Uplift Your Soul

Almost a month ago in my scripture study with the kids, we were reading Mosiah 20 in the Book of Mormon. This is the chapter where King Noah’s wicked priests steal away some of the daughters of the Lamanites. When the Lamanites discover their daughters missing they assume it is the Nephites (in this case, King Limhi’s people) and prepare for war.

In verses 8-11 it talks about how Limhi discovered their preparations from the top of a tower and was able to gather his people together and prepare to meet the Lamanites.

The Nephites laid in wait in the fields and forests and then “like dragons did they fight.” Even though the Lamanite army was more than double their size, they were able to push them back.

Among the dead they found the Lamanite king, who was wounded, and they bound up his wounds and with his help were able to make peace at that time.

As we read this story together, it struck me how this is applicable to our lives today.

We must be watchful and vigilant in our lives against those things or people who Satan would use to destroy us or our way of living. New laws, regulations, and policies in particular come to mind.

We need to be aware of what is going on so we are not caught by surprise when something happens that may affect our way of life. We need to “lie in wait” in “forests and fields” by taking action ourselves. I know for myself that too often I complain about what is being done, but take no action myself or I feel I am not well-read enough on a particular topic to feel I can really have a say.

The first step is knowing what you believe, what you stand for. You can’t really fight for something if you don’t know what it is you are fighting for.

Educating yourself is the next step. Read up on different issues. This may take some digging as news sources are quite often not very reliable or can be one-sided. You don’t have to be an expert, but being aware is like standing on your watchtower.

The third item is action. What are we going to do about it? It may be as small as when casually talking with others, or maybe it is writing to our representatives or attending political meetings.

I love this quote by Elder Quentin L. Cook, a modern-day apostle: “Many in this world are afraid and angry with one another. While we understand these feelings, we need to be civil in our discourse and respectful in our interactions. This is especially true when we disagree. The Savior taught us to love even our enemies. The vast majority of our members heed this counsel. Yet there are some who feel that venting their personal anger or deeply held opinions is more important than conducting themselves as Jesus Christ lived and taught. I invite each one of us individually to recognize that how we disagree is a real measure of who we are and whether we truly follow the Savior. It is appropriate to disagree, but it is not appropriate to be disagreeable. Violence and vandalism are not the answer to our disagreements. If we show love and respect even in adverse circumstances, we become more like Christ.” (April 2010 General Conference)

I think, “It is appropriate to disagree, but it is not appropriate to be disagreeable” is something that we need to remember and focus on finding ways to express ourselves while still being Christ-like. We can say when something is wrong when appropriate. We just need to do so in the right way.

With God’s grace and power we can still “drive” the enemy from before us. We are fighting for our families and we need to exert ourselves. We need to decide now how we will prepare and what actions we will take.

Recently an issue has come up that I have many concerns with and it could have a huge impact on religious freedom, as well as impacting other areas of our lives. First, I read up on it to understand it more fully, then I wrote to all my representatives, some with specific examples if I felt they needed it, and told them how I felt and asked how they were going to proceed.

Limhi’s people were not saved by sitting back and doing nothing. They were watchful, they prepared, and they took action.