Thy Will Be Done

There have been a couple scriptures and concepts I've been reading about in Alma that have impressed me and that I've been wanting to write about, but tonight as I was preparing my Sunday school lesson I came across a doctrine from 1st Nephi that was such and eye-opener and so powerful I felt I just had to share it with you first.

This goes back to a very good comment Annabelle made in this blog about how hard it must have been for Nephi to kill Laban, when it went against all that he'd been taught. The Sunday School lesson is about Abraham's willingness to be obedient to the Lord's command to sacrifice his son, Isaac (even though he didn't have to actually go through with it). In researching obedience I discovered a devotional address by Elder Holland. He talks about how Nephi's obligation to slay Laban is one of the most unsavory moments in the Book of Mormon - one that enemies of the Church criticize and even faithful members are uncomfortable with.

Elder Holland goes on to say that since the plates were so important to obtain there could have been other ways - easier ways to get them. He says perhaps they could have been accidentally left at the plate polishers one night or maybe even fallen out of the back of Laban's chariot on a Sabbath afternoon. For that matter, Elder Holland goes on to say, "Why didn't Nephi just leave this story out of the book altogether? At the very least he might have buried the account somewhere in the Isaiah chapters, thus guaranteeing that it would have gone undiscovered up to this very day?" But, Elder Holland says, it's right there at the beginning of the book on page 8 so that we will see it and deal with it. Then Elder Holland makes the point that really hit home to me. Said he, "I believe that story was placed in the very opening verses of a 531 page book in order to focus every reader of the record on the absolutely fundamental gospel issue of obedience and submission to the communicated will of the Lord. If Nephi cannot yield to this terribly painful command, if he cannot bring himself to obey, then it is entirely probable that he can never succeed or survive in the tasks that lie just ahead." I had never thought of that story in those terms before.

Then at the end of the talk this powerful quote: "We must be willing to place all that we have - not just our possessions (they may be the easiest things of all to give up), but also our ambition and pride and stubbornness and vanity - we must place it all on the alter of God, kneel there in silent submission, and willingly walk away."

There's no question for most of us about following the Lord's will when it comes to the commandments found in the scriptures. It might be a bit harder for some to follow the counsel of prophets and apostles when it comes to things we don't want to give up. But the real test, the trial that really shows our commitment, comes when we're in a position to seek and follow revelations for us individually, as happened with Abraham and Nephi. We may not be asked to sacrifice a son or slay a man, but when it's a question of if we should move, or if we should accept a certain job, or whom to marry, or what to say in a blessing to a dying loved one - when our will is telling us one thing, the real test is to seek and then obey the Lord's will no matter where it leads us at the time; for surely, in time, it will lead us back to our Father in Heaven.

As I was reading Chapter 32 of Alma, I was impressed with the thought that the Zoramites who accepted the Gospel were those who were poor and forced to be humble because of their circumstances. I remember Jeffrey talking about how much more teachable the poor people in Spanish Harlem were than those in the Stamford. Connecticut area which were so wealthy. The poor Zoramites were blessed because of their humility but Alma teaches that those who choose to be humble, rather than being compelled by their poverty, are even more blessed. He says, "blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart.." Even in my own life, I find that when I feel very important and proud, I am less likely to call on the Lord and recognize his hand in my accomplishments, When things are not going as well, I am much more diligent and prayerful. I hope that I can become one of those people that is humble in all circumstances and I especially hope that I am never guilty of having "stubbornness of heart"!

King Benjamin's Speech

Today I was reading King Benjamin's speech in Mosiah 2. I have read this passage many times and it is always humbling. I find it interesting that in vs. 9 it says"...and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand,..." Understanding comes from the heart. I relate this not only to the gospel but with my education.

Later in the chapter it talks about even if we serve the Lord with our whole souls, we will still be unprofitable servants. If we keep the commandments, we immediately get blessed and are still indebted to Him. This got me wondering, even though I can never relieve my debt to the Lord, how I can even begin to repay him. In this chapter in mentions service to our fellow beings is a way to serve God.

I noticed that I have been pitying myself lately and truly feeling bad for myself for dumb things. I lost in mariokart 3 times in a row, or I misplaced my wallet, or I have no money to spend on fun things. When I think about it, I am ashamed because I have so many blessings. In hopes to think about my own problems less and to serve the Lord, I am going to try to do at least one little act of service a day.

When Thou Risest In the Morning

Just a quick thought about a scripture I read last night. In Alma 37:37 there's the phrase:

"and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God."

Now, I had read that scripture many times before, but this time I thought to myself that I should actually DO what it said (a novel idea). So this morning when I woke up, the sun was shining through the window, I was in my warm, comfortable bed when the temperature was around five degrees outside, and I took a moment to be thankful for a new day and all my many blessings. I truly tried to to "let my heart be full of thanks unto God." It felt good, and started the day off right. Amazing how it works to actually put into practice what the scriptures tell us to do.

I hope I can do that every morning and I think I'll be a happier person because of it.

Isaiah

Okay, I admit I am guilty of occasionally skimming over the "Isaiah chapters" of the Book of Mormon. I rarely find that I can comprehend what they are speaking about without exerting more energy than I would like. Occasionally I have had great experiences when I feel my mind has been opened and I actually feel like I know what Isaiah was witting about. When they have occurred, those moments have been wonderful and very insightful. So, I do know that Isaiah was an inspired prophet, but, nevertheless, I have wondered a time or two why he is quoted so much by prophets in the Book of Mormon.
Yesterday, I had a free moment to read my scriptures before sacrament meeting started. I read this verse in which Nephi explains why Isaiah's writtings are so important to us.

...In the last days...the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled...Wherefore, they are of great worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not (me ocassionally), unto them I speak particularly...I know they shall be of great worth unto them(us) in the last days...wherefore for their good I have written them. (2Nephi 25:7-8)

I was humbled when I read these verses and I realized more fully the importance of Isaiah's words. They are there for our benefit and if I take the time to understand them, "it will be of great worth" unto me!

2 Post in 1

I have two different post that I am going to put in this one!

Post #1

As I was reading in Alma 37. One verse really stood out to me, was verse 6. It says,

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instance doth confound the wise."

This made me think that as I have been doing this scripture challenge and reading and praying everyday that we have seen blessings in our lives. We are told over and over again to attend our meetings, read our scriptures, to pray, attend the temple and more. These are simple things. If we do these simple things great things will come.

Post # 2

Alma 41: 10

"Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness."

Alma 41: 12-13 (definition of restoration)

In 13 especially it says, "the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish -- good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful."

Alma 41:14-15 (answer on what we can do)

14: "Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if you do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restore unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgement restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again."

It's neat the the definition of restoration is right here in the scriptures. That if we do the good things in life we will have the good things restored unto us again. Seems so easy saying it like that right? Why is it then that we struggle? Satan and the people that chose Satan's way are here everyday trying to ruin the family, to ruin marriages and more. He has been succeding in the world. How do we make it so he doesn't succeed with us? This takes me back to the post above. We do the simple and small things. We read our scriptures, say our prayers, attend our church meeting, attend the temple and much more. I hope that we can work on the small and simple things so that we can have the spirit with us at all times and will not allow Satan into our homes.

An Instrument in The Hands of God

Michael's last post in this blog where he talks about his hope that he can use his talents to be a tool in God's hands for good made me think of an oft repeated phrase I've underlined again and again in Mosiah and Alma - "an instrument in the Hands of God."

Mosiah 23:10

Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth.

Mosiah 27:36

And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer.

Alma 17:9

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring ... the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth.

Alma 17:11

And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.

Alma 26:3

And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

Alma 26:15

Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.

Alma 35:14

And Alma, and Ammon, and their brethren, and also the two sons of Alma returned to the land of Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance.

I figure if this phrase is repeated so many times I ought to ponder what it means and try to put it into effect in my life. So I looked in the gospel library on the church web site. A few quotes really stood out to me explaining this:

President Faust said, “You can be powerful instruments in the hands of God to help bring about this great work. … You can do something for another person that no one else ever born can do”

Wow! That really hit me - to think there are things we can do that no other person ever born can do! So how do we know what to do to be instruments in his hands. This concept from Don Clark of the seventy explained one way to do it:

"I have a little book that I carry with me, where I record the inspiration and thoughts that I receive from the Spirit. It does not look like much, and it becomes worn out and needs to be replaced from time to time. As thoughts come to my mind, I write them down and then I try to do them. I have found that many times, as I have done something on my list, my action was the answer to someone’s prayer. There have also been those times that I didn’t do something on my list, and I have found out later that there was someone I could have helped, but I didn’t. When we receive promptings regarding God’s children, if we write down the thoughts and inspiration we receive and then obey it, God’s confidence in us increases and we are given more opportunities to be instruments in His hands."

Kathleen Hughes of the relief society presidency added this that really struck me too.

"God knows the needs of His children, and He often works through us, prompting us to help one another. When we act on such promptings, we tread on holy ground, for we are allowed the opportunity to serve as an agent of God in answering a prayer”

My conclusion is that we need to actively be seeking for opportunities to be instruments in the hands of God by constantly being open to promptings on how to do it. It might be as simple as making a kind comment to a co-worker when inspired to do so, to something bigger, like establishing an exercise business so a struggling single mom you know can have a job.

It's my challenge to myself and to all of you to start this weekend actively looking for ways, each day to be an "instrument in the hands of God."

My own nothingness...

I was impressed (and humbled) as we read through Mosiah chapter 4. There are a few times where King Benjamin refers to the reader in terms of nothingness. I really like this type of tough truth that really hammers down a humbling tone. In verse eleven it goes on to say "...and you own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel." Terrica and I both laughed at the phrase unworthy creatures. It seems harsh but it is very true and is very humbling to what we really truly are. I also am impressed with the phrase "humble yourselves even in the depths of humility". I think back to some of the most humbling times in my life and all I thought was "poor me", perhaps I should have been humbling myself even more to find that maximum humility.

I am grateful for the knowledge of something greater than myself. It is very difficult for me to remain humble at times with how abundantly blessed I am. I am thankful for the knowledge of the nothingness of the unworthy creature that I am and the humility that this brings me. I am grateful for all that I have and hope that I can use my talents and skills to be a tool in the masters hand and never become full of pride.

It Breaks My Heart

Tonight as I was reading in Alma 31 about the Zoramites denying Christ. In verses 15-18 it just breaks my heart to read what they say. Especially in verse 16 when they say, "...but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children and also thou hast made it known unto us that there shall be no Christ." When I read this it made me realize how lucky we are to have Christ in our lives. I don't know where I would be or where I wouldn't be (because we wouldn't exist) if it weren't for Christ. This chapter made me realize how blessed I truly am. I have a Savior who loves me unconditionally. He loves me even when I make mistakes. He suffered and died for me. Through him and this church I have an incredible family and friends that surround my life. I love my Savior very much and never in my life could I ever say "there shall be no Christ." We could not be here if there were no Christ and I can't imagine not having all the wonderful things that I do, especially my life. 

The right thing is not always easy!

Today I was reading about all the terrible trials that Alma and Amulek went through as they were preaching the Gospel. I don't even like watching violent movies so I can't imagine how horrible it would have been to watch in person as the believers were burned to death and the records destroyed. Amulek was rejected by his family and friends and to top it all off, they were imprisoned where they were beaten and starved. I can't imagine how much faith they had to continue preaching the Gospel among all that opposition. Sometimes I mistakenly think that if something is right, everything will go smoothly and there won't be any serious opposition. The story of Alma and Amulek reminds me that just because something is right does not mean that it will be easy. I hope that I can be strong and valiant in doing what is right, even when it is hard to do.

Have Ye Received His Image In Your Countenances?

The other day as I was walking into the Idaho Falls temple an elderly couple, who looked like they were in their 80s, were walking out. I noticed the bright blue eyes of the man and the look of peace in his eyes and face. The woman had a gospel glow about her too. They literally radiated joy and love in their faces. I thought of them the other day when I read in Alma 5:14 - Have ye received his image in your countenances? I looked up countenance in the dictionary and it said it meant expression of the face. I thought of other times I had noticed that special glow radiating from someone's face. I think the times I have noticed it the strongest is when I've been in the presence of prophets and apostles. Then I thought, do I show that I've received his image in my countenance? I found some general authority quotes that tell me I should. Brigham Young said:

"There is not a man or woman on this earth, whose peace is made with God, and who are associated with holy beings, and seeking after holy principles, but their countenances are lit up with a lamp of divine cheerfulness."

More recently President Faust said:

"A sacred light comes to our eyes and countenances when we have a personal bond with our loving Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior and Redeemer."

All this made me think that there's no place for us as members of the church to walk around with sour expressions and grumpy attitudes. But what if I'm not "feeling" it some days? There's an expression Larry Wells of Wilderness Quest used to say, "Fake it until you make it." In other words, pretend to be happy and you'll eventually feel that way. But in reality, we should be the happiest people on earth. We have the joy of the gospel and our countenances should show it - just like that wonderful elderly couple that made such an impression on me as they were walking out of the temple.

Challenges Develop Great People

I have been reading the first several chapters in Alma and it is hard for me to believe that this great Prophet who has such a strong testimony was the same rebellious young man who went about trying to destroy the Church. Alma left his comfortable life as the Chief Judge to go out and spend the rest of his days as a missionary. He was imprisoned, hungry, tired, and discouraged but he was always obedient and bore a strong and sure testimony. Before our Book of Mormon challenge, I was reading about Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) in the New Testament. There are many similarities between the two prophets. Both worked hard to destroy the church in their younger years and both were visited by an angel, after which they worked with all diligence to undo the damage they had done and bring souls to Christ. I am wondering if their process of change and repentance helped make them the great prophets they both became. A tool of Satan is to make us feel unworthy and hopeless after we have done something wrong. It is inspiring to know that these two men, both the "vilest of sinners" could become the strongest and best servants working for the Kingdom of God.

Enos

Although Enos is a short book, I was impressed by many things. I first related to the phrase in vs 4 "And my soul hungered." I understand the meaning of this. When the gospel becomes an afterthought in my life, I begin to crave it. I become anxious for Sunday to come when I can go to church, or I want to hear the words of the prophet or read the scriptures or even just talk to my heavenly father.

The second thing that jumped out to me in this book was vs 12-16. This made me think about my desires and what I ask from the Lord. Enos had a desire that the records would be preserved and he prayed for the Lamanites. He had prayed and labored with ALL DILIGENCE and because of his faith, his prayers were answered and the things he prayed for were granted unto him. Sometimes when I pray for things, good things, I become frustrated when those good things don't happen. I think back on if I was laboring with all diligence like Enos had. What does "all diligence" mean? I think that it's different for everybody but to me, it means trying my very hardest to please the Lord.

The final thing that impressed me in Enos was the very last verse. I'm certainly not as old as Enos was when he was writing this but he seemed to so excited for his physical death so he could stand face to face with our Redeemer. He was so sure of his existence after death and he did not fear. In vs 8, it mentions Enos' faith in Christ who he had never seen or heard. I've often hoped that one day I can have a level of faith to not be scared of death and to have a clear conscious when I come face to face with the Redeemer. I guess I need to pray always and have the diligence that enos had.

Free to act for yourselves

Today I read 2Nephi chapter 10. Verse 23 jumped out at me,

...remember that ye are free to act for yourselves-to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

Often I see people falling away from the church because they have had a particularly hard trial or because someone has offended them. These poor souls are choosing the way of everlasting death. Sure, they didn't choose their trial, but they were free to choose how to react.

In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo says of his trial (to carry the ring), "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

I think that Gandolf's reply to Frodo's complaint is wonderful. He said, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with (what) has been given us. There are other forces at work in this world besides the will of evil."

Satan is working hard, but we are blessed to have the gospel on the earth at this time. We have The Book of Mormon and a living prophet to guide us. We are the valiant souls who were saved for this time because we are strong. We are free to act for ourselves and the decisions we make now with "what to do with what has been given us" will affect us forever.

Richard G Scott said,

You cannot remotely imagine what the decision to be unwaveringly obedient to the Lord will allow you to accomplish in this life...As you walk the path of righteousness, you will grow in strength, understanding and self-esteem. You will dicover hidden talents and unknown capacities. The whole course of your life may be altered for your happiness and the Lord's purposes...Your righteous descisions determine who you are and what is important to you...For happiness now and throughout your life, steadfastly obey the Lord, no matter what preasure you fell to do otherwise (Making the Right Descisions, Ensign, May 1991, 34).

I know first hand that trials are hard and that we don't always wish to have them, but I am so thankful that I am free to act for myself, that my circumstances, or the actions of others don't control me, I control me. I always have the power to choose how I handle the situation. I have the power to choose the way of everlasting death or eternal life.

Mosiah 27

I know that this is a little late but I've been in Boise for a week and didn't have the internet. As I was reading Mosiah 27 about Alma and the sons of Mosiah trying to pull people away from the church, it amazed me that when they saw the angel they were speechless. After seeing the angel Alma and the sons of Mosiah did all they could to fix the things they had told people to bring them away from the church. It made me think that through the atonement of Christ we have to opportunity to repent of the mistakes we make. If we could have the strength that Alma and the sons of Mosiah had after they saw the angel to makes things better than they were before. It would be amazing how happy our lives could be or the change we can make for other people and the things around us. 

Daily Scripture Study

Since this scripture challenge started I've done well reading every single night. But I have to admit, last night I didn't really want to. I had gotten a little ahead of my personal goal to read six pages a day and thought missing one night wouldn't matter. My conscience got to me and I ended up reading, and was uplifted and I felt good about it. But I could feel my resolve to read every day slipping a little. Missing a day here and there would be no big deal, I thought. But then I heard Katie's speech today. Katie is a student in my BYU-Idaho public speaking class I teach. The assignment today was to give a brief manuscript speech on a religious topic similar to the messages in "Music and the Spoken Word." The title of Katie's speech :"Reading your scriptures daily is essential." Let me quote the comparison she made that, little did she know, I felt directed right at me.

"February 1, 2003 as the space shuttle Columbia was re-entering the earth's atmosphere, the shuttle disintegrated, killing all seven of it's crew members.

A space shuttle is designed very carefully to withstand the intense hear of re-entry. The body of the shuttle is made out of aluminum, which is very light weight and very strong. But this is a problem because as the suttle re-enters the earth's atmosphere, temperatures rise to over 3 thousand degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature too hot for the aluminum to remain strong.

To keep the aluminum from melting, the shuttle is covered with over 30-thousand heat resistant tiles. Because of those tiles the shuttle can pass through the earth's atmosphere safely.

After authorities investigated the space shuttle Columbia disaster they found that a couple of the tiles was damaged during lift off. Because of the damage to the tiles, the heat became too much for the shuttle during re-entry and the shuttle fell apart.

Out of the 30-thousand tiles, only two were damaged. More than 99.9% of the shuttle's tiles were still working perfectly. Just one weak spot was able to make the entire shuttle crumble.

So back to my uneven scripture study habits. Is missing a day here and there such a disaster? If I try to do my best in every other area won't I be OK? The answer is no! We need the protection of the scriptures in our lives daily.

1 Npehi 15:24 reads... 'Whoso would harken unto the word of God and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them away to destruction."

Katie's comparison hit home to me and made sense. As I researched "daily scripture study" on LDS.org I discovered a wealth of quotes from general authorities, not just suggesting it was a good idea, but saying we should do it, like this one from President Monson:

"Every holder of the priesthood should participate in daily scripture study. Crash courses are not nearly so effective as the day-to-day reading and application of the scriptures in our lives. Become acquainted with the lessons the scriptures teach."

I was struck with a valuable lesson today. The title of Katie's speech was true; Reading your scripture daily is essential.

Challenges 2...

I would like to give my input in regards to my recent outlook on challenges and on Jeff's post. While I have not yet quite made it to Mosiah in my readings, I too am learned and able to relate to the challenges and trials that face the people, even the righteous in my readings. The lord has an interesting way to teach us what we need to know and it always comes at the perfect time. I appreciate Jeff mentioning that learning and recognizing weaknesses could very well be a sign of growing closer to god. I look back a couple months at the most challenging time of my life and the roll that the lord played in that. I was a very selfish person and certainly thought that I could handle myself just fine on my own. Then came the humbling experience that I had where the lord made it very clear to me that I was wrong. As all of you know, this was the most difficult time of my life however, I find myself praying every night in thanks for that experience. I am amazed at how life works.

The wonderful thing about challenges is that it always works out. I am blessed to see how things always work out in our family because of faith. I have come to learn an important principle through my scripture reading; no matter what happens, so long as we are living our lives in accordance to the gospel and have full faith, every challenge, trial, or upset that we experience is for our growth and benefit. I find this so incredible. As long as I am doing what I have been instructed to do, I can not go wrong. No matter how awful a situation seems or how upsetting an experience may be, it is all there to bring me closer to my father in heaven. It is my challenge to myself to take every tough situation in my life and fight any bitter or angry feelings that I may have and move forward with faith.

Challenges

 What a beautiful post from dad on deliverance.  I would like to share some thoughts on this topic as well.  This week has been particularly challenging for me.  Julia has been gone and I think that it has been one of the hardest weeks I have had in my career.  Things just keep crumbling in on each other, and I have literally felt as if the things I am being asked to do are impossible.  

 

As I was wallowing in self pity tonight I came across a scripture that took on new meaning for me. It comes when Alma the elder has left King Noah and led his righteous band of followers into the wilderness.  They find a beautiful place to settle and everything seems to be going there way.  And then came the challenges.....

"Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith" (Mosiah 23:21).

  Doesn't it always seem that the trials of patience and faith come at the most inopportune times? I suppose that is what makes them real trials.  This got me pondering the subject and I realized a very important truth:

  

The challenges and trials I have been given through the years and this week, have never seemed timely at the moment; but looking back they were always exactly what I needed, when I needed them. And, in every instance that I was faithful, I was helped through them. You see, the Lord knew exactly where I was at, and he knew exactly where I wanted to be.  He facilitated a way for me to grow.  Why?  Because He sees the big picture, where I only see a slice at a time. I was reminded of an excerpt from a talk by Bruce C. Hafen called The Atonement: All for All

"Adam and Eve learned constantly from their often harsh experience. They knew how a troubled family feels. Think of Cain and Abel. Yet because of the Atonement, they could learn from their experience without being condemned by it. Christ’s sacrifice didn’t just erase their choices and return them to an Eden of innocence. That would be a story with no plot and no character growth. His plan is developmental—line upon line, step by step, grace for grace.

So if you have problems in your life, don’t assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at the very core of life’s purpose. As we draw close to God, He will show us our weaknesses and through them make us wiser, stronger. 7 If you’re seeing more of your weaknesses, that just might mean you’re moving nearer to God, not farther away."

I realize now that this week has been a challenge, but it also comes as I am reading the book of Mormon and desperately striving to draw closer to God.  He is helping me to get there.

Now, the second part of the equation.  Challenges will come, and they will always allow an opportunity for growth.  Especially, if we work through them the Lords way.  But, equally important to note is that we are not left to manage those challenges alone. In Mosiah 23:22 the Lord gives the disclaimer to the vs. I started with:

"Nevertheless - whosoever putteth his trust in him [God] the same shall be lifted up at the last day..."

As we read on in the story we find that as always the Lord lived up to His promise with the people of Alma.  And, He will do the same with all those who put their trust in Him.  I will end with these two versus and a testimony that no matter the challenge, if we trust in Him and are faithful the Lord will through his spirit speak this message to us:

"Lift up your heads and be of good comfort . . .  And I will aslo ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs... and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." (Mosiah 24:13-14)

And there burdens were made light, as will ours be if we trust Him.  Oh, and one last note to tie into my last blog about Joy....

"they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."  (vs. 15)  And so we should too.