Mosiah 9-10

(August 29, 2013)
It is amazing what happens when a people are “wronged,” in their opinion, and they cannot bring themselves to offer forgiveness.  We see here the example of the Lamanites becoming a barbarous and wild people all because they couldn’t forgive the Nephites.  Because they thought they had been “wronged,” they excused themselves of any misdeeds which they committed and only looked outward rather than inward.

Of course, it is easy to find modern examples to demonstrate this model.  Show me an aggrieved group and I will show you a group that (by and large) is composed of members who failed to adequately engage in introspection and, by the same token, fail to achieve success commensurate with their capacities.  Show me a group that has a reason to be aggrieved but chooses not to, and I will show you a group that disproportionally succeeds.

Of course, we don’t achieve salvation as a group, but as individuals.  And the lesson here applies in our everyday life in two ways.  First, the problem is not out there.  It is never out there.  Our problems aren’t in Washington or in Hollywood or in our spouse or children or employer or employee or anything of the sort.  Our problems are internal.  Secondly, and this is extremely important, our problems cannot be solved by anyone other than ourselves.  No new program will fixe our problems.  No white knight will come along and rescue us (excepting, of course, the Lord – but this requires us to accept Him).