The rise & fall of the Jaredites

(Ether 1–3, 6–11, 13–15)

by Mike Parker

(Mike Parker is a long-time FAIR member who has graciously allowed us to use materials he originally prepared for the Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class. The scripture passages covered in his lessons don’t conform exactly to the Come, Follow Me reading schedule, so they will be shared here where they fit best.)

Class Notes

[The below is additional content not included in Mike Parker’s original lesson]
This video by Charles Dike from FAIR’s 2023 Defending the Book of Mormon Virtual Conference offers additional insights on the Jaredite voyage:

Mike Parker is a business and marketing analyst with over twenty years’ experience in the financial services and cellular telephone industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management Information Systems from Dixie State University (now Utah Tech University) of St George, Utah. He also has eight years’ experience in corporate training and currently teaches an adult religion class in southern Utah. Mike and his wife, Denise, have three children.

Faith-Building Experiences

by Autumn Dickson

We have now moved into the book of Ether. Though the people described in the book of Ether occurred before the rest of The Book of Mormon, this record was inserted towards the end of The Book of Mormon. Moroni was the one who worked to add these plates to the records that had been kept by the Nephites. Though the book of Ether ends in tragedy, there are also recorded stories of extremely righteous people.

The brother of Jared was one such righteous person. After a series of experiences led by the hand of the Lord, the brother of Jared had the veil removed from his eyes and he was able to behold the Lord.

Ether 3:13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.

The brother of Jared achieved the end that we should seek. He was redeemed from the fall and brought back into the presence of God. I often speak about how heaven can be experienced on earth. I’m convinced that this is yet another aspect of heaven that we can receive before we cross over to the other side. The Lord isn’t waiting for us to die before He redeems us from the fall and pulls us back into His presence; He is merely waiting for us to be prepared.

The book of Ether is one of my favorite books of scripture because on a minute, digestible scale, the Lord teaches us the kind of experiences we need to have in order to be prepared for what He wants to give us as soon as we are ready. There are many events and principles experienced by the brother of Jared in preparation to receive the Lord. I won’t be able to cover all of them. However, let’s cover a couple of the experiences that build enough faith for the Savior to take full effect in the life of an individual.

Observing, listening, and asking

As Jared and his brother watched the people around them building the Tower of Babel, they grew concerned. They were in the midst of wickedness. Jared asked his brother to pray to the Lord for deliverance from the confounding of languages. The Lord did so. This is something that is often natural. Something frightening is happening around us, and we want to be protected from it. As the Lord shows up repeatedly, our faith builds in His abilities and desire to take care of us.

But there’s another part of this story that I think comes less naturally. It’s no less important; it just tends to require a bit of extra conscious effort. Not only does Jared ask his brother to pray to the Lord to avoid the language problem, but he specifically asks the following.

Ether 1:38 And it came to pass that Jared spake again unto his brother, saying: Go and inquire of the Lord whether he will drive us out of the land, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him whither we shall go. And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance.

This request from Jared is a little bit different than the other one. It’s different from the time that Lehi and his family were warned by the Lord to flee Jerusalem. This extremely specific question indicates a spiritual maturity in Jared. When I read that verse, I see how the Holy Ghost has been whispering to Jared, hinting at future events and actions that need to take place. Not only does Jared ask, “Should we leave?” Jared sensed that there was something prepared for his family, and proactively worked to achieve that end.

I think it’s important to understand that each of us has somewhere we need to be. Maybe it’s not a specific location or job or ward. Maybe it’s not a specific park at a specific time to meet a specific person who needs our specific help. However, we all made promises before we came here. Understanding that can help us to proactively seek out any steps we might be missing. It helps us work to be anxiously engaged.

A few years ago, I watched my husband’s assumed and hoped-for future taken away from him. And though I knew it was important to let him deeply grieve what he had lost, the Spirit was whispering to me that there was somewhere else he needed to be to fulfill the promises he had made before coming here. I could feel it so clearly. It took years, but we’re starting to see the path he’s been led to.

We are not the Lord’s prophet. We do not have jurisdiction over the church, to guide it and receive revelation about where to take it. But we do each have a jurisdiction, even if it’s just in our families. I believe there are sacred times in our lives where the Lord will whisper to us about future events; He will whisper to us that we should make proactive changes that will take us places we would otherwise miss. Being prepared to receive those small-scale prophesies on behalf of our families increases faith. And it is faith that prepares us to be redeemed from the fall.

We see the opposite side of this, when Jared and his family were not being proactive. The families went as far as the seashore, pitched their tents, and they simply stopped. They stayed there for four years. Maybe they completely forgot the Lord and didn’t call on Him at all. Maybe they simply got distracted in the midst of trying to survive, and they stopped listening for the next steps they needed to take. They didn’t go anywhere. They weren’t moving forward. They were living, but they weren’t moving.

It’s important to note that following the path the Lord would have you take isn’t always super clear. There have been plenty of times in my life where I felt really insecure about where I was supposed to be. There have been plenty of times that things have felt blank, and He hasn’t been telling me anything. I have learned that sometimes we’re already on the right path, and He doesn’t need to change anything so He doesn’t say anything. Just because you’re not directly feeling those whisperings doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. I’m not telling you that you’re messing up if you haven’t felt those whisperings. I’m trying to encourage you to develop that open stance towards the Lord. I’m trying to encourage you to direct your eyes toward Him, make decisions about what you want in life, and keep an ear open in case He has something to add. Sometimes He is leading us quietly towards those promises we made without whispering ahead of time. The key is to be the kind of person who’s listening so He can easily speak.

Obeying and planning

After building the barges and coming across two new obstacles, the brother of Jared once again turns to the Lord. He asks how they’ll be able to get air and how they’ll be able to get light. The Lord teaches the brother of Jared what to do in order to get air, and the brother of Jared obeys. He then asks the Lord once again about the light.

This time the Lord responds differently. He asks the brother of Jared what he wants the Lord to do for him. The brother of Jared decides to prepare stones for the Lord to touch and light up. The Lord acquiesces.

These are two principles that I paired together hoping that the contrast between the two would help us better see them as separate experiences. It’s important to have both kinds of experiences to build our faith. The first is simple obedience. Obedience builds faith because we follow the Lord according to His foreknowledge and later on, when we see the blessings of that obedience, we realize the Lord really does know what He’s talking about. Obedience is taught often. Most of us have an understanding of the principle of obedience.

The second experience is slightly different. It’s not just obedience. The Lord is pushing the brother of Jared to choose for himself. The Lord wants him to solve the problem, and He will provide the support. If you’ve studied child development or parenting styles, you learn just how cool the Lord is.

We have learned that doing everything for our kids can actually cause a lot of problems. When we step in again and again to solve things for them, we’re teaching them that they can’t do it. We’re teaching them that they’re inherently too small or unskilled to handle problems and come up with solutions. The Lord wants us to feel a power within ourselves, a power that is inherently there because we are His children.

I had a friend once express to me that she thought it was pretty sacrilegious to believe that the Lord was trying to exalt us, to push us to grow and develop. She believed we were sent here to  simply worship and praise and let Him carry us. I don’t mock this belief; sometimes I think we need more of the belief that He’s willing to carry us more than we allow. However, I want you to imagine these two different parenting styles in a home.

One parent is allowing their kids to struggle and come up with solutions. They’re providing grounds for creativity and offering support as needed. They want this child to grow to be independent, to love themselves and feel capable and confident. They want their child to experience all of the joy that comes with consciously building a full life. They want their child to have everything they have, if not more.

The second parent handles everything. The overarching theme in the home is that the child is simply unworthy and can’t do anything, and mom and dad are just these fantastic people who are going to swoop in and take care of absolutely everything. The idea that the child should grow up independent and capable is actually kind of offensive. The parents should handle everything, and they should be utterly admired for it for the rest of their lives.

I ask you. Which home produces the child who “worships” their parents more? Which child is going to grow up believing that their parents really did give them everything? Which child feels like the parent is focused on them rather than on their own personal, high status?

Being obedient absolutely builds our faith. I will also tell you that the opportunities I’ve had to make decisions and be supported by a loving Father in Heaven has built my faith just as much, if not more, than the simple decisions of obedience. I feel an immense amount of hero-worship and gratitude towards the Lord when He has allowed me to build and create and learn something for myself. I have felt my faith develop as I’ve recognized how my obedience to His word has uplifted, blessed, and protected. I have also felt a tremendous amount of faith develop when I’ve felt Him building me, investing in me. He’s not looking to keep me down and feeling unworthy on some level far below Him. I know I’m unworthy. I know I didn’t earn these gifts He’s giving me. I also know He loves me enough to build me beyond that unworthiness, and I love Him all the more for it.

There are many sacred mini-stories and principles here in the first few chapters of Ether. We have heard of prophetic experiences and visions of the Lord. This is one of those times that we get to watch the brother of Jared move through his life, learning the lessons and building the faith that will prepare him to welcome the Lord into His life.

I testify of a Heavenly Father who loves us. I testify that He wants to lead us through specific life experiences that will build our faith sufficiently that we can be prepared to enter His presence again. I testify that Christ paid for us to come down here and have those specific experiences.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives.

In this special episode, Sarah Allen and Zachary Wright host a panel discussion on the question “Are Prophets Infallible?”

Panel participants:

• Don Bradley: https://gregkofford.com/collections/don-bradley
• Ben Spackman: https://benspackman.com/
• J. Max Wilson: https://www.sixteensmallstones.org/

Moroni’s commentary on the Jaredites & the Nephites

(Mormon 8–9, Ether 4–5 & 12, Moroni 1–6)

by Mike Parker

(Mike Parker is a long-time FAIR member who has graciously allowed us to use materials he originally prepared for the Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class. The scripture passages covered in his lessons don’t conform exactly to the Come, Follow Me reading schedule, so they will be shared here where they fit best.)

Class Notes

Additional Reading

• Sidney B. Sperry, professor of religion at BYU (1932–1971), conjectured that Moroni₂ wrote his material in the Book of Mormon in several stages, composing the Title Page in between. See “Moroni the Lonely: The Story of the Writing of the Title-Page to the Book of Mormon,” Improvement Era 47, no. 2 (February 1944): 83, 116, 118.

• Moroni₂ informed us that the script he and other Nephite writers used was called, by them, “the reformed Egyptian” (Mormon 9:32). There are numerous examples of Egyptian writing being modified and used by other cultures; see William J. Hamblin, “Reformed Egyptian,” FARMS Review 19, no. 1 (2007): 31–35.

• Both Moroni 4:2 and D&C 20:76 instruct the entire congregation to kneel when the sacrament prayers are offered. This practice was observed in the restored Church during the nineteenth century, but slowly fell into disuse in the early twentieth century. In 1902 Church President Joseph F. Smith wrote an editorial instructing that this practice “may be regulated by the presiding authority, according to local surroundings, circumstances, and conditions.” Joseph F. Smith, “Questions and Answers: On Administering the Sacrament,” Improvement Era 5, no. 6 (April 1902): 473–74.

Mike Parker is a business and marketing analyst with over twenty years’ experience in the financial services and cellular telephone industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management Information Systems from Dixie State University (now Utah Tech University) of St George, Utah. He also has eight years’ experience in corporate training and currently teaches an adult religion class in southern Utah. Mike and his wife, Denise, have three children.

Trusting the True God

by Autumn Dickson

In the chapters for this week, Mormon writes his last testimony before Moroni takes the record and begins some of his first writings. Moroni is alone. His people have been wiped out. His father was killed. He has no friends. Even before everyone was wiped out, he was surrounded by people who were bitter and bloodthirsty. Moroni knows what it means to be lonely.

As he is wandering the wilderness, grieving and listening carefully for the Lamanites who are hunting down all the Nephites, he chooses to engrave upon the plates left by his father. In the midst of everything that must have been pressing in on him, Moroni chose to share messages that would point us to Christ.

Here is one such message. I share only the beginning of the verse.

Mormon 8:10 And there are none that do know the true God save it be the disciples of Jesus…

The true God was unknown to these people. Moroni goes on to testify of a time when the knowledge of this true God would be restored to the people, but it would be a long time before that occurred. The Book of Mormon would be brought forth for the express purpose of helping restore true knowledge about God, but for now, these people lived without that knowledge.

What do our lives look like when we know Him? How do we feel? How do we change and act when we know the true God?

The next step in faith

When we know the true God, with all of His loving and wise characteristics, we change how we interact with Him. Knowing Him, in the way you know any kind of trustworthy and uplifting person, changes how you approach Him and how you follow Him. I’ve talked a lot about faith in the form of obedience as well as faith in the form of trust. Both are absolutely essential, but I want to talk about faith in another light today. It goes along with the same idea of trust, but I’d like to delve deeper into that specific avenue.

There comes a point in your faith where you really believe He is there. You start to feel a quiet confidence that He is present and has blessed your life. This makes you feel safe about your future. It’s a good feeling to believe that there is a wise, loving, and powerful Being on your side.

But Heavenly Father likes to take our faith beyond that step. He wants to turn our transactional faith into a transformational faith. Heavenly Father wants to bring our faith to the point where we trust Him and not just the positive outcomes in our lives. It’s no longer about following Him because we get a reward when we do what is right. Learning to trust in this manner is a process that occurs in your mind and heart and can feel somewhat nebulous. Let’s look at it in a more concrete example so that we can more readily apply it internally.

I’m imagining a child. This child has good parents who have shown up repeatedly to help them have the resources and support they need. These good parents have also helped the child to grow independent in appropriate ways. The child sees the good outcomes, and they choose to follow their parents because they see that it’s bringing what they need.

Now I imagine the house of this child is on fire one night. The child wakes up and finds it difficult to breathe. They’re old enough to understand that there’s danger, and they want to get out of the house. They climb off their bed and open their door to find their dad on his hands and knees in front of the door. The child trusts dad so they follow his example and get lower.

But here comes the difference between trusting God and trusting positive outcomes.

The child is primed to start crawling down the stairs after dad to get out of the house as quickly as possible, but dad does something unanticipated. He does not start crawling towards the stairs, but instead, he starts crawling the opposite direction back towards his room. The child logically knows that the wise move would be to get out of the house. Why is dad taking them away from safety? Doesn’t dad love them and want to protect them? Doesn’t dad know better?

There is a crossroads here that would likely occur in a split second in the situation of a house fire, but in real life it might take a lot of time and a myriad of decisions. We all come to a crossroads in our life where we have to decide whether we’re going to follow our Heavenly Father in a direction we don’t understand or even like. We all are going to arrive at a critical juncture where we decide whether we’re going to try and convince Heavenly Father to follow our knowledge or whether we’re going to trust what we’ve experienced of Him. We’re going to reach a point where we say, “Why are things going this way? Can’t you change this?”

This is the moment where we decide whether we trust God as Himself or whether we trust the positive outcomes He’s given us so far in our lives.

In regards to our fire example, the child doesn’t understand why dad is headed away from the front door. The child knows that getting to the front door and out of the house is the right choice. But the child also inherently feels this trust in their father that has been built from a lifetime of choices. The child chooses to follow dad back to his room. Once they’re in the room, the child feels dad putting his hands on their waist before being hoisted up and out of a window into mom’s arms to climb down a ladder that is hanging over the side of the window.

Do we trust outcomes or do we trust God? There is a difference. Trusting God means following Him when you feel like He’s headed in the wrong direction (or even not moving fast enough in what you perceive as the right direction), whether that’s in your personal life and circumstances or things you don’t understand in the church.

Allowing the struggle instead of explaining Himself

It would be so much easier if God would just explain that He was leading us to the window, but if He did, it wouldn’t give us the opportunity to trust Him as He is. And trusting Him on a deeper level is crucial to our development. He has to give us opportunities for imperfect circumstances so we can choose to trust Him and not just rely on the positive outcomes. Allowing us to struggle in our understanding of His decisions takes our relationship with Him beyond the transactional into the transformational.

The world will tell you to trust yourself and demand better. I’m telling you that God sees things you don’t and will lead you towards the right path according to everything He sees. You’re going to have to make the decision about which path you’re going to take. You’re going to have to reflect on your own experiences and make decisions about whether you believe God is involved and whether He is worthy of your trust.

Withholding your heart prevents the process

If you’re going to make the decision to follow God, you have to do it with your heart. Simply doing it with your actions will simply leave you feeling conflicted. When you choose to act without your heart, all you receive is a feeling of cognitive dissonance. Merely acting is insufficient; it will only leave you with discontent.

Let’s make it concrete again. Following the Lord and doing what He says but withholding your heart looks like the child who decided to follow their father but is following him while crawling backwards and constantly looking at the stairs. The child isn’t going to feel peace while staring at the stairs and wondering if they really made the right decision to follow dad. They’re going to be constantly worrying. In our imaginary scenario, the child will likely make it to the bedroom and out the window before they decide to bolt for the stairs. But in real life, that hallway can get really, really long. It can stretch out for a long time before you get to the window. There are answers and perspectives that can bless you just as the window blesses the child, but you won’t stick around long enough to find those blessings if you withhold your heart from the Lord in the process of following Him. You’ll leave for the stairs before He can lead you to the window.

On the plus side, that hallway can stretch on forever, but it doesn’t have to be a painful experience. If you choose to turn around with your heart and trust the Lord (not just follow, but trust), He can give you the assurance you need to make it to the window. If you’re going to try the experiment of following Him, it won’t do you any good unless you surrender your heart. You have to say, “Okay God, I don’t understand but I’m going to trust you. Please don’t let me down.” You may not get to the window immediately, but you’ll feel enough peace to believe that the window exists. You’ll feel enough peace to keep moving down the hallway after Him.

This process will likely need to get repeated over time, whether with new circumstances or the same issue over and over and over.

Moroni trusted the true God

Moroni trusted his Heavenly Father. After talking about the destruction of his people as well as his immense loneliness, he testifies that the hand of the Lord “hath done it.” Moroni’s life was tragic. From what we know of his life, I don’t see much respite. I don’t see the positive outcomes.

But I know what Moroni saw. No matter how cruel life can get, it feels different when you have a loyal, wise, good friend to stand by you. Moroni experienced the Lord as Himself. He experienced the true God. He was probably given tender mercies along the way, but the real experience that Moroni had was getting to know Christ as He was.

I can be going through something terrible and still be able to recognize the goodness emanating from one of my friends. My children build their trust on the positive experiences they have with me. They are learning to continue trusting when I choose things for them that they don’t like. Moroni had moved beyond this elementary understanding of, “I do this good thing and get this good outcome.”

Moroni trusted God and not just his immediate outcomes. Moroni experienced the true God, and it enabled him to stick around in the midst of tragedy.

I testify of a Heavenly Father who is worth trusting. I testify that He is leading us exactly where we are supposed to be. I testify that He can lead us individually, to enlighten and teach us, and I also testify that He guides the church through His prophets. We can trust the prophets. I testify that He can bring peace when we choose to surrender our hearts so that we don’t have to wander in complete darkness. He can help us understand we’re on the right path even if we don’t see the window yet.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives.

Irreplaceable to Him

by Autumn Dickson

When I read Mormon, I feel as though I’m reading his journal. He had been commanded by Ammaron to find the records that had been hidden and add his own observations. These sacred writings were always meant to come to us, the House of Israel in the latter days, and yet, Mormon also seemed to simply write about his own experiences and life.

Here is one of the things he expresses.

Mormon 2:18 And upon the plates of Nephi I did make a full account of all the wickedness and abominations; but upon these plates I did forbear to make a full account of their wickedness and abominations, for behold, a continual scene of wickedness and abominations has been before mine eyes ever since I have been sufficient to behold the ways of man.

Throughout his life, Mormon saw the worst of the worst. He saw plenty of bloodshed on the battlefield, and he saw the utterly wasteful destruction of women and children to idols. He spoke about being forbidden to preach the gospel to his people. He talked about refusing to join them, about being an idle witness to all of the darkness.

Mormon watched these things and yet, he continued to love them. Because he loved them, he suffered long. In this manner, Mormon is a type of Christ.

Mormon as a type of Christ

There are many ways in which Mormon is a type of Christ. He was quick to observe. He was obedient. He was prepared and sober. These are all incredible qualities that can teach us about Christ. However, there is one specific characteristic that I want to talk about that helps us really learn about our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Mormon’s love and long-suffering towards his people depict exactly how Christ feels about us.

Think about each of the following actions, feelings, and thoughts from Mormon. How do we see Christ represented in each individual aspect?

Mormon tried to preach to his people until he was forbidden to do so. He led his people and fortified their cities to the extent that he could. He got excited when they started to mourn because he hoped it would lead to their repentance, and he felt immense sorrow that they continued to harm themselves and others. He tried to encourage his people with great energy when they were facing off in battle. He stood with them against terrifying odds. He continued on fighting for them even though he knew the end. He refused to help them when they wanted to go to battle for the wrong reasons. He couldn’t help himself from praying for them, even though it was without faith because he knew they were choosing their own destruction. He delivered them from their enemies multiple times. He went back and helped them again in battle after observing them being swept off in a wave of destruction. He fought for them and sacrificed even though he knew that they wouldn’t choose to be saved. His soul was rent with anguish.

Those are many of the experiences that Mormon had throughout the six chapters of this week. I can’t imagine the kind of man that was required to be deeply aware of their impending destruction and simultaneously continue to fight for them. That was the man that Mormon was, and that is the man that Christ is.

Christ’s motivation is love, not perfection

Christ didn’t cut corners and only pay for the sins of those He knew would repent. He didn’t just suffer the agonies of those who were going to come home. He took care of all of it. He sacrificed and fought for those despite being deeply aware that there would be many who would refuse to be cleansed and healed by Him.

I think that oftentimes we pictured Christ doing all of these things because He was perfect and fulfilling God’s plan. These facts are true, but when we look at Mormon as a type of Christ, we see that Christ didn’t do these things because He was perfect, and that’s an important distinction. He did them because He loved us. He couldn’t help Himself from trying even though He knew the end.

I think of righteous parents who can’t stop hoping for their wayward children. They can’t stop the hope that rises each time they repent. They can’t help but feel agony when it doesn’t play out. They can’t help but feel misery when they know deep down that their children are not yet ready to change. Despite everything that the child has done, all they want is for their child to come back around, make amends, and move forward. They would be willing to let go of the past if the child would simply turn around.

Within each of us, He has planted glimpses of what He experiences so that we can understand Him. Like Mormon, we all know what it is to watch someone you love hurt themselves. We know what it is to fight for someone who doesn’t want to be fought for. We know those experiences and those feelings. They are Christlike feelings. Christ has those feelings.

Christ feels. He doesn’t do these things as a perfect robot. He doesn’t do these things because He had to as the perfect, oldest Child of Heavenly Father. He is driven by a deep love. This deep love has caused Him a lot of pain, both as part of His atoning sacrifice that would be left on the shelf by many as well as the sorrow He feels watching them hurt and reject it.

Replaceable

In Doctrine and Covenants 35, the Lord tells us that He gave the keys of the kingdom to Joseph Smith. If Joseph chose to abide in the Lord, he would keep those keys. If he didn’t, another would be placed in his stead. This makes a lot of sense. Heavenly Father wouldn’t throw His entire plan off kilter because Joseph couldn’t get it together. He would have enabled someone else to come and restore the kingdom.

It makes sense, but I personally took this principle beyond its proper bounds as I was growing up. I thought that this sentiment meant I was easily replaceable to the Lord, and He was perfectly willing to leave me behind. As I have reflected on my own, God-given feelings as mother, I have been able to better place myself in His shoes.

If one of my children ever decided to totally destroy their own lives, I would keep moving forward for the sake of the rest of my children. You don’t sacrifice all of them because you lost one. But despite the fact that I would keep moving forward, despite the fact that I would delegate their family responsibilities to my other kids, despite the fact that I would “replace” them, I would never forget them or stop hurting over them.

When Mormon continued to pray and fight for his people, he was without hope because he knew they were choosing their own destruction. He knew that the Lord would stop protecting them. I think sometimes we subconsciously equate that lack of protection and moving forward with Him being angry and not loving us anymore. This is absolutely false.

If one of my kids got deeply into drugs, continually stole from me, and perpetually hurt their siblings, I wouldn’t house them any longer. I would cease protecting them and move forward. Depending on age, that might mean sending them to a rehabilitation center or simply kicking them out if I didn’t have the legal power to take them to rehab. But I wouldn’t house them any longer. At least, my completely inexperienced and naive self believes this is how I would react.

I can understand the sentiment of parents who are in this situation and feel things such as, “I love them. How can I abandon them when they need me the most?” I get that. I really do. True love brings out the desire to forget about yourself and protect the one you love. This isn’t an evil or morally wrong sentiment. I’m also not telling anyone they need to be kicking their kids out because everything is so situational and only the Lord can help you know the right course to take. I’m not telling anyone they are wrong for how they’re choosing to handle difficult situations like this. What I am trying to do is help us understand how Heavenly Father feels.

When it comes to Heavenly Father, He ceases the protection at a certain point. This is not because He abandons them when they need Him most. It’s not because He loves His other children more. Heavenly Father ceases the protection because He loves the wayward child. He is wise enough to understand that people often have to hit rock bottom if they’re ever going to turn around. He loves that individual child too much to enable them. He loves them too much and knows that He can’t teach them, “You can still have everything you want and need. I will protect you no matter what you do. You can keep hurting yourself and your siblings.” Instead, through His actions, He teaches, “It is more important for you to learn the hard way. I’m giving you a gift by teaching you to live better. I love you too much to do anything else. I will still be waiting when you’re ready.”

That was a long tangent that was meant to help us understand the mind of God as He handles His children here on earth. It is meant to help us understand the love He feels as He wisely chooses His reactions. I share this tangent for two reasons.

One. We need to comprehend that Heavenly Father isn’t some nebulous Being that administers mercy and justice in perfection. Rather, He is a loving, feeling Being. He perfectly loves, and that perfect love helps Him perfectly know how to administer mercy and justice according to our needs.

Two. It is essential to understand that even though Heavenly Father may have to move forward without us, even though He may choose to cease protecting us, we are irreplaceable to Him.

Even if I had to make the decision to let my child hit their rock bottom, I would never forget them. I would miss them for as long as they chose to remain separated, even if it meant that I would miss them forever. I would be long-suffering. In other words, I would suffer long because I would love long.

It is the same with our Heavenly Father. Just because He chooses certain reactions in response to our rebellion does not remove His love, it is evidence of His love. Just because He has to administer justice and have a Judgment Day and move forward with those who want to move forward doesn’t mean He will ever stop feeling the ache of the child He lost.

You are irreplaceable to Him. You will never be forgotten if you choose to remove yourself.

I testify of a Heavenly Father and a Savior who act out of love. I testify that we have been given a glimpse of how They feel as we work to react to those we love around us. We were given these feelings so that we could understand Them. I testify that They will wisely do the right thing, but I also testify that you will leave a hole if you choose to not follow. You are essential and important to Them. They will suffer long without you.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives.

Mormon led his people; the end of Nephite civilization

(4 Nephi, Mormon 1–7)

by Mike Parker

(Mike Parker is a long-time FAIR member who has graciously allowed us to use materials he originally prepared for the Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class. The scripture passages covered in his lessons don’t conform exactly to the Come, Follow Me reading schedule, so they will be shared here where they fit best.)

Class Notes

Additional Reading

• The archaeological record of western New York is persuasive evidence that Book of Mormon peoples did not live in that region. The Cumorah of the Nephites (Mormon₂’s hill) and the Cumorah where Joseph Smith unearthed the gold plates (Moroni₂’s hill) are not the same hill. Dr. John E. Clark, professor of anthropology at BYU, explores this in his article “Archaeology and Cumorah Questions,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 13, no. 1–2 (2004): 144–51, 174.

• In the second half of the nineteenth century, a legend about a cave in New York’s hill Cumorah began to appear in the writings and sermons of several Church leaders. This legend claimed that the hill contains a cave in which there were hundreds of different records written on plates; however, all of the accounts of this story are late and secondhand. See Cameron J. Packer’s article, “Cumorah’s Cave,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 13, no. 1–2 (2004): 50–57, 170–71.

• The numbers of war dead described in the Book of Mormon are massive—so large, in fact, that it’s quite likely that Mormon₂ and Moroni₂ were purposely exaggerating. See Stephen Smoot, “Why the Book of Mormon’s Battle Numbers Don’t Add Up (And Why That’s Evidence for Its Authenticity),” Ploni Almoni (blog), 9 May 2016.

• Is the hill near Manchester, New York, where Joseph Smith received the plates of Mormon the same hill where the final battles between the Nephites and Lamanites took place? Book of Mormon Central examines the evidence in KnoWhy #489.

Mike Parker is a business and marketing analyst with over twenty years’ experience in the financial services and cellular telephone industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management Information Systems from Dixie State University (now Utah Tech University) of St George, Utah. He also has eight years’ experience in corporate training and currently teaches an adult religion class in southern Utah. Mike and his wife, Denise, have three children.

A Utopian Society

by Autumn Dickson

Fourth Nephi describes a people who were all converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ together. It talks about what their lives looked like and how they felt. Fourth Nephi also describes how everyone was wicked again within three hundred years.

Fourth Nephi describes exactly why the Lord has a Judgment Day. It can also help us see what’s going to be necessary before the Saints are allowed to go and build up Zion again.

Judgment Day

Fourth Nephi can help us better understand Judgment Day and the Lord’s purposes.

Heaven is bestowed, but it is also created by those who live there. Heaven is bestowed in the manner that Christ paid for our sins so we could be cleansed to return to Heavenly Father. He also died so that we could be resurrected and receive perfectly whole bodies; this is another important aspect of heaven. Heaven is also bestowed in the manner that Heavenly Father has created a beautiful, glory-filled place for all of us to live after we die.

But even though there are certainly aspects of heaven that are given to us as gifts, there are also aspects of heaven that the people create. Listen to the heaven that was created by the people who lived after Jesus Christ visited the Americas.

4 Nephi 1:3, 15-17

3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.

15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.

17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.

What is heaven? What does it mean to live in heaven? Heaven is living with our Heavenly Parents and Jesus Christ again. It is living with everything we need and never worrying about having enough. It is having perfectly whole bodies that don’t decay or have infirmities.

Heaven is also being surrounded by people you can trust. You can look around you and be completely selfless. You can completely let go of what you need because you know that your neighbor is likewise looking out for you. You never have to be wary of people who might hurt you because everyone you’re surrounded by loves you, and you love them. That’s not something Heavenly Father forces. That’s something that we have to be.

Look at what happens later in the chapter after some time passes from when Christ visited.

4 Nephi 1:24-25

24 And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world.

25 And from that time forth they did have their goods and their substance no more common among them.

Their little heaven had burst. I picture myself living during that time. Perhaps you’re willing to be selfless and have all things in common among everyone, but because there are selfish people who want to have more, you actually have to be careful. There will be people who will take and not support back. The entire utopian society collapses if you can’t trust those around you to also be giving and work hard to help support everyone.

In Doctrine and Covenants 90, the Lord counsels Joseph Smith Sr. to keep his family small as pertaining to those who didn’t belong to his family. The Lord counseled Joseph Smith Sr. to be wise in how much he opened his home to those in need. We want to help everyone we can, but if everything is gone, there will be nothing left with which to help. Because we do not yet live in heaven, we have to be wise in how we distribute. You don’t leave your own family destitute by giving away everything to everyone else.

And this is precisely why the Lord has to have a Judgment Day. This is why He has to judge and separate us. Otherwise we would just keep living the way we’re living here except with resurrected bodies. There has to be a Judgment Day so there can be a heaven to live in. This isn’t just applicable in regards to temporal wealth; it’s applicable in every aspect of how the Lord asks us to treat one another.

Zion

Zion is a fascinating concept to me. I’ve always pictured what it would be like for the prophet to tell us it was time to head to Zion. I think a lot of us have imagined what that day would be like. Like heaven, I think sometimes we believe that Zion will just be handed to us on a silver platter.

Nope. Zion is something that we create. We don’t get to go build up Zion until we’re ready to be a part of it. When we have created Zion within our homes, wards, and stakes, then the Lord will know we’re ready to create it altogether in one place. Zion doesn’t just happen. It’s not given to us. We make Zion if we want to enjoy Zion.

Now we still live in a mortal, fallen world. The Lord doesn’t expect us to start living in a utopian society where everything is common among everyone. We can’t survive a completely utopian life in a world that doesn’t reciprocate. It’ll just ruin us. The Lord is wise about this.

So we don’t necessarily start living that utopian lifestyle in that manner yet. However, Zion starts in an individual heart. It is built heart by heart, person by person. Zion means you stand ready to forgive and let go of old grievances so that there can be peace. Zion means you stand ready to let go of your possessions and trust that the Lord has surrounded you with people who are like-minded. Zion means that you stand ready to give people the benefit of the doubt in any interaction. Once again, we don’t live in a utopian Zion yet. There are people who want to cause harm and hurt others, so we should be wise in how we interact with others.

But we can prepare ourselves and others will prepare themselves. The wheat and chaff will be separated, and we will be able to enter into that Zion society with the purest hope that we can experience as much heaven as is available here on earth.

As a child, I remember learning that Satan would be bound in the Millennium for a thousand years. I remember asking my dad why they let him go at the end of the thousand years. Was it prophesied that he would “escape” somehow? Obviously, my literal and limited understanding as a child has grown to understand that Satan didn’t have his hands tied behind his back. The world was simply choosing to be righteous enough that Satan had no effect.

We choose Zion, and the Millennium, and heaven. We create it.

In the last April General Conference, Elder Holland posed the philosophical question, “…it has always been intriguing to me that Jesus felt the need to pray at all. Wasn’t He perfect? About what did He need to pray?” Elder Holland gave his beautiful answer, and I add my own philosophical opinions to it.

Asking the question, “Why did Jesus have to pray if He was perfect?” carries the implication that we have the wrong definition of perfection. In our world, we think that being perfect means you can do everything and not need anyone. You can be happy completely on your own. You are a self-sustaining, blooming little island. This is utter garbage.

Real perfection is connection, the kind of connection we observe in 4 Nephi. Heaven is connection. It’s connecting with people who want to genuinely, peacefully, good-naturedly connect with you. This doesn’t mean that every introvert suddenly needs to become an extrovert. It doesn’t mean that you have to be connected to every single person at any given moment. I believe it means you truly treasure the most important and long-lasting sources of happiness, your family and close friends. It means that you can have a boundary without worrying about anyone purposefully crossing it. It means you won’t have to worry that others will assume the worst of you when you have a boundary because they will also be the kind of people who give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Zion, the Millennium, heaven are going to be rather pleasant.

The people in the beginning of Fourth Nephi were experiencing a heaven on earth, and it eventually fell apart because the people destroyed it themselves. Someday we won’t have to worry about that anymore. Someday we will be given the opportunity to go live with our Heavenly Parents and Jesus Christ. Christ will make sure we’re cleansed, and He will help us don our resurrected bodies. If we choose to follow Christ, to trust His judgment of others, and stand ready to freely give to those who freely give back, we will be prepared to go there.

I’m grateful that I have Heavenly Parents who were wise enough to create this plan. I am grateful for a Savior who enabled this plan. I am grateful that They were wise and kind and selfless enough to teach us how to be like Them.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives.

Keeping a Sacred Record

by Autumn Dickson

Christ continues His teaching and prophesying amongst this portion of the House of Israel. He teaches about the sacrament, keeping records, and the last days. He teaches them to study and appreciate the words of Isaiah. There is a lot of content here.

At one point in time, He asks Nephi to bring forth the Nephite records that had been kept. After looking through them, He notices that the account of Samuel the Lamanite is missing. Samuel had been commanded to go and warn the Nephites that Christ was coming; Samuel did so. There is a faith-inspiring event that occurs because of Samuel’s prophecies in which the believers are about to be put to death by the unbelievers if Samuel’s prophecies don’t come true. The details had been prepared beforehand by the Lord, and the believers are saved by His timing. It’s wonderful and there are a myriad of principles we can draw from that story.

When Christ notices that this account is missing, He turns to Nephi.

3 Nephi 23:12-13

12 And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written.

13 And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.

Keeping adequate records was obviously important to Christ. He’s a busy Man, and He knows how to fill His time with the most important priorities. Why does Christ ask us to keep records?

How to keep a sacred record

Before we delve into the reasons why, I’d actually like to talk a little bit about what I believe Christ means when He talks about keeping records.

Nephi may have been commanded to write on gold plates, but things are different now. On a surface level, I think that keeping a record can be far more broad than we once assumed. It’s so easy to take pictures nowadays; take pictures of the things that matter to you. You can write in a journal. You can type a journal. I type my journal on Google Docs so that I can access it from my phone wherever I am. You can even just open up the notes app on your phone and record something quickly. Start a gratitude journal; it was actually this specific habit that started my regular journal writing. Make a video or photo book with captions about things that are important. You can even use voice recordings that you transfer to your computer once a month and sort into files according to date. So much of the scripture that we read was given orally and recorded afterwards. There are likely even free programs out there that will dictate your recordings into typed pieces that you can put in a safe place on your computer. Record your testimony twice a year at Easter and Christmas. What I’m trying to say is, you don’t have to be a good writer to record important things. What will it look like in your life?

The second principle (and probably more important principle) stems from the Lord’s commandments in general. When the Lord gives us a commandment, He is usually trying to change us somehow. If your record isn’t changing you, then you’re not getting the best return on your investment and you’re going to discontinue the practice. Record a hard lesson you learned. Record how the Lord helped different details come together. Record a dream that felt different than your other dreams. Record your feelings and not just events. Record the feelings that don’t necessarily feel perfect or worthy. Record yourself as you are and simply allow the Lord to be a part of it.

When the Lord gave the Law of Moses to the Israelites, He wanted them to draw closer to Him. He didn’t really care about sacrificing animals; He wanted them to understand Him and draw near to Him in ways that they could comprehend. It is the same with any commandment that we receive today. It’s not about the recording. It’s about utilizing a powerful way to draw closer to the Lord. When you’re recording, include the Lord in the process. Even if you’re recording silly details, include Him. Maybe even record them to Him. He likes to hear about all of it.

Ultimately, keeping a record can be much broader than it used to be. We don’t have to engrave upon plates. We don’t even have to write on paper. The most important principle is that the process changes you. What are you going to record that’s meaningful? How are you going to record it? If you’re going to make a goal about keeping records, make a goal with those questions in mind.

My sacred record

There are likely a myriad of reasons I haven’t discovered yet, but I’d like to cover a few of the ways that keeping a sacred record has changed my life in powerful ways. The most overarching change it has created in my life has been increased faith in Jesus Christ. It sounds super simple, but the effects are potent. There are two specific ways records have helped increase my faith.

Keeping a record has increased my faith because it allows me to process my life with God. There were so many times in my life when difficult things would come up, whether from my own flaws or from the nature of mortality. Sometimes, I’d put my head down and muscle through on my own because I was stubborn or self-destructive. However, other times I did it on my own because I’d simply forget to include God. Sometimes difficulties would come along, and it wouldn’t even occur to me that I should turn to Him because there was no habit to do so. I didn’t have a strong enough relationship with Him that it was natural to turn to Him.

Keeping a record has been instrumental in changing that. I’ve kept a regular journal since I was 14 because I love writing, but it wasn’t until the mission that I really started to include the Lord as I recorded. And because it became a habit to include Him, it didn’t change when I talked about difficulties that came up. As I learned to include the Lord and as I would write about something difficult, I could be inspired by how He would respond. I would be thinking about the difficult thing, and I would remember to include Him. This would naturally lead to me praying for help.

Here’s a real life example to illustrate that process. When we were living in that hotel in Virginia, I would start writing about all of my fears so that I could release them. Because I had learned the habit of including the Lord, I would naturally start to view these fears in a new light. I would be afraid of making a mistake and missing out on the path that the Lord wanted us to take, but when I wrote it down and put it into the ether, it made it easier to examine my thoughts and find which ones were based on faulty understandings of the Lord. It made it easier to look at the thoughts and change them according to what I had been taught about the Lord.

Or if I was angry at someone, I would write about it. Putting my thoughts outside of my brain where I could look at it enabled me to observe my thoughts in a more objective way. When I also chose to include the Lord, it made it that much easier to change those thoughts to be closer to the reality of eternal things. Observing them so consciously allowed me to change my thought patterns with the Lord, and it allowed me to change.

Keeping a record has helped me “watch” the Lord influence, support, and stretch me; it has increased my faith.

The second way keeping a record has increased my faith is by allowing me to see more than I saw before. I debated whether to tell this story, but if President Monson can share a story about almost starting a forest fire, I can tell this one.

In family home evenings lately, we’ve been talking about fire safety. I taught my kids to not open the door if smoke was filling their room. I taught them to open their windows and scream for help if they could, and we review this quite regularly. I was so proud of myself for being so prepared and teaching my kids.

But unfortunately and fortunately, my four year old is particularly adventurous. He’s capable and smart and brave, and this comes with pros and cons from the viewpoint of a parent. One evening, my son opened his window, pushed the screen out, and climbed onto the roof. Luckily, our neighbor across the street saw him, yelled at him to get back inside, and texted us. Needless to say, he’s learned his lesson, but here’s the part that is particularly relevant to this post.

I type my prayers at least once a day. The next day, I opened up my computer to delete the old prayer and start typing a new one. As I went to delete the old one, my eyes locked on one of the things I had been inspired to pray for the day before. I prayed that the right adults would be in the lives of my children at the right time to protect them. I hadn’t thought of it in this specific context, but the Lord had. The Lord likely would have protected my son anyway because apparently it’s not his time to die despite his frequent escapades. However, because I recorded something sacred, I saw the Lord’s hand where I wouldn’t have recognized it previously. The Lord inspired me to pray for the right adults to be there (because I knew I wouldn’t be there all of the time), and then I was able to see how He manipulated the details and protected Warner.

This has happened over and over and over. I record things, and my eyes are spiritually opened and all of a sudden I see that the Lord was directly involved. He would have been involved anyway in some cases, but it was much more powerful because I knew that He was involved. I watched Him easily sway the currents that were moving in my life. I watched Him show up and prepare me. I saw it happen repeatedly in the past, and it has helped me trust that He will show up in the future.

Conclusion

As I’ve written down my experiences, observed them with the Lord, and changed accordingly, I’ve learned to see how He’s supporting and stretching me in all of the best ways. I’ve been able to observe my thoughts more objectively and more accurately apply what I knew about the Lord rather. As I’ve written down prayers, things I’m worried about, things I need help with, or things I’m grateful for, the Lord is given consecrated time to work with me and open my eyes to how He is handling all the details that come my way.

The more I record, the more I see the Lord. The more I see the Lord, the more I trust Him. The more I trust the Lord, the happier my life has been. It’s as simple (and as powerful) as that.

I know from personal experience why the Lord asks us to keep records. My records aren’t always about traditionally spiritual things. Oftentimes, they’re about very temporal things. And yet, they have become sacred to me because keeping a record has taught me that the Lord is involved in all aspects of my life.

He is involved in your life. He is manipulating the details in your favor, whether that is in the form of a trial or a tender mercy. He will continue to be wholly involved in your life regardless of whether you recognize Him because that’s simply how much He loves you. But until you’re able to recognize Him, you’re going to continue to fret and worry about what’s coming next. The most powerful blessing I’ve received from keeping a record is that I recognize the Lord, and it has enabled me to live my life with a peaceful faith and trust.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives.

Jesus Christ’s ministry among the people of Nephi, part 2

(3 Nephi 19–30)

by Mike Parker

(Mike Parker is a long-time FAIR member who has graciously allowed us to use materials he originally prepared for the Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class. The scripture passages covered in his lessons don’t conform exactly to the Come, Follow Me reading schedule, so they will be shared here where they fit best.)

Class Notes

Additional Reading

• The words doctrine and gospel have very specific definitions in the Book of Mormon. Noel Reynolds explores this in two articles: “The Gospel of Jesus Christ as Taught by the Nephite Prophets,” BYU Studies 31, no. 3 (Summer 1991): 31–50; “The True Points of My Doctrine,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 5, no. 2 (1996): 26–56.

• When Christ was with the Nephites, he felt it was important to bless each of the children one by one and pray to the Father for them. Those children were to become the second generation of the Zion people that Christ was forming; as such, their preparation was vital. See M. Gawain Wells, “The Savior and the Children in 3 Nephi,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14, no. 1 (2005): 62–73, 129.

Mike Parker is a business and marketing analyst with over twenty years’ experience in the financial services and cellular telephone industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management Information Systems from Dixie State University (now Utah Tech University) of St George, Utah. He also has eight years’ experience in corporate training and currently teaches an adult religion class in southern Utah. Mike and his wife, Denise, have three children.

Experiencing Christ

by Autumn Dickson

I want to highlight the timeline of events in chapter 17.

Jesus has just spent a ton of time with these people. He has come to them in glory, not as the mighty but humble mortal who lived in Jerusalem. He has taught them and blessed them, and He recognizes that their capacity to receive more is already bursting at the seams. Receiving spiritual knowledge and spiritual things extends far beyond sitting in front of the risen Christ. It requires a built up tolerance for spiritual things. It requires a strength we can’t observe, an endurance that can’t be measured in mortality, and these people had maxed out. The Lord invites them to go home and pray and ponder.

The people didn’t ask Him to stay, but they wanted Him to. He felt this, and He decided to put aside His to-do list for a short time and show compassion. He healed many of them. They worshiped Him. He blessed their children.

Then something rather interesting happens.

Christ commands everyone to kneel, and He joins them. I want to share three verses.

3 Nephi 17:14 And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.

Christ is troubled by the wickedness He views on earth. He begins an incredible prayer that couldn’t be written.

3 Nephi 17:18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.

The people were overwhelmingly happy after hearing Him pray.

3 Nephi 17:20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

There are characteristics of Christ that we can pull from this happening. There are principles we can learn from Christ and how He felt during what was occurring around Him.

Where His feelings came from

Before we delve into His specific feelings, I want you to reflect on your own life. During this reflection, I’m trying to conjure up memories of when you were overwhelmed at all the problems in humanity. There might have been a myriad of things that evoked these emotions, but it’s the memory of the emotions I want to bring about.

Perhaps you read a horrible news article. Perhaps you heard some incredibly startling and troubling statistics. Perhaps you observed patterns of poverty or abuse. Maybe it was a documentary or a dramatization of true events. There are a million different events across the world that can evoke these emotions. Personally, I get these emotions whenever I think about the mothers and kids who are affected by wars. Those are always the stories that get me.

And then I want you to try and conjure up feelings of when you were surrounded by people you loved and people who loved you back. Maybe it was family; maybe it was a group of really good friends. Maybe it was a parent, a sibling, or a single friend.

For this particular “feeling” memory, I recall quite a few different times. I remember how it felt as a kid when all of my seven siblings would come home to visit for holidays. I remember a specific group date with two other couples where we literally laughed so hard we were crying.

By recalling these memories of times when we have felt certain things, we can find ourselves relating to Christ. I think it’s important to be able to relate to Him. If we ever want to have a personal relationship with Him, relatability is crucial to that connection.

I believe that sometimes we create Christ as this “other.” Obviously, there are things about Christ that we can’t comprehend yet. There are aspects of Him that we worship even though we can’t process exactly what it means. This is good. It’s important to recognize these things.

But I still hold to the idea that it’s important to humanize Him in order to connect with Him.

Christ was looking at these people around Him. He was experiencing really beautiful things, and He was surrounded by children who loved Him and He was able to bless them. Somewhere in the midst of that experience, His mind caught hold of unpleasant circumstances that were happening around the world. Maybe as He looked at the faces of the children, He remembered other children who weren’t finding themselves in such beautiful circumstances. It affected Him, just as it affects us.

And then soon afterwards, He was brought back into the present moment as He looked at all the people around Him. He loved them, and He felt their love returned. It made Him happy.

I’m not trying to bring Christ “down” to our level where we can understand Him better. Rather, I’m trying to highlight the very real pieces of Him within us.

The entire spectrum of feelings we experience in mortality are divine. From the heartbreak and compassion we experience over tragedy to the deep joy and contentment we experience amongst someone who accepts and loves us, all of these feelings are Christlike. They are all essential parts of eternal life. These feelings are part of what makes us like Christ. Those emotions we describe as so very human are actually like God.

Living forever would be empty with the full spectrum of experience and feeling. We came to mortality to feel all of these things so that we could better understand God because until you’ve felt it, you simply can’t understand.

It was the people

The other principle I want to draw from observing Christ’s feelings is the fact that His joy was made full from simply being around these people.

I remember thinking about what it meant to worship Christ when I was younger. I used to try and determine what it meant to worship Him in very black and white terms. I wanted to know what specific acts of worship there were. It’s interesting because I think I used to imagine experiences based off of what I knew from idols. It was about abasing yourself and putting God up on the pedestal. That’s what I believed of worship.

I have now come to believe that the central aspect of worship is connection with God. The acts are less significant; it is about the feeling. There are acts of worship that more readily evoke this connection that is essential to worship, but the act itself isn’t necessarily relevant.

The moments I have held God in the highest esteem have been the moments that I have felt close to Him, not the moments where I separated myself from Him because of my unworthiness. Even now, as I picture King Benjamin’s sermon about us being less than the dust of the earth, I don’t picture a scowling king telling his people to bow down and pray to a Being that towered over them and loved to rule over them. Surely King Benjamin was right when he said we were less than the dust of the earth, but this knowledge doesn’t have to mean any level of hatred towards ourselves. I know that’s how King Benjamin felt because I’ve felt it. I know what it means to have my eyes opened to how the Lord has been patient with me and to have that accompanying feeling of, “Thank you. I can’t believe You did that for me.” If we do it right, the knowledge of our nothingness should be accompanied by a deep reverence and gratitude and connection with the Lord for loving us anyway.

Which brings me back to this account of the Lord being filled with joy as He was surrounded by people who believed in Him, utilized His gifts, and loved Him. Perhaps other apostate gods that we read about in literature desire different kinds of worship. They want to be admired and placed up higher than everyone else. However, the true God, the God that we worship just wants to be close to us. If we want to worship Him, we have to draw near to Him. If we truly want to please Him, we need to allow Him to stand near us through everything. He won’t force Himself on us, but we have to learn that He wants to be with us. That’s what pleases Him. That’s what fills Him with joy. That’s what makes His sacrifice worth it. He just wants to be near us, love us, and feel our love in return.

We feel a desire for unity. We desire acceptance. We desire to sustain and support those we love. We desire closeness and understanding. These are not weak, human emotions. They are Godlike emotions. This is what Christ desires; He doesn’t need it, but He sure wants it.

I’m grateful for a Savior who loves me. I’m grateful that I was sent here to mortality so that my eyes could be opened to this human and divine spectrum of emotions. I’m grateful He created the earth so that I had a place to come down and feel what He feels. I’m grateful that He has opened my eyes and helped me to understand that so many of the feelings I experience here are reflections of His life. I’m grateful that He has helped me see that there is so much of Him within me.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives.