On June 25th of this year I started The Book of Mormon over. This time I slowed WAY down and followed an in-depth study guide and journaled about everything I could think of. I think I missed two days since then and JUST finished 1 Nephi. Twenty-two short chapters, normally read within a few weeks max, stretched out over nearly two months. It has been incredible and the biggest blessing in my life. Really.
I've had the strongest impressions that reading and really knowing the Book of Mormon would help me with getting healthier, managing stress, and being more patient with the girls. The first of the year I started running every morning. I loved it. Well, I liked it. After I was done. I can't do both in the morning- read and exercise- because that extra half an hour of sleep is pretty precious. So after almost 400 miles, I stopped and picked scripture study. I'm all the better for it.
The Book of Mormon really is for our times- it isn't ancient record, it isn't just stories of long-ago ancestors. It is a testament of Jesus. He is talked of in nearly every single verse. But it isn't just stories of Jesus, either. Every story I've reread I've applied to my life- in the here and now. What I've gained over the last few months is that if I walk upright, my eye turned to God, if I have faith, if I trust I'm guided through trials, if I show gratitude in all, then I'll continue to be taken care of. It is enormous comfort. That's just the beginning.
A bigger picture is that when I turn myself to Christ, to God, when I say things like, "Whatever you want me to do, wherever you want me to be..." then I find great peace and guidance. It is a subtle reminder that everything that usually bugged me about the world, wasted time thinking about things that don't matter, is nothing compared to the whole picture. My eyes are opened to everything in my life that has been touched by the hand of God... my home, my family, my job, the people in my life. It is humbling. There's nothing on earth that can replace this feeling I get when touched by the Book of Mormon.
If you haven't read it, do it. If you have, do it again!
I've had the strongest impressions that reading and really knowing the Book of Mormon would help me with getting healthier, managing stress, and being more patient with the girls. The first of the year I started running every morning. I loved it. Well, I liked it. After I was done. I can't do both in the morning- read and exercise- because that extra half an hour of sleep is pretty precious. So after almost 400 miles, I stopped and picked scripture study. I'm all the better for it.
The Book of Mormon really is for our times- it isn't ancient record, it isn't just stories of long-ago ancestors. It is a testament of Jesus. He is talked of in nearly every single verse. But it isn't just stories of Jesus, either. Every story I've reread I've applied to my life- in the here and now. What I've gained over the last few months is that if I walk upright, my eye turned to God, if I have faith, if I trust I'm guided through trials, if I show gratitude in all, then I'll continue to be taken care of. It is enormous comfort. That's just the beginning.
A bigger picture is that when I turn myself to Christ, to God, when I say things like, "Whatever you want me to do, wherever you want me to be..." then I find great peace and guidance. It is a subtle reminder that everything that usually bugged me about the world, wasted time thinking about things that don't matter, is nothing compared to the whole picture. My eyes are opened to everything in my life that has been touched by the hand of God... my home, my family, my job, the people in my life. It is humbling. There's nothing on earth that can replace this feeling I get when touched by the Book of Mormon.
If you haven't read it, do it. If you have, do it again!
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