Blogging Through the Book of Mormon

3:4 - I always wondered why it was so important that Lehi's family have the  brass plates. I compare it to having the scriptures in our day. Is it really that critical to have the scriptures? Does it make that big of a difference? Honestly, until recently I thought maybe not, but I know that I'm wrong. In so many instances IN the scriptures it talks about how having and studying the scriptures makes or breaks a person's spirit or a society. I will have to think more about why the scriptures are so very important. I think it's because I've always had them and I haven't been as valiant in my study of them as I should have been, that they never really were that big of a deal to me. But I do love them, but more as a background player in my life than a guiding light, front and center. I will have to work on that. 3:5 - Here Laman and Lemuel murmur against getting the brass plates. This is an excellent example of what murmuring really means. The Lord tells Lehi, Leh...

2:1-2 - Here the Lord tells Lehi in a dream that he is blessed because he has been faithful and that because he preached repentance to the people, they want to kill him. So the Lord commands Lehi to take his family and leave Jerusalem and go into the "wilderness." I always wondered why Lehi had to leave Jerusalem if he was righteous and all the other people were wicked. Kind of a "why should he have to give up his lifestyle that he probably worked hard for because other people are jerks?" If Lehi was righteous, why wouldn't the Lord simply save him through some miraculous act when the people come to kill him. Surely he deserves that type of deliverance, but why does he have to run away? I have decided that every time the Lord intervenes in a miraculous manner, it takes away from someone's agency. For instance, if Lehi is preaching and a mob comes to kill him, and Lehi shocks the mob and they can't move, as has happened before, then surely there will be s...

1:1 - Nephi states that he has seen many afflictions in his short life, but that he has also been highly favored of the Lord. Handling affliction well, allows us to be blessed. Many times we must suffer through affliction as children to learn lessons and gained character that we will need as adults. Nephi isn't a prophet yet, he's not even sure that his father is a prophet yet, but he still handles his trials with a leaning toward the Lord. While conflicting the "afflictions" with being highly favored Nephi shows us that all are afflicted, even children, but to endure trials while being faithful and grateful to the Lord. I consider myself highly favored of the Lord as well because my life is amazing, comparatively speaking. But what do I consider my favored blessings? My awesome job, my good kids, my health, my abundance. Nephi considers himself favored because he has "a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God." When he's writing this, h...

My personal trainer sent out a Memorial Day message that prompted me to think about what I'm really getting out of my life. I realized that yes, I am busy, yes I am a single mom that works full time, but I have so many blessings, so many resources at my disposal, and yet I'm still not living my life to the fullest. And I really sat down and thought about what that meant. What could I be doing better at, and most importantly, what do I need to be doing more of and better at in order to live the life that I truly want. There are so many aspects of my life that I feel are lacking, and that deep down, it is vitally important to me that I fill these voids so that I can feel fulfilled in my life. For instance, I would love to learn to surf, but is learning to surf so critical to my meaning as a person that I must focus my few spare minutes of time doing it? Not at all. I would love to do it, and if given the chance I will jump at it, but if I never learn how to do it in this life, I ...