In the Center

Alma 31 has become one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. If you remember, it's the beginning of Alma and his brethren's mission to the Zoramites. Alma finds them praying pridefully on the Rameumptom (or the 'Holy Stand') and perverting the ways of God. Now, my reason for loving this chapter certainly isn't because of the wickedness of the Zoramites but because of the prayer Alma offers to the Lord.

He starts in verse 26 by almost complaining to the Lord for having to be there. He asks "O, how long, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that thy servants shall dwell here below . . . to beholds such gross wickedness?" The next few verses describe the wickedness of the people and it's apparent that it really pains Alma to be there.

By the end of the prayer (which by the way verse 35 is my favorite) Alma's attitude has changed. He now describes the Zoramites as being precious and asks the Lord to help him help them. In his own words he says, "Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren." I can just picture Alma on his knees pleading with the Lord for help. Obviously we don't know, but I wonder if there were any in Alma's party who had relatives who had fallen into apostasy with the Zoramites.

Anyway, I think the change in Alma's prayer can be traced back to verse 31 where Alma prays for comfort in Christ. It is interesting to note that when he says "wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ." it's not a question. No question mark to be found. But it is after this point that Alma's focus seems to change.

Christ is the focal point. He is what matters. Afflictions may come but as it says in verse 38 they are "swallowed up in the joy of Christ." When we understand that, nothing else matters.

Why Daily Bread Kneads to be Daily

What if we only had to do things once and then never again?? For instance: eating, drinking, or even something like repenting of sin. Life would be a whole lot different. Sometimes I wish that I didn't have to spend so much time doing something like sleeping so that I could get more done. But in this life we are required to do things over and over again in order to survive physically as well as spiritually.

Jesus Christ said, "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." However, I do not think the Savior intended for us to merely partake of His goodness once and never hunger again. But rather we are commanded to feast upon his word as well as to continually hold fast to the iron rod.

There are a lot more parallels that can be drawn from things we need to do everyday to the gospel. And although it may get tiresome there's a reason for repetition.

Deciding To Be Disappointed

I recently interviewed for a job and was somewhat confident that I would fill the position. I was excited! It was a new kind of work and I would have set, reliable hours. However, when I received the phone call thanking me for coming in I knew right away that I wouldn't be hired. At first I felt a tinge of disappointment but as the day passed my perspective changed.

You might think that serving a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is full of disappointments and you're right. But Preach My Gospel, the guide to missionary service, states, "When you have done your very best, you may still experience disappointments, but you will not be disappointed in yourself." That sentence was critical to me as a missionary and still helps me now.

In life we experience disappointing things. That's just how it is. Whether it be dating (believe me, I've been there), school, sports, or work. Things will happen to us and we may be tempted to be disappointed in ourselves. However, it's ultimately our choice of whether we want to be happy and move on or get stuck being sad about our circumstances. So do yourself a favor and decide not to be disappointed.