Mosiah 26

(September 9, 2014)

                I had three thoughts as I read this chapter, and two of them were things that I needed in my life right now.  The first of them to notice that Alma did not know of the people who were in the rising generation abandoning the faith, even though they were quite numerous.  I think there is a tendency to criticize leadership in our modern times for not knowing what sometimes some people think that they ought to know, but like everyone else they are subject to mortal limitations at all times when they are not directly provided assistance from the Lord sufficient to overcome that limitation.  It is perfectly acceptable to provide information to our Priesthood leaders to let them know of an issue, rather than assuming they know about that issue already.  Additionally, we certainly cannot complain if there is something that President Monson does not know about, because Alma here shows that there is a major movement that he didn’t know about.

                The second thing is Alma’s fear of doing the wrong thing.  This is a fear that I struggle with as well – I am at a point in my life that I am trying to make some momentous and life-altering decisions.  I do not want to make the wrong decision or do the wrong thing, but I feel that either choice could be the wrong thing.  Alma’s example has changed the way that I am approaching the matter with the Lord – I am adopting Alma’s language and letting the Lord know of my willingness to do what He wants me to do and letting Him know of my fear of doing the wrong thing in His sight.  With two options in front of me, and no clear path in sight, all I can do is rely on Him and let Him know how much I want to do the right thing (if I can discern what that right thing is).

                Finally, we know that the people who had left the Church were afflicting the people who continued to follow the Church’s teachings.  And yet, the instruction the members of the Church were given was to “give thanks in all things.”  Not just the things that we might think to give thanks in – the temporal blessings or our health or safety or prosperity – but in all things.  As I read this, I contemplated the adversity that I have been facing in my life, and the path that my spirit has been on during those times of adversity.  I would not have chosen this path for all the money in the world, and yet having been on it I can say with confidence that it has been one of the best things for my life.  I have received more blessings these past 2½ months than I have received over any period of time except for a couple of months of my mission.  I have drawn closer to the Lord, learned more about myself (and I have been blessed to continue learning about myself), and regained a fierce determination to live according to His teachings.

                In some ways, this period of time in my life has been a cleansing.  I almost compare it to a surgery, where scar tissue that has built up around my soul has been carefully cut away by the Master Physician, freeing me soul to follow Him in the way I was designed to do so.  I would have preferred to have never made the mistakes that I have made in life, but this period of trial and adversity is serving to undo much of the spiritual damage of those mistakes and repairing me to spiritual health.  I would likewise love to see the temporal damage that I have caused to be undone, but that is beyond my power.  But I recognize that I must be grateful for the adversity in my life, having seen recently just what a blessing that adversity can be.