Beginning Again, with Purpose

It looks like this will be my fifth reading of the Book of Mormon since October 2022, when Elder Renlund challenged us to read it with purpose.

 

 In 1 Nephi 1:20, Nephi writes:

“I will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”

 

I can testify that this is true for each one of us. The Lord wants us to return to Him. He wants us to exercise faith so He can show us His love—and make us “mighty.”

 

What does that “mightiness” look like in my life?

 

Over more than fifty years of reading this remarkable book, I have witnessed countless tender mercies. Here are just a few. One of the greatest has been the gift and desire to write music. In one way or another, all my music praises God. It has been an amazing journey.

 

Through faith, I was delivered from a dark abyss that once defined my life and brought instead a light that has grown brighter and brighter through the years. I rarely let a day pass without remembering that gift. In fact, it seems to deepen as I grow older—just as promised: “He that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light” (Doctrine and Covenants 50:24).

 

Another tender mercy has been the softening of my heart—especially in helping me see the goodness in Clyde’s heart. The Lord made it clear to me that he was worthy of the blessing I sought in an eternal companion. Before that, I had described him in my journal simply as my “hippy friend,” and definitely not marriage material. I could not have been more wrong.

 

To see my eternal companion as the Lord sees him is a gift I know would not have come without divine help.

 

Yes, the Lord does give us power of deliverance through our faith. It is a beautiful thing—and one worth seeking at any cost.

 

Now, as I begin my fifth reading of the Book of Mormon since that conference invitation, my purpose this year is to go more slowly and to look for connections to the Bible, which I am also committed to reading cover to cover. I look forward to what the Lord will yet reveal.

 

And to my granddaughter—and to any of my wandering posterity who may one day read these words—if you ever wonder whether beginning again matters, know this: the Lord meets us every time we turn toward Him. Start where you are. Open the book. Trust that He will show you His tender mercies too.