I am taking a religion class as part of my foray back into
school. This first class is a study of the Book of Mormon. Each week is broken
up into certain amount of chapters. Each week as part of my learning I
will be updating this blog with the information I have learned and the insights
I have gained. (Unless I pick a different end of the week project.)
For the first time ever I am doing more than just reading the
Book of Mormon and attending Sunday school. I am studying it and
discussing it. I am using study guides and attending a Gathering to review our inspirations. Everything in the Book of Mormon that was written was kept there for our use in
these Latter Days. Everyone is given the promise that if they read the
Book of Mormon and pray with a sincere heart to know if the Book is true, they
will be able to receive the knowledge of the truthfulness of the words. With
the additional knowledge that this book was written for us the Book of Mormon
can become personal to us. A personal
guide from our Heaven Father to us. What an awesome gift!
This weeks scriptures were 1 Nephi 1-5
One of the other students in my class pointed the love Lehi had
for his wife Sariah. In chapter 5 Sariah gets upset with Lehi. She is worried
about her sons she was mourning them. She thought they had died in the
wilderness. They were sent back to a land she was told by her husband that was
becoming more and more wicked and was going to be destroyed. They were sent on
a mission to obtain plates that held scripture and genealogy of their family
and people from a wicked king. What
mother wouldn’t be worried? As she gets
upset Nephi tells of how she was angry at his father Lehi. And what Lehi does is a
great learning model of love for all of us. First he acknowledges her concerns
and states, “I know I am a visionary man; for if I had not seen the things of
God in a vision I should not have known the goodness of God….” (1Nephi 5:4)
Then he comforts her in verse 5 telling her he has “obtained a land of promise,
in which things I do rejoice; yea, I know that the Lord will deliver my sons
out of the hand of Laban and bring them down unto us in the wilderness.” This is a great example of love. In these first 5 verses of chapter 5 I can
see that Heavenly Father knows that we (Sariah) get upset and sometimes lose
hope (she was fearing the worst.) But we can be comforted. As Lehi comforted his
wife. As the Lord comforted the whole family when they returned safe and
unharmed. If I treat my loved ones as
Lehi did Sariah in these chapters I will be uplifting them and help them. I
will be demonstrating compassion and love. I will be a better friend and
mother.
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| Art work by Joseph Brickey found at this link |
I know that the things we read in the scriptures can have personal meaning in our lives. I don’t know if I have ever felt a personal connection to
the Book of Mormon before. I cannot recall a time I loved reading it where it was
not just a chore or something that I “should” do. I am taking this course because I want to
learn of these great spiritual leaders. I want to be able to know for myself
the Book of Mormon is true. I want to be able to learn from it and grow my personal testimony of these words. To be able to teach my children and receive personal
inspiration from this book.
