Sacrifice brings forth. . .

Ether 14 thru Moroni 6

Camping for the weekend put me away from the ability to update my blog. Therefore, I had a little more time to read.

Whenever I reach the end of the Book of Mormon, I can't help but have mixed feelings. This time, I marvel at how quickly I read from cover to cover (not quite). I started January 1st. Ether leaves me feeling the same every time, i.e. saddened at the destruct of a nation that was once so great with so many promises. How did they get to the point of where they could count the survivors with little effort? I find myself asking that same question with individuals all too frequently. How did it happen so fast? What went wrong – so terribly wrong? I would dare say the answer to a nation is found in the concerns for an individual. It begins with focus. Where exactly are you focused? On the good of the people who surround you? Is their welfare of importance? Or are you self focused – me, me, me oriented. It's not fair! Or What's in it for me? As I watch in utter horror at what is happening in our own great nation, I can see there are far too many people running the government who are “me” oriented. What's in it for me? How can I be re-elected and so forth. When that begins to happen on a national scale, the very foundation of a nation is at risk. You can see people rising up in anger against those who believe differently. We are headed in that direction. It is equally sad so see it happening to an individual. When it is all about “me”, the life of that person becomes riddled with misfortune, sadness, accidents and pain. Why is that? For one, it can be answered in the scriptures. D&C 98:13 “And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name's sake, shall find it again, even life eternal.” Even when things go wrong in a righteous person's life, they can see the hand of the Lord in their lives and also turn it to their own good. I can't explain it, but I've seen it enough to know it is a truth.

So how does this apply to me today? I must be less concerned about myself and more concerned for the welfare of others. There is much that I could be doing that I don't.