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Peace
Contention and the spirit of contention
The best period of Nephite history, hands-down, is the few hundred years after Christ visited them. Mormon records this idyllic point in their history in 4 Nephi, saying:There were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God. There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings.What a utopia! If you want a preview of life during Christ's millennial reign, read 4 Nephi. From 3 Nephi 11 until the final destruction, it seems life for the Nephites was, for once, perfectly beautiful, peaceful, and calm. Except for that one part.
Heaven and Hevel
My first son was born during a very busy time in our lives. I was working full-time, attending college full-time, and serving as a counselor in a branch presidency. It was a rough period of early mornings and late nights. Sometimes, I didn't see my baby boy awake for several days at a time. For his first birthday, my wife created a video of the moments she had captured and set it to music. Let me say upfront, I am not a crier; it drives my wife nuts. But I cried when I watched that video. So many firsts. So many moments when heaven touched earth. And I wasn't there for much of it. Those moments would never come again—not in that way, not with that child, not at that time. They were gone forever.
The last calling we receive
Three weeks ago, my wife and I received a phone call. Hope, my 57-year-old mother-in-law, had run out of chemotherapy options and was starting in-home hospice. Doctors estimated she had only a few weeks left. Hope wanted to hug her grandchildren again while she could, so we loaded the kids in the car and began the eight-hour journey to North Carolina. Two hours away from my in-laws' house, we received another call. Hope's condition had deteriorated rapidly. She was unconscious and gasping for breath. My wife joined a video call and pleaded with her mother to hold on just a few more hours so she could give her one last hug. But Hope couldn't hold on any longer.
I can't bear it (and that's okay)
A few months ago, I watched the movie Unplanned, the true story of Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson's conversion to pro-life. She had spent her entire career working on the administrative side of things, but when they were short-staffed one day, she was asked to assist the doctor in the procedure room. That's when Abby finally confronted the gruesome reality of abortion. That moment broke Abby. And it broke me, too. After the movie, I distracted myself and tried to go through the rest of my day normally. But as I rocked my 3-month old to sleep that night, I could distract myself no longer. That powerful scene (you can watch it here) played itself in my mind over and over again. I held my sleeping baby boy tight and cried harder than I had ever cried since childhood. Like Amulek watching the martyrs of Ammonihah being burned alive, I was pained by the holocaust of abortion and wished I could use the Priesthood, call down fire from heaven-- anything to intervene against the inhuman war on the defenseless that is abortion.
Great shall be the peace of thy children
A little while before the birth of our first kid, a wise ward member gave me some counsel I will never forget. He said that when a first child is born, there are actually three people born that day: the child is born into mortality, the woman is born into motherhood, and the man is born into fatherhood. The whole family takes a huge collective step forward in their roles. All emerge on the birthday as brand new creatures. So when my wife and I finally welcomed our son, I expected it to hit me harder. I expected my whole outlook and perspective on life would suddenly change now that I was a father. But that never happened.
To which we owe all our happiness
In a previous post, I talk about how one's word was paramount to the Nephites, using the battle of Moroni v Zerahemnah in Alma 44 as an example. This post also covers a lesson I've picked up from that battle.