Alma 15 - When the Spirit Asks for My All

Alma 15 took me in an unexpected direction this morning. As I read about Zeezrom, I was struck by the connection between the mind, the spirit, and even the body.

Zeezrom was sick with a fever brought on by the “great tribulations of his mind” because of his sins. His mind had been harrowed up. He was suffering terribly.

I don't think this means every physical illness is caused by our thoughts or our sins. But I do know that what happens in our minds matters. Thoughts can weigh us down—sometimes heavily enough to affect us physically. When we find ourselves in that place, we need to pay attention and seek the help we need.

Fortunately for Zeezrom, Alma and Amulek came into his life. And to his credit, he reached out to them.

Zeezrom believed their words. When Alma and Amulek blessed him, he was healed “according to his faith.” He got up, walked, was baptized, and from that point forward dedicated his life to the gospel.

I've experienced a small glimpse of the power of touch in spiritual things. I wrote about it in my February 5 post, so I won't repeat the story here. But I learned something at a Young Women camp that I have never forgotten: touch can be a powerful tool of the Spirit.

Then I came to Amulek.

We're studying Job in the Old Testament this week, so perhaps that's why Amulek's story caught my attention. He was a man who had something to lose. He had wealth, standing in the community, family, a home—an established life. And then he received a testimony that the things Alma taught were true.

Amulek was willing to give it all up.

I chew on this for a minute.

Are we willing to do likewise?

I've had to answer that question before. It was 49 years ago.

I had been touched by the Spirit. I was thirsty for more and couldn't learn fast enough. Eventually, the day came when I had to decide what really mattered to me.

I had been in a new home for perhaps six months. I was so happy there. It was my first home, my first ward family, and I loved the home and everything I had put into it. But it wasn't enough to keep me from following what I knew in my heart. I had a testimony that Jesus Christ wanted more from me.

He wanted my all.

So I packed up the clothes and basic furniture my daughter and I needed, and walked out of that home — never to look back.

There were challenges, but the Lord was with me every step of the way. Material possessions suddenly seemed unimportant. I felt strong and protected in a way I had never experienced before.

It is something a person never forgets.

I didn't forget.

And I thank the Lord for that miracle every day.

As I reflect on this miracle, I can see that what felt like giving up everything was actually the beginning of a life more blessed than I could have imagined.

Sometimes the Lord asks us to give up something we think we cannot live without. But when the Spirit asks for our all, perhaps the real question isn't, What will I lose?

Perhaps it is, What will I become if I am willing to give it?

Alma 14 - Faith in the Fire

 Alma 14 is one of those chapters that is difficult to read. Alma and Amulek have been preaching the gospel, and now they are forced to watch innocent believers be burned alive because of their faith.

I find myself wondering what I would do if I were in Alma’s position. The natural human response would be to use whatever power I had to stop it. Alma and Amulek had that power. Surely they must have felt the press within themselves to exercise their God-given power and save those people.

But they didn’t.

Instead, they stood silently while a nameless judge taunted them, essentially challenging them to use their power to save themselves and the others. How do you even process something so cruel? I think I would have been in shock.

And yet Alma knew something I might not have known. He knew they would continue their mission. How did he know?

The Holy Ghost.

That precious companion we are given when we are baptized and remain faithful to our covenants can tell us when to speak, what to say, and sometimes—perhaps most importantly—when to remain silent. I think there is something to be learned in becoming familiar enough with the voice of the Spirit that we can recognize it even in the middle of something we cannot understand.

Eventually, Alma and Amulek had suffered intensely and asked the Lord, “How long shall we suffer these great afflictions?”

That question resonates with me.

I spend a lot of time thinking about the Last Days and what it will be like before the Savior returns. We have been told it will be difficult. President Nelson has told us to “buckle up” and “take our vitamins.” We can do it.

But what will it look like?

Will believers be taunted, mistreated, and hated because of their faith? I don't mean to make Alma 14 about me, but it's hard not to wonder how I will respond when difficult things come.

Then I read Job.

The Lord described Job as “a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God, and eschewed evil” (Job 1:1). I love that description. What a goal: to fear God, turn away from evil, and hold fast to our integrity regardless of what happens around us.

And then almost everything was taken from him.

Job’s suffering was beyond anything I can imagine. I’ve just come through a week of dealing with a miserable skin condition, and it has given me the tiniest glimpse of how miserable anything affecting the skin can be. I’ve had one boil in my life—more than enough to know how awful they are. Job had them covering his body.

How did he endure it?

I don't know.

But I do know that Job held fast to his integrity.

That may be the lesson I need from both Alma and Job. Faithfulness does not guarantee an easy life. It guarantees that we don't have to face a difficult life alone.

Job’s friends give me one more beautiful thought. When they found him, they sat with him for seven days and seven nights without saying a word.

Sometimes that is what friendship looks like.

Sometimes there are no answers. No explanations. No quick fixes. Just someone willing to sit beside us while we ask, “How long?”

And perhaps, in those moments, the most important thing we can do is hold fast to our integrity, listen for the voice of the Holy Ghost, and trust that the Lord knows exactly where we are—even when we don't understand why we are there.

Looks at Alma 13 With a Different Lens

Alma 13 begins (v1): “I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children.”

Forward? Why do I not remember chewing on this before?

Alma is speaking around 82 B.C., but he is taking his listeners back to the foundation of the world—to the time when God was preparing His children and calling some according to His foreknowledge. He is teaching them to see history from God's perspective rather than simply from their own place in it.

And that gave me a strange thought.

During the sacrament, I often think about the Second Coming. I wonder: It’s going to happen. Where will I be? What will I be doing? What will be happening around me?

Okay, that may be a little silly. I do tend to obsess.

But Alma made me think about it differently. From God's perspective, the Second Coming isn't an uncertain possibility. It is part of His plan. He knows how this story ends even though I don't. We don’t.

And then I realized that Alma was giving these people a glimpse into our premortal existence.

The priests he describes were “called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God.” They were given the opportunity to choose good or evil, and those who chose good were prepared for a holy calling.

This morning, I read these verses as being about God's knowledge of His children. Me. Us!

He knew us before we came here.

And that thought became very personal.

He knew I would wander. He knew it would be for a short time. He knew I would eventually return with a stronger testimony and a greater desire to share it. He knew I would pursue music and that it would become one of the ways I could serve.

He knew I would have children who would wander, too.

And perhaps that is one reason I have become less inclined to condemn people for their poor choices. He knew them, too.

I believe there are blessings I might have enjoyed had I not wandered. I don't believe I had a hard heart, but I do believe I suffered from spiritual blindness. I could walk the walk and even talk the talk, but when I left the security of my home and family, I didn't know how to stand strong against temptations I had never known existed. I was a people pleaser, and had not learned how to discern.

That is the sad part of my story.

But I don't regret it.

Because I know more about the Savior now. I know more about repentance, mercy, and how well God knows His children – each of us!

Alma then tells us how we enter into the “rest of the Lord”: we humble ourselves, repent, bring forth fruit meet for repentence, exercise faith in Jesus Christ, and continue in the covenant path.

Joseph F. Smith described that rest this way:

“It means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in His purpose and in His plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else. We are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine.”

I find tremendous comfort in that.

The Lord has a plan.

I don't need to know exactly what it is, though I admit it would sometimes be nice. I only need enough faith to trust that He does.

And Alma ends with a list of qualities that will help us get there—and you know I love a list:

Humble.
Watch and pray continually.
Meek.
Submissive.
Patient.
Full of love.
Long-suffering.

I started this morning excited because I thought I had discovered something new in Alma 13.

What I really discovered was something I already knew—but needed to see from a different lens:

God knows the beginning.
He knows the end.
And He knows everything in between.

Including me. Including you!

I think I can rest in that.

Alma 12 - When the Word Finds Me, Do I Fear—or Soften?

I love Alma 12. It is dripping with doctrine—so much that I could never cover it all in a short blog. But as I read it, one question kept coming back to me:

When the word of God finds me, do I fear—or soften?

Alma is speaking to Zeezrom, but there is a large crowd listening. Zeezrom has been caught in his lies, and the people can see what has happened. As I read, I realize that I am part of that audience too. I am listening to Alma's words just as they were.

Then comes the sobering thought that God knows not only what I say and do, but also my thoughts.

That may be harder for me than anything else. Doing what is right can sometimes seem easier than controlling what goes on inside my head. I can refrain from saying something judgmental while thinking it anyway. 

Alma reminds me that I will be judged for my words, my works, and my thoughts.

I hope I get this mastered someday.

But something happens to Zeezrom that I don't want to miss. He begins to fear—and then he begins to soften. He wants to know more. He asks questions about death and standing before the bar of God.

This is so familiar!

There was a time in my own life when I began my journey back to the covenant path. I was like a dry sponge. I wanted to know everything. I couldn't read fast enough. I wanted to understand. It was one of the most beautiful times of my life.

Perhaps Alma wants us to see that fear does not have to be the end of the story. Sometimes fear is the beginning of softening and perhaps the first step into a beautiful journey.

Then comes the flip side that could be frightening: if we refuse to repent, our guilt will become our torment. I find verse 17 strangely comforting. Have you ever said something insensitive, rude, stupid, or simply wrong—and then replayed it in your mind over and over? You remember exactly what you said. You wish you could take it back. Your stomach turns just thinking about it.

That mental torment is real.

But Alma's message doesn't end there.

There is a plan.

Alma explains that this life became a probationary state—a time to learn and grow, make mistakes and repent. I am so grateful for this doctrine.

God knew before the foundation of the world that we would need this opportunity. He knew we would make mistakes. He knew we would need a Savior.

And He provided one.

That may be the part of Alma 12 I most want my children and grandchildren to remember someday: the purpose of knowing our sins and weaknesses is not to leave us hopeless. It is to lead us to Jesus Christ.

Alma says that if we repent and harden not our hearts, the Lord will have mercy upon us through His Son.

What a blessing.

The choice is not between being perfect and being condemned. The choice is whether we will harden our hearts or soften them. Whether we will continue in our sins or turn toward Christ. Whether we will resist the word of God or receive it with joy.

And then Alma uses words that I love: “glad tidings of great joy.”

Glad tidings.

Great joy.

The message of the gospel is not simply that God knows everything about me—including the thoughts I would rather He didn't know. The message is that He knows everything about me and has provided a way back.

Jesus Christ paid the price for my sins.

I can repent.
I can change.
I can learn.
I can be forgiven.
I can prepare to meet my Savior and my Heavenly Father.

So perhaps the question I want to leave for my posterity—and for myself—is not simply, “Am I good enough?”

It is this:

When the word of God finds me, do I fear—or do I soften?

I hope that when I discover something in myself that needs to change, I will not run from the truth. I hope I will become like that dry sponge again—hungry to know more, eager to understand, willing to repent, and grateful for the Savior who makes repentance possible.

Alma 12 contains enough doctrine for a dozen lessons. But perhaps this is the lesson I need today:

The Lord doesn't reveal our weaknesses to destroy us. He reveals them so we will turn to Christ.

And that is, indeed, glad tidings of great joy.

Alma 11 - Will I Like Her?

It’s been a long day, and my scripture reading was squeezed into the middle of everything else. Sometimes those are the days when I wonder if I’m going to get much out of my reading at all. Alma 11 surprised me.

Verse 20 was a bit of a red flag to me. Has our judicial system deteriorated to the extent Amulek accuses it of doing?

I believe so.

And I wondered, Is this really worth putting in a blog?

Maybe it is—not because I have anything new to say about our judicial system, but because Alma 11 quickly moves from money and self-interest to a much more important question: What are we willing to give up for money?

Kudos to Amulek.

Zeezrom is setting a trap for him. He offers Amulek money if he will deny the existence of a Supreme Being.

Wait. What?

You want me to deny God, and you’ll make me rich?

That was Zeezrom’s offer.

But Amulek is smarter than that. He recognizes the trap. More importantly, he is brave enough to call Zeezrom out on his evil design. He knows that Zeezrom's intent is to get him to deny his testimony, and he also knows that Zeezrom has no intention of giving him the promised reward.

Oh, Zeezrom, thou child of hell. You are treading on some dangerous ground.

Zeezrom loves filthy lucre—money—more than he loves God.

And then Amulek gets to something that really caught my attention. He tells Zeezrom that God will not save us in our sins, because no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven.

There is a simple logic to what Amulek is saying. We cannot expect to remain in our sins and still inherit the kingdom of God.

We will all be resurrected. Every one of us.

But resurrection does not erase accountability. We will be judged according to our works.

I know that thought is irksome to a lot of people. After all, the Lord always loves us.

Yes, He does.

But I can’t help but think the judgment may come from a different place. I wonder if, in some way, it will be self-judgment. We will know exactly what we did with our experience on earth. We will know the opportunities we missed, the people we failed to love, the things we could have become but didn't.

How sad!

Moving on, Amulek explains that our spirit and body will be reunited and restored to their perfect state.

That is the good news.

But then comes the part that could be uncomfortable.

We will stand before God with a bright recollection of all our guilt.

Ouch.

This isn't just for the wicked. It is for all of us. Every one of us will be restored to our perfect frame and then stand before the bar of Christ the Son and God the Father.

Amulek has done it! By verse 46, Zeezrom is trembling.

I can understand why.

Amulek is finished speaking, but what he has just given them is an incredibly sobering picture of the afterlife—something we are all curious about. He has talked about resurrection, restoration, judgment, and what happens when our body and spirit are reunited.

I think scripture makes it pretty clear we will all be resurrected.

The same holds true that we will all be restored.

Restored to what?

Amulek is talking about the restoration of the body, but there is another thought I can't get away from. What am I becoming while I am here?

Have I improved myself?

Am I becoming the person the Lord sent me here to become?

Because someday this life will be over. My body and spirit will be reunited, and I will stand before the Savior.

I don't want to spend my life worrying about whether I am good enough. I do, however, want to keep asking myself whether I am becoming better.

Amulek's words remind me that the choices I make today are not inconsequential. I am becoming someone.

And someday, I will meet that person.

Will I like her?

 

Alma 9-10 — How Have Ye Forgotten?

Alma asks the people of Ammonihah a haunting question:

“How have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers?” (Alma 9:8)

I find myself asking that same question about some of my wandering children. How could you possibly forget the peace and joy that existed in the home where you were taught? How can you walk away from the blessings and protection of the gospel—and then deprive your own precious children of those same blessings?

And then I had to turn the question around.

How did I forget?

Because I did.

I think I found one piece of what I didn’t like as I grew up and magnified it until I could no longer see the blessings or the truth I was being taught. Little-girl misunderstandings became assumptions, and assumptions became my version of truth.

It wasn’t until many years of stumbling in the dark and then being led out of it that I realized what an enchanted world I had been raised in. I had forgotten the blessings and protection my family had been given.

Maybe I shouldn’t be so astonished that someone can forget.

Amulek understood forgetting too. He said:

“I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know.” (Alma 10:6)

What an interesting phrase: I knew, yet I would not know.

He hadn’t lost all knowledge of God. He simply wasn’t responding to what he knew. But the Lord kept calling him.

Perhaps that is where I find the hope in these chapters. Alma was sent to people who had forgotten. Amulek had once refused to hear. And I know from my own life that something forgotten can be remembered.

There is a song my brother-in-law sings called Have I Forgotten Thee? I can hear it in my mind as I write this. Its message comes from Isaiah:

“Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”
—Isaiah 49:15–16

Maybe that is what I most needed from Alma 9 and 10 today.

I may look at someone I love and wonder, How have you forgotten Him?

But perhaps the more important truth is this:

He has not forgotten them.

I forgot once too. And while I was stumbling around in the dark, the Lord had not forgotten me. Eventually I turned toward Him and discovered He had been there all along.

I don’t know what will cause someone I love to remember.

But I do know this: while we are forgetting Him, He is still remembering us.

Esther - When One Person Becomes a People

I finished reading the book of Esther this morning. I struggle a little with Esther 9.

To their credit, the Jews didn’t take the spoils—the treasures and possessions of those they defeated. But they killed thousands of those who sought to destroy them. What seems strange to me is that there is almost no description of a battle. Even the wicked tend to value their lives. Surely they fought back. Right?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized the Jews had gathered together to defend themselves, and by then they had an enormous advantage. It was political.

Haman was dead. Mordecai was wearing the king’s ring. Esther was queen. A second decree allowed the Jews to organize and defend themselves, and government officials who might once have looked the other way were now actively supporting them.

The laws hadn’t just changed. The people in power had changed.

I won’t turn this into a political blog, but it is worth thinking about. We see laws and attitudes shift as different leaders take power. That helps me understand why the outcome in Esther 9 was so lopsided.

But my thoughts soon turned from that war to a much more personal one—the prejudice that can exist within us.

Maybe I shouldn’t assume everyone struggles with this, but I know I have.

Prejudice can be inherited almost like a family tradition. A child can be taught who is “us” and who is “them” long before that child is old enough to examine whether the distinction is true or fair. Eventually what was taught begins to feel like what was known.

And letting go can be terribly difficult because it may require more than changing an opinion. It can mean recognizing that people we loved and trusted taught us things that were wrong.

That brought me back to Haman.

Haman’s hatred begins with one man—Mordecai. But he isn’t satisfied with destroying Mordecai:

“Wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews…” (Esther 3:6)

One person’s offense becomes an indictment of an entire people.

And that can become very personal. One person’s behavior, appearance, circumstances, race, religion, weight, education—or any number of other things—can become our indictment of everyone who looks or lives like that person.

Haman’s thinking followed a frighteningly simple path:

Mordecai did something I hate → Mordecai is a Jew → therefore Jews are people I hate.

Perhaps Esther 9 shows us the terrible end of that progression. Even after Haman is gone, the hatred he cultivated—or perhaps simply tapped into—isn’t gone with him.

A decree can be reversed in a day.

Hatred taught to the heart may take generations to undo.

 

Alma 8: He Returned Speedily

Alma had a home. But of course he did! Alma 8 begins with him returning “to his own house at Zarahemla to rest himself.”

That little phrase stopped me. Alma had a life beyond the pages of scripture. Was there a wife waiting for him? Children who ran to greet him? We don’t know. But he had a home, and apparently he didn’t spend much time there. After resting, he headed out again to preach.

I wonder about the people he left behind. I pray that Clyde and I will always be able to serve the Lord together, but what if the Lord needed him somewhere without me? Could I happily send him off on an undetermined assignment because the Lord needed him more than I did?

Maybe that’s part of what consecration means.

Alma eventually traveled north of the land of Melek for three days before reaching Ammonihah. Depending on all kinds of variables, a healthy adult might walk 35–40 miles in three days. Whatever the actual distance, Alma had made a substantial journey for one purpose: to help his brothers and sisters come to Christ.

And they wanted nothing to do with him.

They rejected him, reviled him, spit upon him and cast him out of their city. Alma left “weighed down with sorrow,” headed toward the city of Aaron.

Then an angel appeared.

I love that it was the same angel who had appeared to Alma years before. Think of the difference in the man standing before that angel now! The first time, Alma was going about trying to destroy the Church of God. This time he was exhausted and sorrowing because he couldn’t convince people to come to Christ.

What a transformation.

The angel gave Alma some encouragement—and then told him to go back.

Wait! What? He had already tried! He had been rejected. He had been spit on. He was hungry. He had a home in Zarahemla and plenty of reasons to decide he had done enough.

But verse 18 says, “he returned speedily.”

I love those two words.

Alma didn’t know that Amulek was waiting for him when he turned around. He didn’t know that an angel had already visited Amulek and told him to receive a prophet of God. Alma simply knew the Lord had told him to go back.

When he entered Ammonihah by another way, there was Amulek. Food. Shelter. Friendship. A place to rest. Eventually, a missionary companion who would stand beside him and teach with power.

The Lord had already prepared what Alma needed on the other side of his obedience.

Maybe that is one of the great lessons of Alma 8. Consecration isn’t just being willing to serve when the assignment is rewarding. Sometimes it is turning around when we are tired. Going back after we have already tried. Walking a little farther when we have perfectly good reasons to go home.

We don’t always know what the Lord has prepared at the other end of our obedience.

Alma didn’t.

He just returned speedily.

Alma 6 & 7 - Am I Ready to Meet Him?

I’ve never really digested the fact that fasting and prayer are a commandment. Alma 6:6 says the people were commanded to “fast and to pray oft” for those who did not know God. We still fast and pray today—for our families, for those who are struggling, and for those who have wandered. I had never really thought of that as simply obeying a commandment, although I treat it as a commandment.

Then Alma goes to the land of Gideon.

I’m fascinated by Alma. The heading to Alma 7 tells us these are the words he spoke to the people of Gideon, “according to his own record.” We can record almost anything today with the touch of a button. Alma didn’t have pen and paper, much less a phone in his pocket. Yet somehow he taught, traveled, ministered, and kept a record. Alma was definitely “all in.” Whatever it took, he seemed willing to do the will of the Lord.

One phrase stopped me: “supplicating his grace.” (Alma 7:3)

To supplicate means to ask earnestly and humbly—to plead. Do I plead with the Lord? Yes, I think I do. I plead almost daily that I might be an instrument in His hands. I plead for my family. I want so badly for all of us to be united in Christ, working toward salvation and exaltation together and able to talk about sacred things—the love we have for our Savior, His work, and each other.

Sometimes I look at our noisy family gatherings and wish there were more of that. But perhaps I’m a little amiss in that thought. We are together. We enjoy each other. We laugh. We love each other. And before we scatter back to our homes, we bow our heads and pray together.

Maybe I need to recognize the blessings that are already there while continuing to supplicate His grace for those I still hope for.

Alma knew that kind of joy. He told the people of Gideon that he had “exceedingly great joy” because they were “established again in the way of his righteousness.” (Alma 7:4) I couldn’t help thinking of a daughter who has recently returned to her covenants. Oh, what joy that has brought me—and how I pray that she continues on the covenant path.

Then Alma turns his people toward Christ:

“Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord.”

Those words sound remarkably current. We too are being told to prepare for the coming of the Savior. It’s easy to look around at fires, wars, calamities and evil in the world and wonder, How close are we?

But maybe that isn’t the most important question.

Alma tells us what preparing looks like:

• Be humble.
• Be submissive and gentle.
• Be easy to be entreated.
• Be temperate.
• Be diligent in keeping the commandments.
• Ask God for the things we need, both spiritual and temporal.
• Be grateful for what we receive.
• Have faith, hope and charity.
• Abound in good works.

I especially like “easy to be entreated.” It means being willing to listen, receptive to correction or persuasion—not stubborn or hard-hearted.

That gave me a different question:

Am I easy for the Lord to entreat? When He nudges me, how hard does He have to work to get me to move?

Alma ends his sermon with a beautiful prophetic blessing: that the peace of God would rest upon the people, their homes, their lands, their families, and all they possessed, according to their faith and good works.

What a way to leave them.

And perhaps Alma has left me with something just as valuable.

I don’t need to know when Christ is coming nearly as much as I need to know whether I am becoming the kind of person who is ready to meet Him.

 

Alma 5: An Interview With You

I love Alma 5. There is something very personal about this chapter. Alma asks question after question, and the farther I read, the harder it becomes to imagine that he is talking only to the people of Zarahemla.

He is talking to me.

Do you remember?

Alma asks his people if they remember the captivity of their fathers and how the Lord delivered them by His power.

I remember my own captivity to a life that had no meaning. I remember the Lord's mercy in delivering me. The chains of hell were loosed for me as well—and quite literally, I have sung redeeming love ever since.

If I'm not writing music, I'm humming it. Music became a huge part of my life when I began walking toward Jesus Christ. It seems to have become my second language.

Have you experienced this mighty change in your heart?

I have.

My life was forever changed. I was changed. The things I desired changed. It was somewhat gradual, but when I look back, I am in awe at both the process and the progress.

I still have plenty of improving to do. These days, much of my struggle is with thoughts—being judgmental or thinking things that aren't fitting in the Lord's eyes. I get frustrated when I get in my own way, but I try to recognize it, correct quickly, and keep moving forward.

I think that's repentance.

Have you been spiritually born of God?

When I returned to the covenant path, I was different. I looked different, acted differently, and even spoke differently. An acquaintance at work noticed something had changed and tried to figure it out. Had I lost weight? Changed my hair?

No.

Nothing on the outside had changed. Something on the inside had.

Then comes one of Alma's questions that I think may be the most important:

“Can ye feel so now?”

That's the question, isn't it?

It isn't enough that I once experienced a mighty change. Am I still being changed?

Am I still trusting Him?

Am I still repenting?

Am I still singing the song of redeeming love?

By the time I finished Alma 5, I realized that this entire chapter is an interview with YOU.

Alma asks the questions. We supply the answers.

And if we don't like some of our answers, there is good news: we can turn around.

Christ is calling.

Turn toward Him. Turn your life over to Jesus Christ. He can make so much more of it than you ever could on your own.

Alma 4 and President Oaks - Seeing as God Sees

My thoughts this morning come from President Oaks’ April 2026 General Conference talk as well as Alma 4. I’m always fascinated when teachings separated by centuries somehow find their way to the same place. Today, for me, that place was learning to see others as God sees them.

The world we live in can be toxic. We see contempt and hostility toward adversaries everywhere. What is an adversary? The dictionary wasn’t as much help as I expected. Basically, an adversary seems to be anyone who doesn’t agree with me. Hmmm.

 The bottom line of Jesus’ teaching is love—love God and love our neighbor. Love isn’t necessarily my issue. Dealing with the differences is.

 

President David O. McKay taught, “There is no better way to manifest love for God than to show an unselfish love for one’s fellow men.”

 

I promise I don’t have animosity toward my neighbor, but his naughty little chicken is creating work for us as she searches our mulch for bugs. Does President Oaks tell us how to take care of this problem with love? Probably by dealing with it peacefully. We keep cleaning up the mess and joke about eating fried chicken soon.

 

President Oaks told of a nurse caring for a cantankerous man in a maximum-security hospital. Beneath his repulsive behavior was a man who just wanted to go home. Somehow she felt a love for him that could only be explained as the love of God. She saw this difficult man as His child.

 

Maybe that is where we all need to go in our hearts when there is conflict. What burdens does our adversary carry? Would our attitude change if we exercised the pure love of Christ?

 

Abraham Lincoln reportedly said, “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.”

 

I like that.

 

I never know where I’m going with my study time. Now I’m in Alma 4.

 

After years of war and suffering, the Nephites remembered God, thousands joined the Church, peace returned—and prosperity followed. Unfortunately, pride followed prosperity. Mormon describes contention, envy, strife, malice, persecutions and pride.

 

Today? Sometimes that sounds like our daily diet.

 

In 2021 I wrote this in the margin beside these verses:

 

“Interesting that he says ‘pride of their eyes.’ What causes us to be prideful in the first place? When we see the disparity of what we have vs. what others have is when we become prideful—or when we become envious, I would suppose. These are both evil twin sisters. This would be a good reason to pray that we see others as they are seen by the Lord.... We are all brothers and sisters of our Heavenly Father. He loves all of His children. We know this; we believe this! We need to see as Heavenly Father sees!”

 

It still applies today.

 

While some of Alma’s people were lifting themselves up in pride, others were humbling themselves, caring for the needy and finding joy in serving despite their own afflictions.

 

The contention became so serious that Alma turned the affairs of government over to Nephihah so he could devote himself to preaching the word of God and “bearing down in pure testimony.” Apparently, Alma understood that the real problem wasn’t political. It was in the hearts of the people.

 

And that brings me right back to President Oaks.

 

Maybe peacemaking begins when we learn to see as Heavenly Father sees—the burden behind the behavior, the child of God behind the adversary, and a brother or sister instead of someone who needs to be defeated.

 

Perhaps Lincoln had it right. The best way to get rid of an enemy may be to make him a friend.

 

Jesus Christ showed us how.

Alma 2 & 3 - When Numbers Become People

I was a bit fixated on numbers as I read Alma 2 and 3 today.

Alma was not sitting safely somewhere directing the battle. He was the chief judge and the high priest, and yet he was at the head of the Nephite army, fighting hand-to-hand with the Amlicites. Verse 18 tells us that the Lord strengthened the Nephites, and the Amlicites began to flee.

And I found myself wondering: How many people are we talking about?

Thank you, Mormon, for putting in the statistics.

The Amlicites lost 12,532 souls.

The Nephites lost 6,562 souls.

Those are just numbers until I put them somewhere I have actually been.

The Salt Lake Tabernacle holds about 3,500 people. That means the Nephites who died would nearly fill two Tabernacles. The Amlicites who died would fill about three and a half.

Together, the dead from that battle alone—19,094 people—would fill the Marriott Center at BYU.

I've sat in the Marriott Center. I can picture it full.

Now empty every seat.

Those aren't the soldiers who went into battle. Those are just the ones who didn't go home.

Suddenly Alma 2:19 carries a very different weight.

And the battle wasn't over.

The Amlicites joined forces with the Lamanites, whose numbers were described as being “as numerous almost, as it were, as the sand of the sea.” More fighting followed. Alma himself fought Amlici and killed him. Eventually the carnage became so great that the dead could no longer even be numbered.

Where did all these people come from?

Sometimes I think I still unconsciously picture the Book of Mormon as Lehi's family and their descendants wandering around in relatively small groups. But by Alma's time, roughly five centuries had passed since Lehi left Jerusalem. There were cities, governments, armies, political factions, trade, agriculture and generations upon generations of people. The people of Zarahemla had also become united with the Nephites.

These were civilizations.

Then Alma 3 makes the numbers even harder to contemplate. Women and children had also been killed.

I wrote in my margin several years ago that modern warfare often allows people to kill from a distance. Bombs fall. Missiles are launched. We hear casualty numbers on the news. 

But these people were killed with swords.

Someone had to be close enough to another human being to do it.

Perhaps that is what is shocking to me today. Mormon gives us numbers, but the gospel continually asks us to see souls.

6,562 +

12,532 =

19,094 souls

I can put those numbers into buildings and finally begin to comprehend their magnitude. But Heavenly Father didn't see two Tabernacles of Nephites and three and a half Tabernacles of Amlicites.

He saw His children.Every one of those numbers had a name. Every one had a family. Every one had a story. Every one was known to God.

Maybe that's one reason Mormon preserved the numbers.

And perhaps there is a lesson there for me when I hear numbers today—numbers of people killed in wars, displaced from their homes, caught in disasters, or simply described as statistics.

Numbers make it possible to count people.

What is sobering to me is that from a gospel point of view, these are souls; my brothers and sisters. History repeats this story over and over. 

Alma 1 – Preparation Before the Test

Alma 1 gave me an unexpected theme today: preparation always precedes the test.

The people had already voted on laws they believed were just. When Nehor appeared preaching priestcraft and eventually murdered Gideon, there wasn't a political debate over what should happen. The law was already in place, and they were obligated to abide by the laws they themselves had made. There is probably an entire blog hidden in that thought alone, but I'll leave it there.

Verse 9 caused me to slow down. Gideon was "stricken with many years," while Nehor was "a man who was large, and was noted for his much strength." Gideon was no physical match for him. Yet he contended with him using the word of God. I want to be like Gideon. Not necessarily old—it's a little late for that—but spiritually mature enough that when truth needs defending, my first weapon is the word of God. That kind of courage doesn't appear overnight. It comes from years of scripture study, prayer, and walking with the Lord.

Verse 26 immediately brought my dad to mind. He was a hardworking farmer. His days were long, and his Sundays were even longer. Yet he never did work on the Sabbath that could wait. He cared for his livestock, but the rest of the day belonged to the Lord. I never heard him complain. He simply lived his faith. I'm so grateful for his quiet, valiant example.

The people in Alma's day lived much the same way. They were obedient. They worked hard. They prospered. Most importantly, they "did impart of their substance...to the poor and the needy" (see Alma 1:30). Their prosperity became a blessing because they had prepared their hearts before the blessings came.

That reminded me of something I read in Saints. After World War II ended, Church President George Albert Smith met with President Harry S. Truman's administration seeking permission to send food and clothing to the starving Saints in Germany. Government officials asked how long it would take to gather the supplies. The answer astonished them: the supplies were already collected and ready to ship. All they needed was transportation. The Saints had prepared before the crisis, not after it.

That seems to be one of the Lord's patterns. He asks us to prepare long before we know why. We study before we're asked to defend our faith. We store before famine comes. We give before we become wealthy. We keep the Sabbath before we understand every blessing attached to it.

Preparation isn't simply about food storage or emergency supplies. It's about becoming the kind of disciple who is already ready when the Lord calls.

Mosiah 29 - Be Wise and Look Forward

One of the lessons that stood out to me in this chapter is simply this: Be wise. Take time to consider. Be prayerful. Look down the road.

Mosiah did. He saw the long-term ramifications of having a king. History has certainly shown how that has played out since the beginning of time.

I smiled when I read the note I had written in my scriptures back in August 2021:

Be wise and look forward.

Such simple counsel, yet if we would all do that as we make decisions, what a difference it would make in our lives.

Did I carefully consider the long-term consequences of some of my poor choices? Honestly, not in a way that would have changed anything. I was young and foolish, to say the least. Isn't it interesting that we often make the decisions that affect the rest of our lives when we have the least experience? Career choices. Companion choices. So many life-altering decisions.

Be wise. What more is there to say? Consider the future before making today's decisions.

Even though I could easily pull on the political thread running through this chapter, I choose to focus on wisdom instead.King Mosiah had obviously spent considerable time thinking through solutions before proposing a system of judges with checks and balances. What a remarkable idea! Of course, it only works if we choose wise men and women who strive to keep the commandments of God.

Verse 19 has one of my favorite margin notes. Do we have any idea what a blessing it is that the Lord looked forward with hope? He knew we would make mistakes, yet He also provided a way for us to repent and move forward in righteousness. That truth means everything to me.

I will forever be grateful for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that made it possible for me to change my path. What a blessing that has been from that day forward.

But being delivered from bondage doesn't happen without action on our part. Notice what the people did:

1. They humbled themselves before God. (How often do I truly humble myself?)
2. They cried mightily unto Him. I can still remember one prayer in my own life that changed everything.

I have complete faith that this promise is true for anyone who humbly turns to God. I've seen it happen in my own life. I've watched it happen in the lives of others. And I know it can happen for those of my own children who are still wandering in the wilderness.

Verse 20 beautifully reinforces this promise. After they humbled themselves and cried mightily to God, He delivered them out of bondage.

Then comes this wonderful promise:

"...thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending his arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him."

That means me. It means you. It means every one of God's children.

The key is trust.

Trust that the Lord is personally invested in us. He created this magnificent earth with all its beauty for our benefit. Why would He bring us this far only to abandon us? He won't. He desires that we turn to Him in righteousness and ask for the things we truly need.

God is not a vending machine, though. We have to have skin in the game. Trust isn't a one-time event. It is something we choose daily—sometimes hourly—as we continue to follow Him.

It's tempting to make this chapter a political commentary, but I'll simply leave one important principle here. Verse 26 teaches us to "do your business by the voice of the people." I still choose to believe there are more good people than wicked people in our nation. Many have never heard or accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, but that doesn't mean they aren't good people striving to do what is right.

The chapter ends on such a hopeful note. Alma the Younger became the first chief judge over the people while also serving as the high priest, having previously received that sacred office from his father. Basically, he is prophet and judge. 

What a lovely ending—and a reminder that wisdom, righteousness, and trust in God bring peace.

Mosiah 29 - Preparing Without Fear

Mosiah 29 left me asking some searching questions.

Do I truly quake and tremble at the thought that some of my brothers and sisters—even some of my own children—might endure endless torment? If I do, should I be doing more? But what?

As I pondered that question, the answer seemed simple. The most important thing any of us can do is preach the word—to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and His plan of happiness. We can invite others to read the Book of Mormon so they can discover that plan for themselves.

I've also wondered about the people of Mosiah's day who were so anxious to learn about the nation that had been destroyed, leaving behind only their records. Was it simple curiosity, or did they somehow wonder if they were connected to those people? Whatever their reason, their desire to know reminds me how much we can learn from those who came before us.

Then I asked myself a more personal question: What about this chapter should change me? What will help me draw closer to my Heavenly Father?

After reading President Dallin H. Oaks' April 2004 conference address, Preparation for the Second Coming, I believe I found my answer.

To approach the Savior's Second Coming without fear requires a closer relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

How do I get there?

I hope it's by continuing the things I already know to do, but doing them with greater intention. I know from experience that there have been seasons in my life when the Spirit felt almost tangible. I've also experienced quieter times when I wondered where those feelings had gone. It wasn't because I was doing bad things. More often, I simply wasn't as intentional in my prayers, my scripture study, or my efforts to serve others.

One statement from President Oaks is quite chilling:

"Evil that used to be localized and covered like a boil is now legalized and paraded like a banner."

That observation has only become more relevant. He spoke of the fundamental truths and institutions that are increasingly questioned or attacked. It made me think of The Family: A Proclamation to the World, first presented in 1995. Who could have imagined then how central its teachings about family and our divine identity would become in our day?

For me, though, the answer isn't fear. It isn't worrying about the world around me. The answer is to become better acquainted with my Savior. As my relationship with Him deepens, fear has less room to grow.

That is the preparation I want to make.