12 I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom; for it is because that ye are cast out, that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.
13 And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.
Alma teaches an important principle to the poor Zoramites in these verses: even if you are humbled by your circumstances rather than proactively humbling yourself, you still have a choice. You can choose to act on that imposed humility, to repent, and to seek for God’s mercy. He promised them that if they would truly repent, they would find mercy, and if they found mercy, they would be saved.
The point is that even if we are compelled to be humble, we will not necessarily respond wisely to that humility. We may be like the Nephites in Mormon’s time who mourned, not because they were penitent, but “because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin” (Mormon 2:13). As Alma says in the passage above, “a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance.” Not always. It’s up to us.
Today, when I find myself being humbled by circumstances beyond my control, I will choose to repent rather than complain. I will ask my Heavenly Father what I can do differently, and I will seek His help to change and become more righteous.
The point is that even if we are compelled to be humble, we will not necessarily respond wisely to that humility. We may be like the Nephites in Mormon’s time who mourned, not because they were penitent, but “because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin” (Mormon 2:13). As Alma says in the passage above, “a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance.” Not always. It’s up to us.
Today, when I find myself being humbled by circumstances beyond my control, I will choose to repent rather than complain. I will ask my Heavenly Father what I can do differently, and I will seek His help to change and become more righteous.