Right out of the gate, something caught my attention in the chapter summary. It says, "King Benjamin records..." Those words immediately made me think about journaling.
Most people know I'm a firm believer in recording our experiences—the highs and lows, the times we've seen God's hand in our lives, heard His voice, or felt His love.
My mind went to 3 Nephi when the Savior asked Nephi if he remembered the prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite. Nephi certainly remembered them. Then Jesus asked why they hadn't been written in the records. Oops!
Would I want my Savior to ask me why I failed to record an answer to prayer, a prompting I followed, or a sacred moment when I felt His Spirit? Not on your life!
If you're having these experiences—and we all do—write them down. I've often joked, "If you don't write it down or snap a picture of it, it didn't happen." We all know that's not literally true. But if we want our posterity to know what the Lord has done in our lives, those experiences need to be documented. Otherwise, they may be lost with us.
Okay...I'll step off my soapbox.
Even though Mosiah 6 is brief, it leaves us with something worth pondering. King Benjamin's people had entered into a covenant with God, and now they went to work. They organized the kingdom, appointed teachers and priests, and continued serving the Lord.
I believe there is something healthy and joyful about being anxiously engaged in a good cause. Purposeful work builds faith, strengthens families, and blesses communities. When we lose that sense of purpose, it's easy to become dissatisfied, critical, or to spend our energy tearing down instead of building up.
As I reread this paragraph, a memory came flooding back. I wondered if my parents intentionally had us working in the beet fields, gathering endless rocks from the dry farm, or getting us up before the summer sun made us want to stay inside instead of hoeing and harvesting the garden. I have to laugh because I was quite a character when it came to outdoor work. We were all expected to pitch in. Looking back, I suppose it's no surprise that I happily gravitated to the piano whenever I could. But those years taught us something valuable. We learned that work wasn't a punishment—it was simply part of life, and everyone contributed.
Perhaps that's one of the quiet lessons of Mosiah 6. Covenant people don't just make promises—they go to work. As we willingly labor in the Lord's kingdom, in our homes, and in our communities, we find purpose, joy, and strength that idleness can never provide.
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