My brother Steven left to serve a
Spanish-speaking mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in
Ogden, Utah when I was in sixth grade. He had completed a year at Brigham Young
University before, so I knew what it was like to have him gone. All the same, I
was worried about his going, and I knew I would miss him greatly, since I
wouldn’t be able to talk to him whenever I wanted to for two years. I remember
the day he left almost like it was last week. It was early in the morning, and
I was crying. He hugged me and said goodbye. When he, my little brother, and
parents left for Utah, I went back into my room. I was still crying, but I knew
even at my young age that I could seek comfort through the words of the
prophets. I opened my scriptures up and began reading.
The
chapter I opened up to was Alma 1. I was looking for something to address my
needs very specifically. So, when I began reading about the wickedness of
Nehor, I struggled to find an application to this situation. I sadly compared my
oldest brother—who had left the Church—to Nehor, and Steven to Alma. While it
did not comfort me to think of my oldest brother in the way I did that night,
reading that chapter did remind me of the greatness of Steven’s calling as a
full-time missionary.
Now,
I realize there are so many other applications that could have been found in
this situation. Verse twenty-five describes the people as “steadfast and
immoveable,” even when others chose to go against what was right. If I had
chosen to focus on this verse, I would have recognized that it was always
possible to remain firm in the faith, even when those I loved did not. I had
Steven as one example of standing true in the midst of trial. Rather than
focusing on my view of my oldest brother as an apostate man, I should have
focused more on those who remained “steadfast and immoveable” in my life. Then,
I could have taken those individuals as role models in my life and determined
to share that source of steadiness with those around me.
I
am grateful for my accessibility of the words of Alma. There are, of course,
many interpretations of the first chapter of Alma that could have helped me in
sixth grade when I was crying about my brother leaving for the best two years
of his life thus far. More important, however, is the fact that there are still many interpretations of the
chapter that can help me now as I
encounter the struggles of life. It is a comfort to me to know that the Lord
will provide for those who are faithful, as he did for those Nephites who were
righteous. This chapter also motivates me to serve those around me. Whatever
the circumstance, I know that the scriptures can always be turned to for
guidance, comfort, and peace.
I'd like to...
Learn more about Jesus Christ: http://mormon.org/beliefs/jesus-christ
Learn about God's commandments: http://mormon.org/beliefs/commandments
Request a free copy of the Book of Mormon: http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon
Request a free copy of the Bible: http://mormon.org/free-bible
Meet with Mormon missionaries: http://mormon.org/missionaries
Locate a meetinghouse: http://mormon.org/worship
Find a family history center: https://familysearch.org/locations/centerlocator
Chat with Church representatives: http://mormon.org/chat
Read frequently asked questions: http://mormon.org/faq
No comments:
Post a Comment