Doctrine and Covenants 98

(November 22, 2015)

                There are certain scriptures that bring a lot of hope to me as I read them, and this is one of them.  I can empathize with the early Saints placed in positions where they were surrounded by enemies who sought their destruction, and being hurt by the selfish actions of others.

                But, like the Saints, it ultimately isn’t about the enemies that we have and their efforts to hurt us – they cannot do anything to us save the Lord allows it.  Like the early Saints, we will each be tested to determine if abide in our covenants with the Lord.  Each of our challenges might be different, and I dare say that each of our challenges will be the most difficult way our challenges could be made to confront us, but if we hold to the Lord then the efforts of others to hurt us will only work towards our betterment.

                Of course, the other thought I wondered about when reading in this Section was on the thought of children making restitution.  I imagine it means adult children, but it does bring up some interesting thoughts about the nature of our accountability and responsibility that I am not sure what to make of just yet.