Mosiah 9-10

(August 29, 2014)

                Two thoughts that I had while I read these chapters.  The first was on the people of Zeniff going to the Lamanites and requesting land.  The people, seeing something that they wanting, willingly put themselves into captivity to get it.  This is not surprising, because it is something that we also do frequently.  In my own life, I can see how I placed myself into captivity in order to get something that I thought was good or that I thought that I wanted, and for which (ultimately) I needed the Lord’s help to achieve deliverance.  The story of Zeniff is the story of each of us, and the deliverance of Limhi and Alma is the story of the Atonement.

                The second thought that I had was on just how toxic blame becomes.  The Lamanites, to multiple generations, destroyed themselves and lived brutal lives all because they couldn’t stop blaming Nephi.  In this case, Nephi did nothing wrong but the results would have been the same had Nephi truly been a robber.  The scriptures say that if we don’t forgive the greater sin lies with us, and I never used to understand that.  But now I am beginning to – if I don’t forgive, and if I allow that toxic blame to fester in my soul (whether justified or unjustified), then my progress becomes completely stopped, I regress, and I my soul withers and shrinks.  Forgiveness is necessary because failing to forgive is so destructive to us.