It mattereth not

 

The Book of Mormon tells the story of a lengthy war between the Nephite and Lamanite nations. Moroni, captain over the Nephite forces, sent a strongly worded letter to Pahoran, chief judge over the Nephites, for not sending enough supplies and reinforcements for him to be able to adequately defend his people. In this letter (contained in Alma 60), Moroni did the following:

• he insulted Pahoran (v. 7),
• he blamed Pahoran for the deaths of thousands of his people (v. 10, 28),
• he accused Pahoran of seeking power and authority, and of being a traitor to his country (v. 18),
• he judged Pahoran, assuming he didn't care about those perishing in battle because of his own position of security (v. 19),
• he threatened to spark an insurrection against the government and to destroy Pahoran (v. 27, 29-30),
• he claimed that Pahoran knew he was transgressing the laws of God (v. 33).
   

Alma 61 contains Pahoran's response, in which he explains that there was an insurrection at the Nephite capital, which had prevented him from being able to send aid. Pahoran could have finished his letter by scolding Moroni for the assumptions and false accusations he made. But instead, he quickly forgave him. Not only that, he chose to see the good in Moroni's heart; Moroni's strong words were evidence of how much he cared for his country and the freedom of his people. Pahoran recognized and acknowledged an important truth: they were both on the same side.

We will certainly encounter those who believe things that aren't true. Sometimes those beliefs may even cause them to lash out at us. We can respond by choosing to see the goodness in their hearts. That's not to say we shouldn't stand up for ourselves and correct misunderstandings when they arise. But recognizing that, deep down, we are all ultimately on the same side can help us to know the best way to respond and help us to forgive more quickly.

Forgotten purge

Imagine a person imprisoned for a crime. They know their guilt and that their imprisonment is just. But then somebody sets them free by making things right in ways that they could never have hoped to do on their own. This person makes arrangements for the prisoner to leave their cell and lead a happy and productive life outside.

How tragic would it be if the very next day they forgot that they had been freed and continued to live their life in prison as if nothing had changed?

In the verses leading up to this passage (see 2 Peter 1:4-8) Peter encourages us to exercise godly virtues such as diligence, temperance, patience, and kindness. He then promises that if we will do so, we will not be "unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." We are warned however that if we don't strive to develop these attributes, we can forget the light and knowledge we once possessed, reverting to living life as we hadn't been forgiven and saved from former sins.

As dire a warning as this is, it can also give one hope, for the inverse is also true. If we want to increase our knowledge and understanding of our Savior and our confidence in His ability to free us from the ills of this world as well as the negative effects of our misdeeds, we can do so by being more charitable, more patient, and more loving to those around us. For by doing these things we will be more closely modeling our life after Christ's perfect example.

The Wrath of Man

So many in the world today are angry, and understandably so. There are a great many injustices not to mention heated disagreements over how to overcome them. Anger is not inherently bad. It's a useful emotion that alerts us when something is wrong, particularly when something could be a potential threat. It spurs us to take action. However, once we recognize that something must be done and are determined to take action, anger ceases to be as useful, except perhaps as a motivating force to keep striving when obstacles arise (though even then there are arguably much more powerful motivators for that purpose). While anger can cause us to take action, it doesn't help us to think rationally in order to determine what that action should be.

There are those who try to justify feelings and acts of hatred and even violence and even go so far as to use scripture to defend themselves. One of the most notable examples is the story of Jesus chasing the money lenders from the temple (see John 2:14-17). It seems clear that he was angered or at least indignant because of the way in which they had desecrated His Father's house. However, it should be remembered that Jesus was not like mortal men and women. He always demonstrated a prodigious level of control over His actions. How many of us can say the same? Noble as our intentions may be, our pride has a way of hampering our judgement and causing us to forget the things Jesus actually taught about how to treat those who have wronged us (see Luke 6:27, Mark 11:25, etc.).

We don't have to be ashamed of our anger. We just need to remember not to let it rule us.

Guard Our Brethren

I can't remember if I thought of the following comparison on my own or if I heard it from somebody else first. In the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites were enemies of the Nephites. The two groups come into conflict many times throughout the book. A group of Lamanites however, were converted to believe in Christ and repented of the many murders they had committed, vowing to never use their weapons to shed blood again. Other Lamanites became angry with them and marched to kill them, and these converted Lamanites (now called Ammonites) sought refuge among the Nephites. The Nephites could have reacted with suspicion, scorn, hatred, and fear. But instead, they gave a portion of their lands to the Ammonites and protected them.
I think the comparison to modern days is obvious. We ought to be charitable to those in need, including those seeking refuge from violence they had no part in creating. Let us look past our fears and political ideologies, and remember to see the real people--men, women, and children--that are affected, and let us extend a hand of fellowship.

https://www.lds.org/refugees

Reprove With Love

Probably one of the most important and tricky things to learn as a parent is how to discipline our children so they learn right from wrong, while always making sure they know they are loved, regardless of what they do. D&C 121: 43-44 explains how we are to reprove with sharpness when necessary, but then show forth an increase of love.
Even though I've only been a parent for two years now, I've been able to practice this principle and see its effectiveness in raising my daughter. There have been days (and I'm sure there will be many, many more!) when she's been quite the troublemaker. But when disciplining her, I try to remember to also show her that I love her. And she, bless her heart, is so quick to forgive, even after being very upset for being put on timeout for the third time in one day!
I am of course not a perfect parent. But I'm trying to be more like the One who is by following His counsel.

Render Not Evil