move onto Mormon.  Mormon tells us how he became the one chosen to abridge the plates of Nephi.  He was chosen when he was ten years old.  No pressure, Mormon, just observe this people until your around 24 years old and then go find the plates of Nephi, which are stored with all the records in a hill, and write what you have observed.  I truly admire Mormon.  The pressure would have gotten to me.

I also admire him for living the gospel when all others around him were not.  He said the people had rebelled against their God and therefore he was not even allowed to preach to them the things that he knew.  For some reason that struck me today.  We live in a pretty wicked time.  With people labeling wickedness and good and good as wickedness, but we are urged emphatically by the prophet and the apostles to preach the gospel to all people, to find those that are ready.  That means there are those out there that don't know about the gospel, that haven't had a chance to accept or reject it.  That means there is hope.  Hope is a very good thing.

Unity and the Good Shepard

Mormon 5:17 reads:  "They were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea, they were led even by God the Father."

I love this scripture because it contains so much, and yet is put so simply.  I have to admit that for years I missed most of the meaning it contains, but I always knew it's message was bittersweet.  It is part of what Mormon wrote to "the remnant of the house of Jacob" (v. 12) about his people before the Lamanites wiped out the Nephites.

I have always heard Christ likened to a shepherd, and I recognized that in that analogy I was a sheep that would do well to follow him.  I knew also that my fellow human beings were cast in the role of the other sheep that chose to follow him or not.  However, I didn't recognize that this analogy spoke of Unity.  The need for unity is much talked of in the church, but how to be a part of  a unified people I could not decipher even though I sought answers in the scriptures.  Most scriptures which contain the word "unity" are speaking of the need to be unified, not how to do it or so I thought as I studied.  So I said a prayer that Heavenly Father would help me to understand how to be unified with so many that were so very different from me.  We all have different upbringings, different talents, different interests, different struggles.  We come from many different lands and nations.  There are so many lovely, and not so lovely, ways of looking at things and getting things done, how can we be united?

As the answer to my prayer came to me, I drew this in my scripture journal:

I suddenly understood that when we try to all be like each other, it is a frustrating and ultimately impossible project.  We have wonderful differences in us that can and should be celebrated.  We unite, not by trying to conform to each other, but by all at once striving to become as Jesus would have us be.  As we look to Jesus, we become one.

I taught a lesson once that required me to illustrate this concept to younger people, so I likened my drawing to a part in Toy Story 3.  When all the toys get dumped into the trash truck, all is dark except for parts of Buzz Lightyear that glow.  Woody's voice can be heard trying to locate everyone and then he says: "Everyone go to Buzz."  The friends all obey and are quickly re-united.  In my analogy Woody was the prophet and Buzz represented Jesus.  I was excited to teach what I had been taught, and yet as I wove scriptures into my lesson along with this drawing and the Toy Story analogy, I did not catch on that when the scriptures spoke of Jesus as the Good Shepherd this is what it had been teaching for thousands of years.  How did I miss that by following the Good Shepherd we become united?  One fold.  One Shepherd.