End the Conflicts

In his Sunday morning address yesterday in general conference, President Nelson spoke about the conflict currently raging in Europe. He said this, “I have been to Ukraine and Russia many times. I love those lands, the people and their languages. I weep and pray for all who are affected by this conflict. As a Church, we are doing all we can to help those who are suffering and struggling to survive. We invite all to continue to fast and pray for all the people being hurt by this calamity.” After briefly discussing the conflict he then turned to us to invite us to do something about ending conflict in our own lives: “My call today, my dear brothers and sisters, is to end the conflicts that are raging in your heart, your home, and your life. Bury any and all inclinations to hurt others — whether those inclinations be a temper, a sharp tongue, or resentment for someone who has hurt you. … We are followers of the Prince of Peace. Now more than ever, we need the peace only He can bring. How can we expect peace to exist in the world when we are not individually seeking peace and harmony?” His words echo the message of the Savior in an 1833 revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:16). We are to renounce war and proclaim peace on a global level, but then on a personal level we should seek diligently to turn our hearts to each other in love and peace. If we really want peace for the world, we should turn to our own lives and make peace with all those with whom we may have conflicts, great and small.

                Most readers of the Book of Mormon are familiar with the war chapters in the Book of Mormon and how the Lord ultimately preserved the Nephites as they turned to Him under the leadership of Captain Moroni. What happened shortly after that war is a sobering reminder that we must indeed seek to remove all contention from our lives if we are to protect ourselves. There was a “serious contention” about who should be the chief judge when Pahoran died, and the people were divided behind three contenders. This appears to have been quite the tumultuous time for the people in Zarahemla as the people chose sides and supported their candidate. Eventually Pahoran (the son) was appointed, and in response Paanchi sought to “flatter away those people to rise up in rebellion against their brethren.” The group in support of Paanchi were inspired and eventually murdered Pahoran on the judgment seat. Peace was indeed destroyed among the people, and suddenly they also found that the Lamanites were upon them also seeking their destruction. They entered the city, killed Pacumeni the new chief judge, and “did take possession of the whole city.” Mormon gave this reason for what happened: “And it came to pass that because of so much contention and so much difficulty in the government, that they had not kept sufficient guards in the land of Zarahemla; for they had supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the heart of their lands to attack that great city Zarahemla” (Helaman 1:2, 7, 18, 20). Their internal contention had distracted them from protecting themselves from the Lamanites and they were caught unawares. Surely this is meant to be a lesson for us that must seek to remove all contention from our families in order to properly focus on protecting ourselves from the outside influences of the adversary. If we allow contention to dominate our homes, then we may be opening the door for the evils of the world to enter in and further destroy the peace of our family life. This story along with President Nelson’s invitations are reminders that we must focus on cultivating peace in our homes and ridding ourselves of all contention so that we can better “resist temptation” and have “more peace of mind, freedom from fear, and greater unity in [our] families.”