Because of Their Repentance

To my daughter, 

One of the messages of the Book of Mormon is the importance of prophets to teach us truth and to warn us of dangers. Right now we are reading about the prophet Nephi, the son of Helaman, who preached repentance to both the Nephites and Lamanites. When the Nephites were being wicked, he warned them of the bad things that would happen to them if they did not repent. He urged them, “O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God…. And ye have set your hearts upon the riches and the vain things of this world, for the which ye do murder, and plunder, and steal, and bear false witness against your neighbor, and do all manner of iniquity. And for this cause wo shall come unto you except ye shall repent. For if ye will not repent, behold, this great city, and also all those great cities which are round about, which are in the land of our possession, shall be taken away that ye shall have no place in them” (Helaman 7:17, 21-22). In other words, he was telling them that they would lose their city and their possessions if they did not turn to the Lord and keep His commandments. Much of the people unfortunately did not repent, and they soon faced wars and famine and later nearly lost all their lands to the Gadianton robbers. But their repentance in that case saved them as they finally listened to the prophets. After they were saved, “They knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction” (3 Nephi 4:33). Unfortunately, several years later many died and multiple cities were destroyed at the time of the Savior’s coming among them because they again became wicked and stopped following the words of the prophets. Nephi’s prophecies proved true, and this story highlights the need for us to listen to prophets, both ancient and modern, so that we can be prepared for the future and spiritually safe.

                We are blessed to have a prophet to lead the church today, President Russell M. Nelson. This week is special because we are celebrating his 100^th birthday tomorrow—that’s a lot of birthdays! The Lord has preserved him so he could teach us and prepare us for the challenging times ahead. A few years ago, at the end of a broadcast, he gave a message addressed particularly to children, including you. President Nelson said this: “We have been reminded that each of us is a beloved child of God. Please remember that fact. If you never forget that one pure truth, you can face any problem with faith and courage.” I hope that you will always remember that you are a child of God, and because of that you can accomplish any good thing that He needs you to here on earth. The world will often try to diminish your worth, but prophets always teach us that we have great worth in the sight of God because we are His children. You like to pretend that you are a superhero with special powers when you play; what you may not realize is that you already have superpowers because you are a daughter of God and He can help you whenever you need it. Just pray to Him in faith and He will help you. President Nelson continued his message to children with these words: “I also love what was said about Jesus Christ today. I know that the way to find true joy in life is to walk always on His covenant path…. Just think of the light and love you can bring into the world as faithful followers of Jesus Christ! Now, you might think that because you are young, you cannot do great things…. The Lord can use you—yes, each of you—to do His amazing and important work. So what are some of the ‘small and simple things’ you can do to make a big difference in the world? You can help someone in need. You can learn the teachings of Jesus Christ and abide by them. You can share what you know about the Savior. You can keep His commandments and prepare now to go to the temple and be baptized for your ancestors. When you do any of these things, you are helping Heavenly Father to gather His children back to Him.” Even though you are young, I know that you can do all those things. You can follow the prophet by trying to be like the Savior and showing love to those around you, something you are already very good at. As you try to obey, pray, read scriptures, and be kind, you will be doing what the prophet has invited and you will be able to make a difference in your family and in the lives of those around you. We should always give thanks that Jesus Christ has called prophets to guide us in our day, and I hope you will never stop trying to live by his teachings. I know that is the way to peace in this life and eternal life with the Savior in the world to come.  

Love,

Dad