A new day...

  So life the last little while has been quite exciting. Last weekend I got back from spending a week in Arizona visiting my Dad. My darling cousin Katie came with me and we had a blast. Not to mention came home a couple shades darker thanks to some fabulous pool time every day :) I really like Arizona, although I've never been there in the dead of summer. While we were there it was mid 90's to 100 F. Perfect Arizona weather :) So now I am home again, finally finished putting everything away, I really don't like living out of a suitcase. It's good to be home so once again, resumed the job search. So we shall see how that goes. One good thing is a was awarded a scholarship by Raytheon, so that will help with this year's tuition!

  This morning I am reading from the Book of Mormon, in Mormon chapter 2: I love the last few books of the Book of Mormon, but it always makes me so sad to see how fast the people turn away and 'willfully rebel' from the Gospel of Jesus  Christ - in this case a couple hundred years earlier, Jesus Christ appeared to the people and taught them just like He had taught in Jerusalem, but now as a Glorified, Resurrected Being (start reading around 3 Nephi chapter 11)

So anyway where I am reading today this was the beginning of the chapter: 1 And it came to pass in that same year there began to be a war again between the Nephites and the Lamanites. And notwithstanding I being young, was large in stature; therefore the people of Nephi appointed me that I should be their leader, or the leader of their armies.

  2 Therefore it came to pass that *in my sixteenth year I did go forth at the head of an army of the Nephites, against the Lamanites; therefore three hundred and twenty and six years had passed away.

 

This of course is Mormon speaking, in the previous chapter he is chosen by Ammaron (when he is 10) to later retrieve the sacred record and record about the people. Now at 16 he is chosen by the people to lead the armies?!? I cannot even imagine being in his shoes. A few verses later it is just heartbreaking to read and think about these people:

  11 Thus there began to be a mourning and a lamentation in all the land because of these things, and more especially among the people of Nephi.

  12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous people.

  13 But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.

  14 And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.

  15 And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open rebellion against their God, and heaped up as dung upon the face of the land. And thus *three hundred and forty and four years had passed away.

I am not sure what is more painful than watching others willfully rebel against what they know to be true. Nothing good can come of it, and there is always the option of repentance but there will come a time when it will be too late.

  I love the scriptures so much. It is hard to read the stories of those who didn't follow the commandments but I am grateful for the teachings and examples in the scriptures so that I can learn from them and apply them in my life.