Alma Chapters 3-12

Thank you, Mary Lee for your insightful comments. I always love reading what you have to say, and I hope all of you Parleys Stake Sisters had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a Christmas holiday filled with the Spirit of Christ.
When I re-read Alma Chapters 3-12 I was again impressed with his message of repentance and how it applies to me in my life. It’s easy for me to get caught up in the logistics of everyday life--tending grandchildren, helping with aging parents and pursuing everyday activities. I often feel more like Martha who was busy doing good things but not like Mary who took time to wait upon the Lord and listen to His voice. We are admonished to inwardly seek Christ which is difficult if we’re always ‘on a schedule’ with little time to reflect upon the scriptures and Conference addresses, serve in the temple or how to do the Lord’s will.
Alma reiterates how quickly the Lord’s people are chastened, become believing and repentant, achieve worldly success and then fall away again—often in a matter of a few years (from the sixth year of the reign of Judges to the eighth). In the beginning of Chapter 4, verse 3 & 4 we read about the people of Zarahemla: “And so great were their afflictions that every soul had cause to mourn; and they believed that it was the judgments of God sent upon them because of their wickedness and their abominations; therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty. And they began to establish the church more fully.” Later in verse 12 (two years later) we read: “Yea, he saw great inequality among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising others, turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted.”
Personally, it seems as soon as I’ve had some difficult experience, have appealed to the Lord and have had my prayers answered that I readily return to my old ways of worldly pursuits and a more casual relationship with the Lord. It’s easy for me to reflect on what I’ve done rather than think what more I can do. I think we’ve seen this mentality in our own society after 9/11 and our economic downturn. We all seem to easily forget the Lord and return to our old ways. It takes discipline and a contrite heart to continually return to the Lord, abandon our old ways and seek ways to help those in need. I like what Alma said in Chapter 5:7 as he preached to the people in Zarahemla: “behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word…”
I have reflected these past few days on the concept of light versus darkness and warmth versus the cold and dreary world since our electrical power was gone for two days and a night during that cold and windy wintry spell. I realized that I didn’t possess very good pioneer patience during this time but was also aware how bleak and dreary our home was without light and warmth. I likened this to the light of Christ in our lives and how wonderful our lives feel when we keep his commandments and how dreary and dark they become when we fail to honor them. The Lord wants us to ‘strip ourselves of pride and envy (Alma 5:29, 30), and “partake of the fruit of the tree of life…drink of the bread and the waters of life freely” (verse 34)
I am so grateful for the gift of repentance and how the Lord forgives us continually when we make mistakes. I also better understand from our Relief Society lessons these past few weeks how important it is to keep His commandments so that we may someday live in the Celestial Kingdom with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.