Brag time: I’m really good at taking personal responsibility and fixing things.
An event didn’t work out the way I was planning? How could I have improved the interaction and turn out?
I didn’t get the job? How could I have presented myself and my experience better?
My daughter is developing a bad habit? How am I contributing to it and how can I help her stop?
It’s honestly a really useful trait in my life that keeps me from playing the victim.
…But it gets a little tricky when it comes to trials and suffering.
Sometimes I need to remember that life is messy, and hard things happen just because they happen.
Not everything needs to be or even can be solved.
King Limhi’s people were really good at recognizing when their problems were because of their iniquities.
I feel connected to them when I’m not feeling the Spirit and realize it’s because I’ve let some of the important little things slide.
Sometimes, we do need to better at acknowledging our suffering is because of our own poor choices.
But other times, we need to remember that all people, good and bad, throughout history have faced trials of all shapes and sizes, just because this is a fallen world filled with mortal people.
And the cool part is that no matter what causes our suffering – ourselves, people around us, or just circumstances…
We can always turn to our Savior for relief and peace.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
10 Responses
That was the BEST of thoughts. I’m trying to learn (it’s never too late, right? I’m 77 ????) to think what is the Lord is trying to teach me in this trial. I’ve got it…this time. Now I just need to be patient until He knows I have it so I can “carry on” with the plan and not let Him or myself down. Have a lovely Sabbath day!
Haha I think it will take even more than a lifetime to really learn! Thank you 🙂
When Jesus says, “Come….Follow Me” what he is really saying is trust me. He is just waiting with His perfect love, His perfect, compassion, His perfect grace and His perfect mercy. We can’t even comprehend how much He loves us so we must just trust Him. Follow Him. Hear Him.
Beautiful, exactly!
Great message, thank you
We absolutely need to take that self reflection on a daily basis and keep ourselves in check. One thing I think we overlook is that while Limhi does acknowledge, several times, that his people are in bondage because of their iniquities, he blames the fact that they are doing iniquity and are in bondage in the first place BECAUSE of Zeniff. In fact, he uses Zeniff’s words against him because he has read the records that Zeniff kept (the very records he gives Ammon to read) and says that because Zeniff was over-zealous in acquiring the lands of their inheritance, they are now in bondage to the Lamanites. Now, Limhi is probably being taught by his father King Noah that it was all Zeniff’s fault because Noah certainly didn’t think he ever did anything wrong, but we know that Zeniff fought against the Lamanites and protected his people and kept them OUT of bondage. He prepared his people and they were a people who worked and prospered in the land and they were always ready to fight the Lamanites “in the strength of the Lord.” And they did this twice! It wasn’t Zeniff that put them in bondage. They weren’t warned of that until Abinadi came to the people of King Noah, which Limhi was there as well, and told to repent. But they didn’t think they did anything wrong and they thought they were stronger and wouldn’t be in bondage. Sometimes, we think that what we are doing is not wrong and that we are stronger than the consequences and they won’t affect us. So Limhi is on the right path of their iniquities, but not the source of who taught them that, as Abinadi so eloquently tells the Priests. And this is a pattern that started with Laman and Lemuel, blaming Nephi for the loss of their birthright, rather than taking the responsibility for their own actions and lack of understanding. “It’s because our father Lehi and Nephi were such visionary men and goody two-shoes that we lost our inheritance! Not because we were hard hearted, tried to kill them every chance we got, and we didn’t put our faith and trust in a God, despite the many experiences we had of him.” Anyway, this is what stood out to me and helped me be more mindful of accepting responsibility for my own actions and how I face adversity and trials, by putting my trust in God with all diligence and purpose of heart.
Thank you for sharing this! That is something that stood out to me this time – how often the Lamanites keep blaming their trials on their fathers. And we can definitely see that pattern here, too. Great thoughts!
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts! Mosiah 7:33 has particular meaning especially in the trying times we’re all facing right now.
“But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him…
He will, according to his own will…deliver you out of bondage.”
Happy Sunday!
Beautiful! Such a great scripture!