Finished But Not Done

It's a great feeling to set a goal and achieve it. Tonight I accomplished my resolution to read the entire Book of Mormon and comment on it from time to time in this blog. But while I have finished this reading, I am not done studying the Book of Mormon, nor am I done sharing my thoughts in this blog.

There are so many things I could comment on from Moroni chapter 10 alone, but tonight I will choose just one. I am struck by the peace Moroni obviously feels as he comes to the end of his mission on earth - knowing he has done his duty, able to face death without fear. In fact he looks forward to "go to rest in the paradise of God." In a small way I felt similar feelings peace when I finished my mission in Germany. I still remember the last day of my mission in Dortmund, feeling very emotional while reading in 3rd Nephi about the savior's visit. I knew that wonderful experience was coming to a close, but I felt good about how I had served and it was an awesome feeling. Similarly, Moroni seemed to feel that but to an even greater extent as he wrote his last words in the Book of Mormon.

It's my hope that all of us can live our lives in such a way that when we come to the close of our missions here on earth and at some time join Moroni "before the pleasing bar of the Great Jehovah" that we will hear Him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Scriptures

I know that some people are starting to finish up the Book of Mormon and some are still reading everyday as much as they can. I thought that it would be neat to continue on with the blog. As people go on and read maybe the Old Testament, New Testament or through the Book of Mormon again that we could continue to share our thoughts with each other. Give us the opportunity to continue to learn from each other and get other insights on scriptures we have read before. I know that this blog has helped me personally to learn more by writing it down. Let me know what you guys all think.

Before the Appearance of Christ

It is truly amazing to me that the Nephites were clearly and indisputedly shown the sign of Christ's birth and yet, just a few short years later, Satan had convinced the Nephites that the sign was a trick and the people had fallen into unrighteousness. Right before the appearance of the Savior, there were so many signs and wonders but Satan had again stepped up his efforts to deceive the people. In 3Nephi7, it talks about the many miracles performed by Nephi. In verses 19 and 20, it says "And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead...And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power." I think the real lesson for us is that Satan will try to deceive us and will step up his efforts when he sees that we are on the verge of something really important spiritually. He will try to get us to believe that our promptings are just a trick of the mind and he will do whatever he can to steer us away from the right course. If we listen to him, then we will be filled with regret like those in 3Nephi8:24 who cried, "O that we had repented before this great and terrible day."

Moroni 9

As I was reading Moroni 9 with Jeff last night right before we started he said, "this chapter is going to make you sad." I thought to myself, "It is probably just about more wars which is sad but it's not going to make anymore sad than the wars have already made me." As we stared to read Mormon speaks so clearly and it is so easy to understand. Jeff was right it made me very sad to read about what they did to the Women and Children and to the male figure of the household. Mormon says in verse 13, "But O my son, how can a people like this, whose delight is in so much abomination." It breaks my heart to hear how far away from the Lord they were. I am so grateful for this Scripture Challenge. As I reach the end of he Book of Mormon it makes me very grateful how close to Heavenly Father and the Savior I've become. It has been a great experience for me and I want to continue to read the the scriptures and learn more each day.  At the very end of Moroni 9, Mormon says to his son Moroni (verse 25-26), 

"25 My Son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ life thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life rest in your mind forever."

"26 And may the grace of God the Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen."

In this world there is so much "bad" going on, but one thing I know that is through Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ I can be safe and loved. I have a testimony that this the one and only true church. That Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ love us all and want us to be happy and enjoy life. I know without a doubt that the Book of Mormon is true and the keystone of our religion. I know that Prophet Joseph Smith is a true Prophet and restored the gospel on the Earth. I know that Prophet Thomas S Monson is the current Prophet and was called of the Lord to guide us. I love my Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ. 

Digging Deeper

It occurs to me that the scriptures can be understood on many different levels. First, there's the story of the scriptures, like the Jaredites building barges to carry them across the sea. Then there are the obvious spiritual teachings, like the brother of Jared having so much faith he saw the Lord. Then there's the "digging deeper" level - truly pondering the scriptures, looking for deeper, hidden meanings that the Lord will reveal to us to teach us and enlighten our understanding.

Recently, as I was reading about the brother of Jared, I was reminded of a speech one of my public speaking students, Richard, gave who related an experience where he took the time to dig deeper by simply asking, "why." He had just read Ether 3:1.

"And it came to pass that the brother of Jared (now the number of vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stone, and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass, and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount and cried again unto the Lord..."

We all know the rest of the story, how the Lord touched the stones so they glowed and the Jaredites had light in their vessels. Let me quote Richard's speech and the profound deeper meaning he found in this event.

"So the question that began what for me became a spiritual experience which I'll never forget was simply, "why 8 barges and 16 stones?" Knowing that often times numbers are symbolic of something greater, I searched and found out that 8 is a symbol for eternity, and I made the connection between those vessels as being families, because families are eternal. Their destination was the Promised Land, as is ours. And then I thought again about how there were 16 stones and how naturally there would be two in each vessel. Well, I thought about how through marriage, two become one, just as these two stones reside in one vessel. This is where the spirit started to take over, and to me ... it was just amazing, because then things started to unfold before me. Next I thought, "where did Jared take them?" - to the top of the mount, which we know is a symbol of the temple. Then I asked, "What kind of stones were they?" - They were "white and clear, even as transparent glass." That's just how we need to be before we enter the House of the Lord. And what is it that happens in the House of the Lord? Well, Jared asks the Lord "touch these stones O Lord, with they finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness... that we may have light while we shall cross the sea." In his holy temple we are touched, and we are given light that we may shine forth in darkness. All this came about because a question was asked, and a heart longed to know." -Richard Gneiting

I'm on track with the goal I set at the beginning of the year to to complete the Book of Mormon is three months - finishing it just before General Conference. This is the timetable President Hinckley challenged us to do several years ago. For me there has been value in moving along fairly quickly, about six pages per day, to appreciate the full story of the rise and fall of the Nephites. And my mind and heart have been enlightened by many passages that have touched me and I've been able to use in my daily life. But once I've finished this reading of the Book of Mormon, I think I'll go back and really study and ponder certain chapters and verses and "dig deeper" like Richard did, and ask "why?"

Whatever method you choose to study the scriptures, at whatever level, I would encourage you to do as President Benson taught - to make the Book of Mormon as least a portion of your daily scripture study. I'm impressed when I visit Allison and Riley that they gather the family together morning and evening to read the scriptures. My experience has been that they read from the Old Testament or the New Testament or other standard works for one of those times, but the other time it's the Book of Mormon. I see how their family has been blessed by doing so and I'm sure we'll all be blessed if we follow their example.

Alma 36

This chapter was first introduced to me by dad at a very hard time in my life. He had a great way of explaining the immense joy that can follow the godly sorrow felt by sin. Ever since then, this chapter will always hold a special place in my heart and give comfort to me in times of imperfection.

First take a look at what vs 12-13 says "But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments." He had murdered God's children and tried to lead people away from the gospel and the following verses explain his pain. "Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds. And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul." His pain is obvious but then he goes on to say "I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

It is the following verses that bring hope to us all and really bring to light the great power of the atonement..

"now as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: o Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I though this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!"

I am so grateful to have the knowledge I do of the Gospel and to be able to use this gift of the atonement in my life. I am so grateful for the truly Christian teachings that come from the great Book of Mormon. I want to echo the following verse in my life as I go forward...

"Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost."

I know that "he will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise him forever..."

The Fall of Adam and Eve

As I was reading over the lesson we are having today in Relief Society and Priesthood. In 2 Nephi 2, verses 12-26. It gave me a greater love for the Fall. It can be looked at as Adam and Eve sinned, or it was apart of the plan all along. Heavenly Father created all things! Without the Fall,  Adam and Eve would have stayed in the Garden. I really enjoyed reading verses 22-26 which says,

"22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. 

23 And they would have had no children wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. 

26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem."

I am very grateful for the Fall. For without it I would not be here. I would not have an incredible husband who works so hard everyday so I can stay home with our daughter. I wouldn't have Hannah who brings so much joy in my life. I wouldn't have my family or extended family. I am grateful to know that the Fall was apart of the plan and that Adam and Eve were our first parents. They are a great example to me. From the very beginning we were taught that this life would be full of repentance and choices we would have to make. We have to have the opposites to be able to make our choices. 

God of miracles

  I have had a very interesting past few weeks.  Julia and I placed our house on the market again recently, and I had a "head hunter" approach me about a job in Indiana.
   The house has been getting some good activity, but we kept losing potential buyers to some newer townhomes that are closer to campus and around the same price.  I just found out a few days ago that there are about eight more of these for sale, which means that those will probably all have to sell before ours.  Then, yesterday I got a call from our relater who said that there was a couple who wanted to do a lease to own.  After having our house on the market for basically the past year this came as very exciting news.  I informed him to call back the couple and tell them we would be interested in allowing that to happen.  Great news!
  The "head hunter" and I had been in contact several times and just two days ago she sent me an email saying that the head of marketing for a company in Indiana was very interested in me, and wanted to have a phone interview.  It was scheduled for Wednesday of this week.  I had the call and felt it went very well. The job would be a substantial pay increase and a great jump start to my marketing career!  Great news!
 Julia and I were feeling so blessed.  We have been reading our scriptures and saying our prayers.  We have been serving others and attending the temple. We have felt such an increase of the Spirit in our lives.  Then, to top it all off, last night I was reading the Book of Mormon in Mormon 9:10-11

"And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
  But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are."

  Now, I was feeling amazing at the prospect of our house selling and getting a new incredible job!  I was ready for my miracles.
  I got a phone call today from the "head hunter" who informed me that I didn't get the job in Indiana.  They really liked me, but my training in marketing has only been a year and they were looking for someone with more experience.  I decided since I was a little bummed to call the relater and find out if he had heard back from the couple interested in leasing our house.  He informed me that he had made a mistake and that they were actually asking about  another listing in our complex which he was selling.  I was feeling at this point like everything was falling apart....Then I got an email from Julia.  It was so full of faith and hope that I was humbled and converted.  She told me that everything would work out, and pointed out all of our blessings.
   In Finding Faith in Christ someone says, "perhaps faith isn't really faith unless it has been tested."
    I don't know what will happen with my job or with our house, but I do know that Heavenly Father knows, and that if I trust in Him, and live righteously, He will take care of it.  I don't know when or how, but HE WILL TAKE CARE OF IT.  I declare as did Nephi, "nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.  My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions...He hath filled me with his love."
   Lesson:  Sometimes we won't know right away why God lets things happen the way He does, and sometimes we may not even know in this life.  But, I believe that faith is trusting that He knows what we need and when we need it.  His view is not limited to the here and now, but rather it spans the eternities. And, if we are doing what we are suppose to, and if we trust Him, then HE WILL NOT LEAD US ASTRAY!  We are His children and He loves us.  I bare testimony of this truth.
  Finally, I love the message in D&C 123:17
"Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

Becometh as a Child

Today I read Mosiah 3:19, which states that we need to, "becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

I love this verse! As a parent, I have come to understand the meaning of it to a greater extent. Riley and I "inflict" chores on our children and we don't always give them what they want right away, or even at all. We love them, but we know that if they do not learn to work, or if they do not have consequences for their actions, they will not be successful as adults. I think it is the same with our father in heaven. He loves us so much, but if he rescued us immediately from every trial, or we did not have consequences for our choices, we would not be able to learn the things we need to learn, like being meek, humble and patient, so that we can live with Him again.

Lessons of 3rd Nephi Chapter 18

Three concepts struck home to me in 3rd Nephi chapter 18 that I wanted to share.

First, after Jesus administered the sacrament to the people he said:

"Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling the commandments,

and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you." (verse 10) The meaning I got from this is that when we do what the Lord asks it shows that we're willing to keep His commandments. We may not even understand the reasoning behind it, but we do it simply because it's a commandment, and when we show the Lord that willingness to follow Him all the way we are blessed. I can't count the number of places where I've underlined the idea that when we keep the commandments we prosper.

Second, two things that struck me about prayer in verses 18 - 20.

"Ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation, for Satan desireth to have you." This reminded me that we can never let down our guard against Satan and the way to do that is watch and pray always. I also think it's neat that "whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you." There are two conditions - it has to be right in the big picture of the Lord, and we have to have faith, and believe it will be given us.

Third, there's this short and simple sentence in verse 34. "And blessed are ye if ye have no disputations among you." It's so sad when family members argue and fight. Usually it's because of stubbornness or selfishness. That doesn't mean there won't be differences of opinion, but those need to be worked out with love and respect, not with anger, loud voices or pouting.

My Joy Is Full

What a glorious day this has been. I will forever remember March 14, 2010 as among the best days of my life. It began with the privilege of witnessing Michael's patriarchal blessing. It was a wonderful blessing from an inspired patriarch. Next we went to stake conference where the spirit was again in abundance, with Elder Lance B. Wickman of the seventy presiding. All the talks were inspiring and the institute choir was magnificent. Their song, "Take Time to Be Holy" touched us all. But one of the real tender mercies of the Lord was the overpowering feeling in Bishop Wrigley's office right after conference when I had the great blessing of ordaining Michael an Elder. I truly felt the presence of the spirit in the ordination and then especially as Michael bore his testimony afterwards. And to experience it all with people I love and care about - Sally, Allison & Riley, Annabelle, Adelyn, Davis, Clancey and Terrica, was truly one of those tender mercies of the Lord.

Then being able to spend time with Julia and Hannah on the car ride home and arriving home only to be greeted by the rest of my family, Jeffrey, Kent and Giness, Emily and Cameron who had prepared a delicious dinner just capped off a perfect day. I just feel so blessed and grateful. How does this all apply to the Book of Mormon, you may ask? Throughout the day I reflected on the scriptures that talk about joy; scriptures like like Alma 26:11 - ..."my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy." And then in verse 16, "Behold I cannot say the smallest part which I feel." Tonight I feel I understand a little more clearly the meaning of those verses.

Technology and The Lord (Annabelle)

I wasn't really understanding what I was reading in the Book of Mormon so I went back to the place I last really understood what was going on. Those chapters were the ones that talked about Nephi's vision. The one where the angel showed him our time. How difficoult would it be to compare the technology. The vast difference of the two time periods made it almost uncomparable. As I was reading I thought about how after the apostasy not much was being invented. Then, Boom Joseph Smith has his vision. He starts spreading the Gospel. Not only did the church start to grow with it grew technology. Suddenly we have all these huge inventions. Televisions, radios, computurs and so much much more. Technology can help us and hurt us. We have so much at our fingertips the good and the bad. Hopefully people will run into the good things more than the bad. Maybe someday we won't have to use technology to fight with other people. Hopefully someday the world can be at peace, but it won't happen without our help. Amen.

War and Peace

As I've been reading through the war chapters, I have noticed something that has slipped by me before. As great as Moroni and Helaman were as warriors, they never delighted in the shedding of blood. Each time they had an advantage over the Lamanites, they gave them the chance to give up their weapons of was and make an oath not to fight anymore. If the Lamanites were willing to do those things, Moroni was happy to let them go in peace. If not, then he had his armies slay them. That reminds me that sometimes there are things that we have to do that are not pleasant, like disciplining children or correcting someone we supervise at work but we don't have to delight in causing people to be disappointed or sad. When I need to discipline children at work, I try to remember the counsel in the Doctrine and Covenants to "show forth an increase of love towards him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be thine enemy." I think that Moroni was very willing to show mercy and to be fair in the very difficult situation of war. I wonder if he enjoyed his job!

How Quick To Forget the Lord Their God

Is anyone else amazed by the cycle in the Book of Mormon how in one chapter the people are righteous and prosper and in the next chapter it seems they become proud and wicked and forget the Lord their God? And yet upon closer examination I wonder if that doesn't happen to some extent in our lives. I choose this subject to write on after reading in Helaman 7:6

"Now this great iniquity had come upon the Nephites in the space of not many years." I thought I'd take a look at just how quickly it did happen to them and how we can keep it from happening to us.

My first example comes from Alma 45:1, right after the Nephites had been delivered from a great army of the Lamanites: "therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did fast and pray much and they did worship God with exceedingly great joy." And yet later that very same year (about 73B.C.) there were many even in the Church "who believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah" who wanted to be a king over them and they dissented from the church. Chapter 46, verse 8 laments, "Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one."

Another example comes around 43 B.C. We read about this in Helaman 3:24-25.

"And it came to pass that in this same year there was exceedingly great prosperity in the church, insomuch that there were thousands who did join themselves unto the church and were baptized unto repentance. And so great was the prosperity of the church and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure."

But then only five years later in bout 38B.C. the Nephites suffer a great loss at the hands of the Lamanites because, as we read in Helaman 4:11,

"Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God. And it was because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches."

So how does this apply to us in our day? I think if we're not careful, it gets to the point where we're slow to remember the Lord our God, especially when things are going well. We probably all know of people who have been strong in the Church but have fallen away, even return missionaries. How does it happen? I think they gradually stop doing the things the kept them strong - they stopped daily scripture study and daily prayer, then started skipping going to church and they didn't remember the blessings in their lives that came from the Lord. In the example above from Helaman it may have only been two pages between righteousness and wickedness, but it was actually five years. A person can slip a lot in that amount of time. I'm grateful for our family scripture challenge and the motivation it's been to me to really study the scriptures with a consistency and intensity I've probably not done since my mission. But I can testify that the consistent scripture study combined with consistent temple attendance has brought me incredible peace and blessings -blessings not only to me but to my family. I find my confidence waxing stronger. I only hope I can continue to do these things so I don't make the mistakes of so many of the wicked Nephites, but rather follow the pattern of the righteous Nephites in Alma 62:49:

"But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him. Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them."

The one true church of God

I have been listening to the BOM on CD in my car to and from work lately and I am currently in second Nephi. It is nice to hear some of the things that I have recently read to have it re-iterated. I am often times confused when I try to explain to others why I believe that our church is "better" than theirs. I hate to use that terminology and I sometimes think that I am too lenient in my thinking about the other faiths. In second Nephi it is constantly talking about how there is only two churches- the church of God and the church of the Devil, the whore of all the Earth. This seems harsh to me but I think it is great to realize how much different the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints really is. We are a faith that is constantly raising the bar and our unique "guidelines" and doctrine are the key to happiness and joy in this life and the next. We are not asked to follow the laws and words that we are so that we feel restricted, these are set forth for us to become like our father in heaven and attain the highest degree of glory both here on earth and in the heavens above.

I can easily compare this to my clients at work. When I first started I was very lenient on the "rules" that i ask of them because they would complain about how hard it was and I felt bad and didnt want to be mean. I found that my clients were not seeing results and ended up unhappy and unlikely to renew my services. Now on the other hand, I am very stern with my clients despite any tears shed or curse words that they describe me by. I do this because I know that they will be very happy when they see the final picture and that all the sacrifices will seem so small when they attain the goals that they desired. These are the clients that renew my services and want to go tell the whole world about me so that they can experience the same joy. I think my recent mindset compares to the LDS church and my old training mindset compares to other churches. I believe there intentions are not flawed but the end result is. I am thankful for the knowledge that I have of the uniqueness and beauty of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

How to be Happy

I didn't make a whole lot of progress this week with my scripture reading but what I did read made me optimistic. I read Mosiah chapters 3 and 4. vs 6-11 reminded me that Christ did go through even tougher trials than I have ever gone through, and has been hated more than anyone has hated me but still atoned for the sins of everybody. Even those who did persecute him.

In the a few other verses, it tells us what to do to be happy. Vs. 13 says that whoever believes that Christ will come, might receive a remission of their sins and have exceedingly great joy. Then in chapter 4 vs 2-3, the people cried out for mercy and received a remission of their sins and had a peace of conscience because of their exceeding faith in Jesus and were filled with great joy. Again in vs 20, you have been calling on his name and begging for a remission of your sins. Then he will pour out his Spirit upon you and this causes your hearts to be filled with great joy. Receiving a remission of our sins means that we believe that Christ will come, we have a peace of conscience, and the Spirit has been poured upon us and we have great joy.

But It Mattereth Not

I don't want to seem like a "blog hog" by posting more than my share of comments, but I got a little flash of inspiration tonight and I thought before I forget it I would briefly write it down, and what better place to do it.

I was so impressed with Pahoran's reaction to Moroni's epistle, where Moroni just goes off on Pahoran falsely accusing him of being a traitor who sits in idleness and comfort and safety in the heart of the country and doesn't send the much needed food and reinforcements to Moroni's army, while Moroni and his men suffer on the front lines of the war. (turns out Pahoran was dealing with a rebellion of his own)

Now if someone accused me falsely and so harshly of something like that, I would be upset to say the least. My reaction would be to lash back at that person with a stinging rebuke. But what does Pahoran say? He says in Alma 61:9, "And now in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart." Imagine that! Pahoran says, I'm not angry - it doesn't matter, and then he even compliments Moroni!

It made me realize, how many times are there when I get upset, and I should just think; you know, this is no big deal, it doesn't really matter in the big picture. I hope I can be better at following Pahoran's Christ-like example and when it's tempting to get angry about something or at someone to just say, "It mattereth not."