This year's course of study in Seminary is the Book of Mormon. I have read the Book of Mormon several times in the past, yet I am learning SO much as I study it again with the intent of teaching it to the youth.
One of the things that is frequently said about us, as a society and as individuals, is that we are too quick to forget what has happened in the past and we end up repeating past mistakes. As I have been studying the Book of Mormon this year, it has come to my attention how often the word REMEMBER is used. Upwards of 200 times.
"And now remember..."
"I would that ye should remember..."
"Let us remember..."
"Oh, remember..."
"If ye do not remember..."
"See that ye remember..."
"Do ye not remember..."
Constant reminders of what the Lord has done to bless our lives. The entire Book of Mormon is a record of all the different ways that the Lord has blessed people who have followed His commandments and counsel, and how those who do not are not. Quite often, counsel to stay faithful to the Lord NOW is proceeded by a remembrance of a way that the Lord blessed the faithful THEN. Over and over they are exhorted to remember the captivity of their fathers and how the Lord brought them out of bondage, both temporal and spiritual.
At the end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni states:
"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts." (emphasis added)
When we remember the blessings that we have received from the Lord, it puts us in the right frame of mind -- it opens our eyes and our ears and our hearts -- to receive counsel, admonition, answers and guidance from our Father in Heaven. It turns our focus towards the spiritual and away from the "natural man". It reminds us that we are better than our past mistakes and that we are not doomed to repeat them. We gain confidence and faith that if others have succeeded, we can too.
Most importantly, it helps us to open our eyes and our ears and our hearts to the hope of Jesus Christ. Remembering that, through Him, we can be redeemed from our past mistakes and become clean through His Atonement. Each Sunday we have the opportunity to partake of the sacrament in remembrance of all that our Savior has done for us, and we are renewed and strengthened by promising Him that we will do better and try harder and to draw closer to Him. And, as we keep that covenant, hopefully, we can be an example for others to remember.
What a blessing it is to REMEMBER!
(If you would like a free copy of the Book of Mormon, click HERE)
