There are a lot of great stories in the book of Mosiah, including the conversion of King Benjamin’s people, the pioneering spirit of Zeniff, Abinadi’s courageous testimony, Alma baptizing at the waters of Mormon and organizing the church, and the captivity and deliverance of Alma’s and Zeniff’s people. Here are some of the practical lessons I learned as I pondered these stories last month:
1. King Benjamin: Believe.
Immediately after Benjamin’s people declared their belief in God, Benjamin invited them to believe. Why would he do that? I concluded that they were at the beginning of a journey of belief, and that they would need to continue to intentionally believe in order to progress along that journey. We make space for belief by continuing to acknowledge what we don’t yet know.
Benjamin listed five things that he wanted his people to believe, but then he added, “If you believe all these things see that ye do them” (Mosiah 4:10). It’s important to convert our belief into action.
2. Zeniff and Limhi: Don’t be afraid of your wildernesses.
Both Zeniff and Limhi faced the wilderness with courage and hope. One feature of wildernesses is that you don’t know the way—wandering is expected, you may find unexpected treasures along the way, and you will need to put your trust in God.
As a result of their examples, I recommitted to participate fully in unfamiliar activities, reach out to new people, and ask God to guide me.
3. King Noah: Be willing to hear hard things.
In the case of Noah, I learned from his shortcomings. When Abinadi arrived with a difficult message, Noah employed several strategies to avoid dealing with the message: He attacked the messenger, he responded emotionally, and he looked for other people to confirm his point of view. None of these strategies helped. He still had to face reality in the end.
I resolved to learn from Noah’s mistakes by looking for signs that I’m reacting defensively and accepting the possibility that I may be wrong.
4. Gideon: Speak up, and lead out.
One character who we only see in fragments is Gideon. He comes up in a number of stories, mostly in his role as a servant to King Limhi. Most of the time, he is recommending a course of action, which Limhi generally agrees to follow. I have learned from Gideon that you don’t need to be in a position of authority to be a leader, that you should not be afraid to speak up when you have something to offer, and that you should be committed to defend people’s freedom.
5. Alma and Limhi: Bear burdens with grace.
Both Alma’s and Limhi’s people fell into captivity. While both groups were eventually delivered, they learned and demonstrated some important principles about bearing burdens while they were in bondage: First, burdens are lighter when we bear them together. Second, sometimes we invite the Lord’s blessings by bearing our burdens with humility. Third, bearing burdens with God’s help can increase our strength and prepare us to bear other burdens.
Leave a Reply