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.