From my experiences in life, I know we will face ongoing trials and seemingly never-ending challenges that can really stretch us. Whether we’re located in Rexburg, Idaho, or anywhere else in the world, whether we are young or not so young, there is much in store for each of us. So, how do we navigate through life and find the best support for us?
I appreciate the responses in the devotional discussion board and the personal insights you’ve shared, and I hope you will continue to seek learning from the Book of Mormon.
Some of you may be away from home for the first time, and this may be your first semester in school. For others, this may be your second, third, or more semesters; maybe you have only one class left to graduate. Maybe you’re not young anymore and are dealing with the challenges that happen with aging. Some may be moving from or into the Pathway program. Some are already employed. Some may be looking for new or a different type of employment. Whatever our circumstances may be or wherever we are, rest assured, we are never completely alone. I’m sure you know this. Our Father in Heaven is aware of what we are doing and what we will be facing in the future. He has given us the gift of the Holy Ghost, who comes to us out of love as our personal guide, comforter, teacher, protector, and at times it may seem, our only friend. Also included in the list of our personal helpers is our family and friends, roommates and ministers, classmates and church leaders, and quite often someone who in passing may say something to lift us and brighten our day.
Another help we have—one that I hope isn’t overlooked—is the Book of Mormon. I’m confident we have read it and read it daily and have a strong testimony that it is true and that it is a sure witness of the Savior. And I hope we use it as a guide to help us in the trials we face.
Some time ago, while serving as bishop of a YSA ward here on campus, I was helping a young lady with some questions she was dealing with. I used Lehi’s vision of the tree of life in chapter 8 of 1 Nephi as a reference to help her with some of her concerns. When we finished, she wondered out loud how come she was never taught to use the stories in the Book of Mormon in current, real-life challenges. She said her family read from the book often and that she had attended seminary and her Young Women’s classes and that she had a testimony of the Book of Mormon and knew it is true, but she had never realized its potential to be used in her everyday life. So, I wondered if others have the same concern. Let me walk through some ideas that may help you understand what I mean.
For my first example, let’s say that you are starting something new—be it school, employment, or about anything—and you are not sure if you’ve made the right decision. You are not alone when faced with this kind of uncertainty. Let’s look to the Book of Mormon for help. In chapters 3 and 4 of 1 Nephi, we find the account of Lehi sending his sons back to Jerusalem to get the brass plates. Remember what they did first; they simply went and asked Laban for them. That didn’t work out very well. Then, they tried to buy them. That turned out even worse, didn’t it? You may have similar experiences when you undertake something new. It may not work out very well. And so, you try something different, which may not work out any better, and you may even feel you’ve been beat up for your efforts, kind of like what happened to Nephi and Sam. By the way, have you noticed that the angel who stopped Laman and Lemuel from beating Sam and Nephi didn’t tell them how to get the plates, but to try again and the Lord would deliver Laban into their hands? The decision and ownership of the plan was left to Nephi to work out, wasn’t it? Sometimes we simply need to try again and again. Nephi tells us he “crept into the city and went forth towards the house of Laban . . . not knowing beforehand, the things which I should do.”[1] Now, we know the outcome. Sometimes, in order to accomplish a plan we have, we may need to change the direction we are going, or even creep into something new or whatever it may be. We likely will face some hard things that may challenge us to our very core, just like Nephi did,[2] but we should move forward anyway, with the faith of Nephi, trusting in the Lord, and things seem to turn out all right in the end.
For my next example, most of us will likely be asked to minister to someone. Maybe the family we are asked to serve is not interested in visitors from the Church. But we’ve been asked to check on them anyway and who knows, maybe we can become their friend.
Let’s see what we can find in the Book of Mormon to help us. A great example of loving, effective ministering is found with the experiences of Ammon and King Lamoni. In chapters 17–19 of the book of Alma, we find the account of what transpires with them. Ammon shows up at Lamoni’s home where he is met with a not so friendly reception. Ammon is even threatened, but he doesn’t retaliate, and neither should we. Instead, Ammon tells Lamoni that he wants to be his servant, or even his friend, just like we could, and that he plans, in his own words, “to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die.”[3] And because of his kindness and willingness to be of service to the king—or in our case to a neighbor—hearts were softened and they became friends, which allowed Ammon the opportunity to share a gospel message that lead to the conversion of the king, his family, and before long, to thousands of people.
I’m sure we can be like Ammon, who, as the scripture tells us, is “wise, yet harmless,”[4] and look for and find opportunities to lift and share our neighbor’s burdens and serve them until their hearts soften and hopefully develop confidence in us that can lead to teaching and learning moments where faith and testimonies are shared and strengthened.
Now, as time moves on, we may find ourselves with a family. Maybe our children are old enough to have discovered the great and spacious building that Lehi saw in vision and through various information outlets are being introduced to those who live there. They may even be playing in the mud along of the bank of the filthy river or already swimming in that river which runs along the path that leads to the tree of life.[5] With the help of the Book of Mormon, we should be able to help ourselves and our families understand what we’re facing. There are many examples that we can use, but one that has always impressed me about how to fortify our homes against those who openly or quietly seek our destruction is the example of Captain Moroni.
There are close to 20 chapters in Alma[6] that explain what Moroni did to protect his family and friends. He used clever and inspired strategy in fortifying their cities and lands. If you remember, he placed his strongest armies in cities he thought were the weakest. He constructed fortifications and built moats and berms of dirt around many of the cities. He made a title of liberty for his people, which gave them a common standard that they could have in their minds while planning their defensive and offensive strategies. He sought for, listened to, and then followed the counsel of his priesthood leaders in creating his plans of action.
Moroni was a relatively young man, only 24, when he was given the stewardship and command of all the Nephite armies. It is said of Moroni, “If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.”[7] It may pay to read about, study, and ponder the life of Moroni over and over to understand how he became this type of person.
We can use the same type of strategy as we seek to protect ourselves, our homes, and our families against the world. If there are children in our homes, I encourage involving them in creating a plan of action. Remember what Alma said when teaching the Zoramites, that “the Lord . . . impartheth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned.”[8] And I’ll add their parents.
We need to take ownership of our plan of action and help others do the same. And in the capacity of a family council, we decide what is necessary to keep us safe. Our plans will take time and effort to work out and may need to be adjusted and modified as time moves on. As we and our families grow and develop, so should our plans. We will likely make mistakes along the way but should do our best to make corrections and fix what we can.
A personal experience may help to illustrate what I mean. I have in my home several small potted plants. Most were gifts. I don’t know what kind of plants they are except my rose plant. This one I purchased from the horticulture department. I thought it was beautiful with several small, dark red flowers. After some time, the plants were a little droopy and started looking weak to me, so I decided to give them some fertilizer. And rather than spend the time to determine what each plant needed, I got some Miracle Grow, mixed it with water, and gave them all an equal drink. After a few of days, they all looked pretty sad. I thought I had killed them. My little rose lost its flowers and leaves. I shifted into panic mode and removed the plants from their pots, rinsed their roots and replanted them with new potting soil. All but one came back to life. Some took a little longer than others. Some did fantastic and still look good. But my little rose bush never did come back. I lost it. It broke my heart. It was so pretty and delicate. And I, in my desire to help my plants, fed them too much too fast, and now I know concerning my rose, that I gave it the wrong kind of nourishment and lost it.
If you’re struggling with family members, know you’re in good company. The Book of Mormon has several examples of parents doing their best, but still dealing with broken hearts as they raise their families. Lehi is an example of a real tender-hearted parent who does his best and still loses some children to the world. Mosiah and Alma the Elder have sons that tax them to the point that they plead with the Lord to stop their sons, which the Lord does. Alma the Younger has a challenge of his own. He shares his conversion story with his son Helaman, turns the record keeping over to him, and leaves him with an uplifting charge to do well.[9] His son Shiblon gets one short chapter of you’re doing well, keep up the good work.[10] But to his son Corianton, he starts with, “And now, my son, I have somewhat more to say unto thee than what I said unto thy brother,”[11] and then goes on for four chapters[12] to condemn his immorality and teaches him the gospel of Jesus Christ and encourages him to make changes that, if followed, could lead him back to the covenant path and partake of salvation. Maybe a lesson from these examples is to meet the needs of each family member as an individual, never give up, and keep loving them.
In last week’s devotional, Brother Bryan Pope shared an experience he had as a missionary concerning a returned missionary in one of his areas who used the Book of Mormon as an anchor to hold fast to in the face of family opposition.
Asking the right questions or asking questions in the right way while praying is a necessary growing experience. Suppose we have something that we’re struggling with. We may be praying about it nonstop but are not getting a direct answer. What counsel can we turn to? The Book of Mormon records the experience of Jared, his brother, and their families and friends. Their prayers were answered about not confounding their language. They received further answers about the assurance of a land of promise. They were instructed to construct eight watertight barges. The brother of Jared approached the Lord again with a couple more issues. They had no air and no light in their wooden barges.[13] Concerning air, the Lord told them to cut holes in the top and the bottom of the vessel and make plugs to remove as needed for air; but concerning light, the Lord explained why windows and fire won’t work and then asked the brother of Jared to take ownership of the decision when He said, “What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?”[14] We know from the record that he made 16 small, clear stones and then asked the Lord to touch them so they would shine with light, which the Lord did. Now, without spending too much time on the details of these experiences with the brother of Jared, a lesson for me is how the Lord teaches us to make decisions, take ownership of them, and seek His help, which He freely gives.
If we have children who need help getting along, study King Benjamin’s address in which he tells us to not let our children fight and quarrel with one another but to love and serve each other.[15] If we need a reminder of the commandments given to Moses, study what Abinadi taught King Noah and his court.[16] If we feel we’ve been misunderstood or that we have misunderstood someone and their intentions, study the interaction between Captain Moroni and Governor Pahoran. Focus on what they did for each other after the initial misunderstanding had been corrected.[17]
There will be times in our lives when it seems we’re stretched as far as we can be stretched. All of us are dealing with some level of physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental challenge, and we may be discouraged, depressed, hurt, scared, and have our anxiety level as high as it will go. We can turn to The Book of Mormon for help.
Just about anywhere we read will lift us. But one place we can turn to when our stress level is high is the record of the Savior’s visit. After the days and nights of earthquakes, storms, fires, and general turmoil, the Lord spoke to the people and His voice filled them with peace. After the Lord introduced Himself, He called and set apart priesthood leaders and then gave basic and profound doctrines to the people. He then asked for all who were sick or afflicted to come forth and be healed. I’m sure most, if not all the people had been affected by the destruction of the previous few days. I’m sure these private healing visits took some time, and He did it more than once, as well as blessed their children.[18] The Lord prayed to our Heavenly Father on behalf of these people on several occasions. He also included us in this prayer when He said, “And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one.”[19] Well, I believe their words, so I know the Lord is praying to our Father for me personally.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord desires to heal us. I am aware that some of the healing we need may take a lifetime to receive or may even carry into the next life. But I’m confident the Lord can and will heal each of us in due time.
I hope this has stirred an interest in searching the Book of Mormon for comfort and for support in dealing with the challenges we face. This is not intended to be any kind of a definitive work on using the Book of Mormon in our everyday lives, but is simply an invitation to approach the buffet of knowledge offered and maybe start with a small taste, and then in time, learn to feast on what is available.
Please know that I know the Book of Mormon is true and that I love it. It has become my friend. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] 1 Nephi 4:5.
[2] 1 Nephi 4:10–19.
[3] Alma 17:23.
[4] Alma 18:22.
[5] 1 Nephi 8, 12.
[6] Alma 43–62.
[7] Alma 48:17.
[8] Alma 32:23.
[9] Alma 36, 37.
[10] Alma 38.
[11] Alma 39:1.
[12] Alma 39–42.
[13] Ether 1–3.
[14] Ether 2:23.
[15] Mosiah 4:14–15.
[16] Mosiah 13.
[17] Alma 59–62.
[18] 3 Nephi 11–17.
[19] 3 Nephi 19:23.