Alma 47

(October 22, 2015)

                In the current situation I find my life in, it is not surprising that I find my mind focused on stories containing false accusations and their consequences to both the accuser and the accused.  Reading through the process by which Amalickiah rose to power, my attention was drawn to the fate of the servants who were brazenly falsely accused by the very individuals responsible for the king’s death.

                They were obligated to flee, and presumably at least a portion of them left behind possessions, family, children, and similar losses.  And yet, how blessed were their lives as a result of the false accusations they encountered!  If they had not been falsely accused, they would have likely remained as servants to the king, living without the Gospel in their lives, and ultimately perhaps losing their chances as Exaltation.

                Instead they were forced through the false accusations they suffered from to flee to the Ammonites, where we can safely assume they were taught and received the Gospel in their lives.  Meanwhile, those who engaged in false accusations as a mechanism of covering their sins ultimately reached a point where they were cut off in the very act of rebellion against God (not a good fate, of course).

                Now I certainly don’t want that for my accusers.  But I do take comfort in seeing how the Lord watched over the falsely accused in this case.  And, I trust (both through the scriptures and my own experience these past few months), He will likewise bring about great blessings in my life that will draw me closer to Him as a consequence of enduring the false accusations I am confronted with so long as I allow them to drive me towards Him rather than choosing to allow them to drive me away from Him.