Remember, Remember

I had an interesting experience today.  My assignment from Preach My Gospel was a difficult one: “Find a Book of Mormon scripture that has changed your life.  Record your feelings about this scripture in your study journal.”

I’ve never really given this that much thought.  There are many experiences in the Book of Mormon that I could pull up immediately, but a scripture?  So I started walking through my Book of Mormon.  My time was gone before I had really zeroed in on a scripture.  I put it off for another time. 

I played the organ in the temple this morning, so afterward I sat in the Celestial Room and pondered and prayed.  I prayed I would know which scripture has really changed my life.  Helaman 5:12 came to mind.  I opened it up and read it.  I’ve memorized this scripture before and its reference, which is why it came to mind. 

“And now, my sons, remember.  Remember it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty wind, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fail.”

The interesting part of this exercise was my effort to re-memorize it as I sat in the temple.  I must confess as I typed it just now, I still needed to look.  This is too interesting.  I remembered writing something in the margin of my Book of Mormon somewhere that I wanted to quote just now.  Had I only gone to Helaman 5:12, I would have found it.  A teacher in a class I took put it like this:  “The main thing to remember is that the main thing is the main thing.”  Interesting that I turned every page in my book before I got to Helaman 5:12, which is where it was written.  Ugh!  We must remember that Jesus Christ is the main thing.  Nothing else really matters.  It is through his Atonement that everything we hope to achieve in this life or the next will come to pass.  We must build our foundation on Him – our Rock of Salvation.

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I still marvel at my own rescue and the fruits of repentance.  I marvel at the joy in my life from keeping the commandments.  Even when things get a little difficult – and they do for all of us at one time or another – I know my Savior is there for me, that he has suffered for me and that in the end, it will be okay.  I have full confidence when I speak these words to my children.  I know things will work out.  I worry for those who have not discovered this for themselves, but find great joy and comfort in the fact that miracle is there for them when they are ready to reach out and ask for it.  It is that simple; that powerful.  I’m so grateful for this miracle in my own life and look forward to it happening in the lives of those I teach when we serve our mission(s).  I look forward to it for my own daughter as well.