by Kristen Bodine

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate
coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion
classes.
In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their
thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they
know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the
scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty
of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The
Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient
America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples
to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar
names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring
words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)
Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these
messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Cause for the Storm

Letter to Julia

Dear Julia,

The story of the Brother of Jared and his friends and family sailing the sea is
truly remarkable. Just imagine their living conditions – abiding in a completely
concealed vessel for 344 days! And it is recorded that they spent those days
singing praises to God! We read stories like this, yet we still complain about our
poor lives when we get cold pizza or our soccer cleats break! I love the example
these people set of taking the conditions they have been given and living with it
in gratitude until the Lord decides it is time for them to have some new scenery.
Also, God caused that there should be a “furious wind” blown tossing the Brother
of Jared and his people out into the sea on their journey to the Promise Land.
There are so many ways we can interpret this to match our lives:

1. God controls the furious winds and boisterous waves in our lives. Yes, they
may be hard and painful at times, but they come from God and we must trust in
Him that He will deliver us if we look to Him. He is in control of everything. We
should never try to do it on our own. Why should we when the God who created
ALL is eternally willing and waiting to help us out of the storm if we ask?

2. Heavenly Father could have given the Brother of Jared a nice, easy current to
float peacefully to the Promise Land. But what can you learn with that situation?
This life is all about challenge and testing our faith in God. God gives of strong
winds and waves to remind us of His power, to test our faith in Him, and our own
personal strength amidst those times.

3. Heavy winds and waves confirmed the strength of the vessels that the people
of Jared created with their own hands. We tend to underestimate the work
we can perform, the strength we have, and the power we have to build strong
vessels in our life. I think Heavenly Father gives us storms so that we can see for
ourselves the strength and courage we have to withstand the hit. We are all SO
MUCH GREATER than we think we are. We are strong, and we have the talents
and testimonies to build strong vessels in our life that can withstand any storm.

4. Going along with that thought, it is important that we never settle for mediocrity
when we are creating our vessels. If we hope to keep every bit of the world’s
water out of our system, we have to be willing to put the time and effort in to
make a strong vessel. “Tight like unto a dish” in every way shape or form. It will
be hard, it will push us to our limits, it will take time – but it will be worth it. Satan
cannot hit us if we leave him no crack to seep in.

I know this story really happened, I know the scriptures are real and true. I know
God has control over everything and we can always look to Him. I also know that
it is through the storms in our lives that we truly learn.

Sincerely,
Kristen

by Jordan Johnson

This week in my Book of Mormon class we were finishing up 3 Nephi and moving into 4 Nephi. I’d like to
first share with you an example my professor shared with us about the refiner’s fire.

He brought in a metal stake and a hammer and showed them to all of the class. He asked us what the
metal in the stake needs to go through in order for it to be shaped the way it was. As we learned about
the refining process, I began to see how this can compare to us in our mortal experience. Have you ever
been through a really hard trial and you’re wondering why you have to go through such a tough time, and
that you can’t go on anymore? I know I sure have, but as I began the feel the truthfulness of what was
being taught, I began to understand more clearly. The Lord gives us trials so that we become humble and
submissive. Just like the metal needs to be submissive and workable through extreme heating, we, too,
need to be humble to the Lord. After we are sufficiently heated, we are then brought to the anvil and the
Lord proceeds to shape us into what He wants us to be. This can be a very uncomfortable process for us,
but I must say in the end, it is all worth it.Don’t you feel so much better about yourself after having passed through a major trial only to find
afterwards that you are a little more like the Lord; a little closer to reaching our full potential. After the
strenuous process, we are then put in cold water and allowed to set. We can think of this as the time in
our lives when we are able to relax and enjoy what is being done with us; a time to be blessed for our
efforts.

Another thing I really want to share with you is another way the Book of Mormon is applicable in our
lives. If you think back on the story of the Book of Mormon, there is much more of an emphasis on the
wars and contentions, the trials and the difficulties the people passed through. Certainly there are many
great prophets who have taught the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as the plan of salvation.
However, we learned this week that Mormon had to abridge the plates and thought it more important
to include certain things that are more pertinent in our lives. There were many more records of all the
peaceful times the people had due to their righteousness, but Mormon looked at all of that and didn’t think
it was applicable to us in this day. We need much more the stories of the trials and temptations these
people suffered in order that we might learn how to better live in our day. I’ve often wished there was
more of an emphasis on the blessings received for righteousness because that has always been one of
my favorite parts. However, after learning about the reason why there is so much focus on hardship, it all
makes sense to me now. I challenge you to take some extra time the next couple of times you study the
Book of Mormon and really think how what you are reading is applicable to you in your life. What sorts of
things can you learn from the Book of Mormon knowing that it was written for us in our day?

The last quick thought I wish to share with you is this great quote from Jacques Bainville, a French
philosopher, which says, “One must want the consequences of what he wants.” I love that! It can go both
ways. If we want to be wicked and disobey the commandments, we must want the consequences of that
type of living. On the other hand, if we live righteously, we must want the consequences of that type of
living, too. Though, I almost feel it sounds better the other way around, that if we want the consequences,
or blessings of righteous living, then we should want to live that way!

by Calvin Millett

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate
coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion
classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their
thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon. We invite you to take a look at their
epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty
of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The
Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient
America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples
to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar
names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring
words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these
messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Humbling Ourselves

The Book of Ether chapter 12 contains many powerful, applicable scriptures. Briefly noting a
few, I especially liked verses 25-27 of chapter 12. Verse 27 reads:

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that
they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me;
for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things
become strong unto them.”

In verse 25, it says that our words are made great and powerful by the Lord. In both of these
references, God has the upper hand, and both give examples of how we come to Him with our
imperfections and wishes, and He transforms us into something great and powerful.

I also like that when we come to God, our weaknesses are shown to us. This is important,
because sometimes pride gets in the way of drawing ourselves towards God. If we overcome
that pride and give everything to God, we can be made into a greater being. Our weaknesses
can be shown to us and then transformed before our own eyes into great things. I have
experienced an event similar to this. In my prayers I would sometimes not pray with real
intent and sincerity. As I have learned to pour my heart out and share my imperfections and
weaknesses, I feel as though my weaknesses are turned into strengths, and I am better able to
overcome the trials that are thrust upon me on a daily basis.

by Lindsey Woodfield

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate
coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion
classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their
thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they
know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the
scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty
of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The
Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient
America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples
to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar
names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring
words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these
messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Trials Can Make You Stronger

This was in an email I sent to my mom!

So last week we went through the Book of Ether chapters 3 to 15. This is the part in the Book
of Mormon where the brother of Jared, Jared, and the people with them are traveling across the
sea to get to the Promised Land. Two verses that we talked about in class and that stuck with
me were Ether chapter 6 verses 5 and 6. They say:

“And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon
the face of the waters, towards the Promised Land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves
of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths
of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and
terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind.”

Wow. That does not sound easy. Just look at that: “Furious wind”, “tossed”, “many times
buried”, “mountain waves”, “terrible tempests”, and “fierceness of the wind”. It does not sound
like an easy trip. My teacher has asked us before, why doesn’t Heavenly Father just teleport His
people where He wants them? Or provide a really easy way for getting them where He wants?
He could do it! My teacher then explains that while the destination is important, it isn’t nearly as

important as who you are becoming along the way. I love that!!! We are trying to get places but
we are also trying to BECOME something. The “fierceness of the wind” that we face in our lives
is what can make us better. We are meant to be stretched and refined. I know that there are a
lot of trials that each individual must face. However, if we allow it and work at it, these trials can
really help us!! My teacher said that the fiercer the wind is, or how seemingly harder the trial
is, may just be the Lord propelling us faster to becoming more like what He wants us to be. So
cool!

You have a lot on your plate, Momma. Trevor is on a mission and I’m leaving soon, and you
have a whole bunch of other stuff happening too! You have a lot going on, Mom!!! But I know
that you will be strengthened and blessed through your faithfulness and endurance. I am so
proud of you Mom! You are such an amazing example to me and I am so blessed to have you in
my life!

If any who are reading this post have questions or comments, I would be happy to hear from
you.

by Shalie Taylor

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate
coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion
classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their
thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they
know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the
scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty
of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The
Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient
America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples
to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar
names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring
words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these
messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Our Journey

I wrote this to a friend that is a bit stressed about finals coming up.

This week in my Book of Mormon class we talked about the brother of Jared and the Jaredites’
journey to the Land of Promise and how it relates to us. They traveled across the sea in barges
for 344 days as stated in Ether 6:11. This was not an easy or pleasurable journey. In verse five
and six of chapter 6 it states:

“And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon
the face of the waters…thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea…. And it came to
pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves
which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the
fierceness of the wind.”

The journey to the Promised Land was incredibly difficult. Why did it have to be so hard?
My professor explained that, “The purpose is to become something while you are trying to
get somewhere.” If the road was easy all the time, we would not be able to grow or become
strengthened, because we would never be tested. Sometimes it may feel that this life is just
too hard. But something we can find assurance in is that God will not break us. He will only
stretch us. He knows what we can handle, and if we rely on Him, He will help us through our
difficult times in this life. This has been apparent to me as I am close to finishing my first year
of college. College is so hard! But I know God has helped me through this year and has not
left me to experience this alone. I know He truly loves all His children, and with Him we can be
strengthened through the hard times. I encourage you to keep working hard! We are almost to
summer!!!!

Love ya!
Love, Shalie

If you are reading this post and have any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you.

by Corrie Larsen

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate
coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion
classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their
thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they
know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the
scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these
messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Dancing in the Rain

After reading Ether 6:9, I thought of a woman from my home ward whom I feel truly exemplifies
the idea of remaining positive and optimistic during times of trial. I felt that I should write her
a quick message and let her know how much I look up to her and how thankful I am for the
example she has been to me and to so many others as well.

Dear Tanya,

While I was in my Book of Mormon class this past week, we read a verse that made me think of
you and the touching song “Gratitude” you sing so beautifully! It was Ether 6:9, which says, “And
they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and
he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease
to praise the Lord.”

I am so very thankful for the incredible example you are to me and to many others of faith
during times of trial. You have faced some hard things with that beautiful smile on your face and
courage in your heart, willing to accept whatever the Lord may see fit for you to experience. And
as I have watched you, my testimony has grown and I have gained a greater appreciation for
this Gospel and for the way it allows us to smile during hard times if we simply keep our faith in the Savior strong.

Your example has blessed others as well. I will forever remember the day you sang in church
and became filled with emotion when you saw sweet Sister Nielson. I know that your song,
and the spirit you brought as you sang touched her heart, and it touched many other hearts
throughout the congregation. You are an amazing woman, such an inspiration to so many
others, and I feel so blessed to live a street away from you. I watch you and learn so much
from your example. I seriously adore you and think the world of you! Thank you for being a true
example of “dancing in the rain” and maintaining faith, even when times get tough. I love you
so very much! Hope you have a marvelous day, and never forget what a shining light you are to
those around you!

~ Corrie Larsen

PS: I am a little sad you are going to camp the year after I can’t go anymore. The young women
have no idea how incredibly lucky they are!!!

If this has struck a chord with you, I would welcome your questions or comments.

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Book of Mormon: The Law of Tithing

We have been commanded to pay a full tithe. This is defined as 10% of all of our increase. This may not seem like much to us as we are growing up and we earn $10 and we give up just one of those dollars to pay our tithing. But, it begins to mean so much more when we are earning $350 paychecks. Thirty-five dollars is a lot, and you could use that to pay for a lot of things. This is when it takes great faith and understanding to pay a full tithe. The Lord asks us to give Him this physical worldly thing, yet, He doesn’t truly need it. Why would the Creator of heaven and earth need our physical paper money? He is the one who has given us everything we have and has made us everything we are, the One who can call upon the elements and can cause great destruction and who can perform great miracles. He has no need for our worldly money, it means nothing to Him. He does not need it to bring forth His work and glory. In reality it is already His, He is the one who has given it to us. He has blessed us with all that we have.

Then why does the Lord ask us to pay tithing? He asks that we give to Him part of our increase because it shows to Him what we value more. When we willingly give back to Him 10% of what He has given us, we are showing Him that He is more important to us than our worldly riches and our worldly status. He doesn’t need my money, but I desperately need to give Him my money. I need to prove to Him that I recognize that He is so much more important to me. This is a humbling experience. And what is even more amazing is that we are bringing to Him something that He has no need for, we are setting before Him some mortal insignificant thing, and He accepts it with so much gratitude. The Lord recognizes that it is a sacrifice for us to pay our tithing and that although He may not need it, to live and sustain ourselves in the world we need money.

The Lord accepts our offering to Him. He takes it gratefully, understanding its value to us. He then turns around and uses all that we have just given to Him for our benefit. Our tithing is used for things that we need for our salvation: temples, church buildings, printing Books of Mormon, education, etc.

When we recognize this it is easier to understand why we are asked to pay tithing. It gives me the desire to want to pay tithing joyfully and with a grateful heart for everything with which the Lord has blessed me.

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (3 Nephi 24:8-10). The Lord puts the law of tithing up to be a thing of great importance. Paying a full tithe is part of being worthy to enter into His temple. In these verses it also states that when we do pay our tithing, we will be blessed with more than we could ever have room for. I know that this is true. I know that the act of paying our tithing may not seem like a particularly spiritual thing to do, but when we follow this commandment, we will be closer to the Lord and we will have so much more joy and happiness in our lives.

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often
mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts,
insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Book of Mormon: Faith and Fear

I had a very powerful thought recently while reading in the early chapters of 3 Nephi. I have often heard it said that faith is the opposite of fear. I believe this, and it has proven to be true many times in my life. What has become reinforced in my mind lately is that fear is the only and ultimate tool of the devil. He has no other way of winning. He must tear down every particle of faith and hope. This has been the war from the very beginning and it will always be the same.

In the Book of Mormon many wars are described in great detail. These war stories are designed to show us that although names and villains change, our war is between fear and faith. The story of the wars between the Gadianton Robbers during the time of the Chief Judge Lachoneus (3 Nephi 2-4) demonstrates the inward battle with particular clarity. Beginning with the epistle sent by Giddianhi he writes to Lachoneus in the following order: first he acknowledges their beliefs in God and liberty and then writes in a way to cause them to doubt that the Lord will really protect them. Next he talks about his troops being desirous and ready to kill them. Finally, He doubts the Nephite’s understanding of their evil intentions and the outcome of embracing their wickedness. When the Gadianton armies arrive, their appearance is clearly designed to cause fear with their shaven heads and clothing dyed in blood. Such patterns can be seen consistently throughout the many war stories of the Book of Mormon.

I definitely believe that Satan wants to destroy all life but I truly believe that his real goal is spiritual death. Perhaps there will be times, as we can see in multiple other Book of Mormon stories, where the Lord allows us the fall into the hands of our enemies instead of preserving our lives. Let it be his will. Tree of Life there is a very interesting detail regarding those who hold to the iron rod and those who shout out from the tall and spacious building. They can’t touch each other. Those in the tower can’t pull you off the path. They have no physical power to stop you. The only thing they can do is to cause you to doubt and fear and thus become lost in forbidden paths.

I know that the Lord will provide for His people just as He did with the Children of Israel. He will fight our wars and win our battles. We do not need to be overwhelmed in thoughts of fear and doubt. The Lord is in charge of the outcome. He only expects faith on our part and trust in His paths.

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Book of Mormon: Jesus Wept

Out of all the paintings and depictions of Christ that exist today, the ones that penetrate my heart with the greatest intensity are those that portray Jesus weeping. Whether He is kneeling alone with His head bowed or facing the Heavens or encircling His arms about a grief-stricken brother/sister/friend, it is these images of His teary eyes and long face that impact me the most. In John 11:35, it states the simple words, “Jesus wept.” In 3 Nephi 17:21, Jesus was ministering to the people in the Americas. He had just healed those who were afflicted among the Nephites and had poured out His heart to His Father in a sacred prayer…so sacred that it cannot even be written. When He finished His prayer, He expressed His joy toward the people He was teaching. “And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it…”

I think the reason why the image of Jesus weeping has such an effect on me is because it is such a human emotion. It is sometimes difficult to picture Jesus Christ–Creator of the world, of us, of the universe; Savior of our souls; Master; etc.–as experiencing such human emotions. However, that was one of the most vital roles of the atonement. Christ descended below man in order to physically, mentally, and emotionally understand EVERYTHING we are going through. Because He understands, He weeps. He weeps for us. He weeps with us. He weeps when we do wrong. He weeps with joy when we do right. He weeps when we are filled with sorrow. He weeps when we experience pain. He weeps when we feel the Spirit. Jesus weeps.

How blessed we are. You and I worship a God who weeps. His emotions and love and compassion are SO sincere and SO tender that they bring Him to tears. You are never alone. Jesus weeps.

 Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.”  As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America.  (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names.  We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Book of Mormon: Anger Should Be Done Away

This week in class we covered part of the most integral section of the Book of Mormon which documents the Savior’s ministry among the Book of Mormon peoples. Prophets throughout the Book of Mormon prophesied of His coming to earth, about the importance of His mission and the infinity and reality of His sacrifice, the Atonement. Finally, nearly a year after His ministry in Jerusalem, Jesus Christ came to them and to personally teach His gospel. We covered only two of the seventeen chapters chronically this Heavenly visitation, but there were so many things that I could and wanted to share. The stories I know are true and invite the Spirit. They influence me to be better and help me to understand the Lord better. His ministry begins in 3 Nephi 11:1-17 when He descends out of heaven and allows the crowd to come forth one by one to feel the marks in His hands and the scar on His side. Today I am going to focus on some of Christ’s words He spoke after this event but because it is so important and I know it will help you so much to feel the Savior’s love, here is a link to those verses: 3 Nephi 11:1-17. Today I would like to talk about kindness.

As I mentioned in my first post, one of my favorite sports to watch and to play is ice hockey. Ice hockey has quite the reputation surrounding it for its raw violence and aggression. I remember when I was little, my mom was apprehensive about letting me play hockey because she said it was too violent, noting that she always heard the quote growing up, “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out”. From my own experiences, I have to agree with my mom and confess that hockey does earn its reputation; a sad reality that I was reminded of this summer. Over the summer I played in a men’s hockey league. Our team was really good and ended up taking the league championship (which was awesome to me but I recognize that it is no Stanley cup). One thing that would bother me about the games however was that inevitably that emotion would flare and players would struggle to control their actions. Fights were commonplace and foul language was plentiful. Contention would fill the air. Although I never cussed or got in any fights with the other team though the season, I definitely felt anger and contention inside of me. Anger is an easy emotion to feel and if not checked can lead to major issues (like fighting over a very meaningless recreational hockey game).

Anger and aggression are so commonplace in our society and in some realms are celebrated. They rear their ugly heads in more ways than just violence such as backbiting, bickering, backstabbing, gossiping, complaining, etc. Anger is at the root of contention. In some of His first few teachings to the crowd gathered in the Americas, Christ’s teachings about this matter are very clear. He said in 3 Nephi 11:29-30, “For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.”

Anger and contention are the exact antithesis of all of Christ’s teachings. He taught that the greatest commandment was to love God and our neighbors and that we must love our enemies. When thinking about this concept I was reminded of a speech I heard a few years ago, I can’t even remember who was speaking. He was talking about making righteous decisions and he pointed out that when we are in doubt about a certain behavior we must ask ourselves who is offering it—Satan or the Savior. Decisions that seemed hard will become easy when we think in these terms. Who is offering anger? Who wants us to fight back with mean words or actions? Who wants us to speak sarcastically and offensively to others? Certainly not the Savior of mankind. I hope that we can ask ourselves this question in moments of anger instead of thinking that our situations entitles us some leeway and justify an unkind word or action.

The wonderful thing is that no matter where we are in the battle to control our tempers, we can improve. I was someone with a very bad temper. It seemed I couldn’t control myself in certain situations. This was something I worked on and have made great steps to controlling my emotions. Though I still get a bit amped while playing sports I know I have power to control my words and actions (and that if I do slip up, I can repent, be forgiven and try harder next time).

The world would be such a better place if we all could completely apply Christ’s teachings on love and avoidance of contention. Though the world may never change from anger, we can change and influence for the better people around us. If we center our hearts on Christ, I know that all things are possible! That anger will find no place in our hearts or on the ice (or wherever we are).

 Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs