This chapter is all about dwindling and
returning. Samuel, the Lamanite, is
delivering some pretty tough prophecies.
How does what he says apply to us today?
Our children were taught the gospel. They had the agency to make their own
decisions and some of them have put themselves in jeopardy of receiving
Heavenly Father’s harshest consequences – v17 “If they will not repent, and
observe to do my will, I will utterly destroy them, saith the Lord, because of
their unbelief notwithstanding the many mighty works which I hae done among
them; and as surely as the Lord liveth shall these things be, saith the Lord.”
My children have seen mighty works. Did they recognize them as mighty? I don’t know.
In today’s world, everything is upside down. There is so much confusion and commotion that
it’s hard to know what people see, feel and believe. I am somewhat comforted in V16 where it says
“. . . in the day of my wisdom they shall return again unto me, saith the
Lord.” Will they return? Will they be drawn toward the light as I
was?
I feel there is only one way that can happen and
that is if they are somehow exposed to the Book of Mormon again and remember
the things they were taught when they were young. Verses 7-8 make it quite clear: “And behold,
ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are
brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable
traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the
prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith
on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change
of heart unto them. V8 Therefore, as
many as have come to this, ye know of yourselves are firm and steadfast in the
faith, and in the thing wherewith they have been made free.”
Herein lies the key to return – Read the
Scriptures!!!! I don’t know that there
was anymore hope for me by my parents than I have for them. What made me turn to the scriptures? It was friends who talked about the gospel
opening and then referred me to passages in the scriptures to support their
thoughts. I gradually did turn to the
scriptures and very gradually, I began to have a thirst for knowledge.
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