By Small and Simple Things

To my daughter, 

                As your life continues to get busier, I want to encourage you to solidify two basic habits in spiritual things and keep them throughout your whole life. They are these: read the Book of Mormon every day and pray to your Father in Heaven morning and night. Alma taught his son Helaman about taking care of the scriptural record and he said this about the plates upon which the holy writings had been kept: “And now behold, if they are kept they must retain their brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and also shall all the plates which do contain that which is holy writ.” He was prophesying of the miraculous preservation of the plates and continued, “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.” In other words, the Lord would do this small thing—physically preserve the scriptures—in order to accomplish a great work. Through their preservation Joseph Smith received the plates from Moroni and was able to translate the Book of Mormon. It now has gone forth to millions of people and been the means of bringing them “to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer” (Alma 37:6-9). And so it is with us: if we will do this small thing, to read in the Book of Mormon each day, it will bring to pass a great thing in our life as we are brought to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Don’t let anything get in the way of reading the Book of Mormon every day!

My mission president once said something like this to a missionary who was headed home: “If you are ever too busy to both eat and read the scriptures, and you choose to eat, then you are a fool!” In other words, our study of the scriptures is even more important than eating. I love the way that Elder Richard G. Scott, who was an apostle when I was growing up, put it regarding our time spent in scriptures study: “Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!” I hope you make a commitment to read in the Book of Mormon every day of your life and I know you will see the fulfillment of this testimony of a modern prophet, Ezra Taft Benson, about the book: “There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called ‘the words of life’ (see D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon.” The Book of Mormon has been an anchor of strength and power and comfort in my life and I pray that it will become so for you as well.

Alma also encouraged his son Helaman to pour his heart out to God in prayer. He said this, “Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 37:36-37). I hope that prayer can become this kind of strength and source of guidance for you. Pray to your Father in Heaven morning and night and open your heart to Him. Don’t think that a 30-second prayer that you rush through will do; rather, kneel down and think through both what you are grateful for and what you are struggling with and speak to God about those. Ask for His help in specific things and I know that He will hear you and strengthen you. When you are struggling with contention with members of our family, “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ” (Moroni 7:48). When you learning something difficult at school that is hard for you to understand, follow this invitation from Him: “If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you” (1 Nephi 15:11). When you are nervous about performing in front of others, pray for His help and trust this testimony of Nephi: “Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss” (2 Nephi 4:35). And when you are tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t follow Alma’s invitation: “Call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear” (Alma 13:38). I know that He does hear and answer our earnest prayers, and I encourage you to speak to Him from your heart “in all thy doings.” I urge you to develop a habit of doing these two things every day—praying fervently and sincerely reading in the Book of Mormon—and I know that He will indeed “direct thee for good” and ultimately “ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”  

Love,

Dad