Learning the Book of Mormon

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.

 

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.