Alma 22

(April 3, 2014)
I had two thoughts as I read through this chapter.  The first was on the king’s description of removing his sins.  When I think of rooting something out, I typically think of the removal of a wart.  It is a painful process, and you have to dig deep down in order to ensure that the infected tissue doesn’t merely spread.  Obviously that wasn’t what Lamoni was speaking of (or what Joseph Smith was translating to) – removing a tree root is a difficult enough process that it was clearly of a similar nature to removing a wicked spirit.  But either way, the process is very difficult and requires effort.  According to what I have read, as well, it was not atypical for feats of strength (such as removing a tree root) to be typically done with prayers for support in the Mayan culture – but that is neither here nor there.

The second thought that I had was on the remedy that Aaron prescribed.  Like Lamoni, I would love to have my wicked spirit rooted out of my breast.  So as I read at this point in my life, I focused on the advice of Aaron.  When it was given, it stopped me short.  After all, hadn’t I done something very similar to Lamoni’s prayer (last night, most recently)?  But it quickly struck me that Aaron’s advice to Lamoni was specific to Lamoni – just as Christ’s command to the rich young man was specific to him.  There is something that each of us must also do to acquire the blessings of understanding and knowledge and it is up to us to find what that thing is or those things are and to prepare ourselves such that we are ready when the time comes.