Monday, February 22, 2010

More on Limhi and his people

So to pick up where I left off last time, I wanted to talk about verse 15 of Mosiah 21. The Lord was slow to hear their cries, but he did hear them, he softened the hearts of the Lamanites, but didn't see fit to deliver them out of bondage. I thought that was interesting. Sometimes when we struggle in our lives and we are pouring our hearts and souls to the Lord, he doesn't always deliver us from our problems. Sometimes it is because of our pride and sin, because we were slow to obey His commandments...as is the case here. Sometimes it is because He has a plan for us and it will happen with his timing. I always try to remember that if I can remain patient the Lord may have something even better in store for me, if I will just be patient and obedient. Sometimes He doesn't deliver us because he knows we need more growth, it is for our own good, just painful. I remember waiting an entire year for my husband to finally get to start his job. He knew he had a job in line, but waiting for them to tell him where and when his training will begin was torture! He watched fellow classmates all begin within months after graduation college and we sat, no phone calls, no emails, no indication as to what is going on and when he will get to begin. It was agonizing. I know he prayed mightily, I know i did as well, but the Lord didn't see it fit to deliver us from this trial for almost a year. I look back now and I am grateful for that trial and that time. It really helped me to be grounded with gratitude. I don't care so much about our ugly couches, or that I don't have this thing or that we don't go on fabulous vacations, or that we don't have this or that. I am seriously just THRILLED that my husband has a job, gets a paycheck, we have shelter, we have food and we have our family and the gospel. I think I really needed the trials we faced to strip off all the things that seemed somewhat important, to strip off any dumb complaints I may have had about dumb things and bring me to real happiness again. Happiness that is in the gospel, in my family and not in silly things like, clothes, shoes, houses, furnishings. Don't get me wrong, I do still like those things, but I don't care about them. I feel happier inside for what I have.

So Moshiah 23 is just a great story. This is where Limhi and his people get the Lamanite guards drunk and escape from their bondage. I should mention that by the end of chapter 22 Limhi and his people were desirous to be baptized, they had gained a testimony...so the next chapter the Lord delivers them out of bondage. Probably also important to mention and they had met up with Ammon and his brethren. So Gideon comes up with this fabulous plan to have all the people get ready to escape at night and Gideon would deliver the last tribute of wine. The guards totally fall for it and get drunk and Limhi and his people escaped into the wilderness and to Zarahemla joining Mosiah and his people. By the time guards noticed they went after them and got lost in the wilderness. It was a short chapter, but it is a fun story. Moral of the story, don't get drunk. I think it goes deeper than that, but I do think it helps reinforce why the Lord has given us the Word of Wisdom. I think we can look at this and say, don't be idle. The Lamanite guards probably had too much pride, thinking that they are good fighters and no one could get past them. Because of their pride they probably just rested on that, their minds were not alert to their duties, they allowed themselves to get drunk, and they weren't watchful and because of that they made a big error. In our own lives if we allow ourselves to become idle with our minds and our thoughts, and our acitivites we will also put ourselves in a position to allow Satan into our lives, and that is a big error. If we are feeling comfortable with our testimony so we become idle in our scripture study, our prayer, our journal writing Satan will slip through and take advantage of the power we have given him. If we are not watchful over our families and our activites, making sure we have family home eveing, family prayer, family fun then we will also allow the opportunity for our children or even us as parents escape from the goodness of the gospel, from the Spirit and from the joy and love that is to be built in our homes. That is the message I get from this story. We need to keep our minds sober and not drunken with things of the world or idleness.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Limhi and his people

So I know I have posted like once every 2 months...so consistent am I! Anyways, I have been reading the story of Limhi, so that is where I am. Every once in awhile I may try to go back if i am reminded of something I read earlier, but I just need to do this really try to be consistent every week in writing. Writing in here forces me to be thoughtful about what I am reading and makes me reflect on the words, when I don't I just read quickly and close the book and go off in my daily routine without much reflection or thought. It's terrible. So Mosiah 21 is where I read today. Limhis people were previously attacked by the Lamanites because the Lamanites thought that they were the ones who stole their daughters. At the end of the chapter the Lamanites had been pacified and returned to their land in peace. In chapter 21 it starts off by saying that after some time the Lamanited were getting angry again towards the Nephites. They couldn't kill them or go to war because their is an oath curretnly in place, so instead they pretty much abuse them and put heavy burdens upon their backs and work them hard. I was thinking about this because sometimes we are given rules or we are working to obey the commandments, but it is hard sometimes. So we technically don't "break" the commandments but we do little things that we think keep us within the boundaries, but we still know are wrong. Is that a bit of a stretch. I am thinking of all different things, there are rules of sexual morality, there are the clear rules of what not to do, but there are many who I think might do the things that they can feel are wrong, but technically are not the same so it seems ok or justified. There is President Clinton who didn't inhale, we need to show love and charity to others so we might technically serve them with food or serice, but we may not give true friendship or have some unkind things to say behind their backs. There are so many things in our lives we can compare this to and I think it is important to do some self reflection on this.

In verse 4 it says, "Yea, all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled." This is referring to when Abinadi had prophesied to the people what would happen...Moshiah 12:2:"...and the Lord said unto me: Strethc forth thy hand and prophesy, saying : Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by mne, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh." So the Lord continues to show us in the scriptures how the prophesies will come true. He shows us these things to increase our faith, although he doesn't show us the things in our own lives so quickly. So smart, it leaves us the opportunity to build our faith in our personal lives, but gives us scripture to give us the faith and hope and to show us that it does happen. So what has our prophet been prophesying? What things are we warned of that we need to take seriously. Getting out of debt, living within our means, stay away from pornography, get your food storage and emergency preparedness together, read the scriptures daily, have Family Home evening and family prayer...these are the things I think of when I think of what I learn from General Conference. There is clearly more, but sometimes I dismiss this as just things we should do to enrich our daily lives, but I do think there is more to it. These are things we are being told to do just like the Nephites were told to repent and live righteously. That's all the time I have for today, but there is more i thought about for the latter part of the chapter that had to do with the Nephites finally becoming humble and crying to the Lord and the Lord hearing them, but being slow in their deliverance because of their sins and pride. Tough lesson to learn...but I will try and touch on that later.