Read it; Heed it

Mormon 8 – Moroni finishes the work of his Father. He see the entire destruction of the Nephite nation. In verse 5, he tells us he has no one – family, friends, etc. He is alone.

How does Moroni handle this aloneness? Is he bitter? Not at all. In fact, he realizes he has a work to do. He realizes he was preserved for a reason – to bring the Book of Mormon to us, the people in the latter days.

I can't believe the number of people I know who feel so put upon that they are without friends and are “alone” in the world – either through sickness or death of a spouse or having not found their spouse yet.  This is no excuse to give up on the Lord. It doesn't get much more “alone” than what Moroni experienced. There is no doubt in my mind that the Lord has a plan for each one of us – a work for us to do. I know we will be much happier in seeking to fulfill that plan than to strike out on our own in search of what seems to be so elusive. Anything the Lord has designed for us will far surpass any imaginations of the heart.

In verse 31 he tells us the Book of Mormon will come forth in a day that describes where we are today, i.e. pollutions, murders, robbing, lying, deceivings, whoredoms, abominations. It is a wicked world we have brought our children into. He says there will be many who will condemn the Book of Mormon and those who do will not be supported by the Lord. What does it mean when in describing these people, he says “. . . they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity”? Gall means: vexing and irritating. Vexing means to afflict with physical pain. So are people who reject the Book of Mormon in the Gall of bitterness? Are they in the bonds of iniquity? Certainly iniquity (sin) is a bondage and one that requires serious work to pull away from. Vexing? Physically painful? I know for myself that it was exhausting. I see a daughter in pain. She wouldn't admit it, and one of her gifts is that she has an extremely high pain thresh hold. But there will be a day when she will look back and say how totally painful her existence was.

So how does this apply to me today? Well, I know that we are in the latter days. I see the Lord's hand in the many things happening in the world. It is exactly as the scriptures tell us it will be. It makes me a little sad, because we know that the goodness of the world today is going to fall apart fast. We can see it happening if we have eyes to see. I know that we must be ever vigilant to read and heed the words from the Book of Mormon. They are a “key” to surviving the woes of these latter days. The only way we will have peace is in knowing that this too shall pass and the Lord will fulfill his promises to those who faithfully keep his commandments and strive to build his kingdom. So there you have it:

• Keep the commandments
• Building the kingdom