Thought of the Sunday 31

Ask a Mormon at church what their favorite book is and they will probably pause in thought.  Here is what I think we find ourselves thinking sometimes, 'should I say the Book of Mormon or are they assuming that it is my favorite book already and I should choose something else?'  In reality I love the Book of Mormon and if I could only have one book for the rest of my life then I would choose that one.  But you all know that I love books of all sorts and on all topics.

In any case, I am now going to randomly open my Book of Mormon and share a scripture with you...it will probably be one of my top 1000 favorite scriptures...Here is what I found:

Alma 62: 48-51

Setting:  The Nephites and the Lamanites have just finished warring with each other for over fifteen years.  The Nephites had fought so hard that the Lamanites finally fled the land and peace was again established among the Nephites.  However, because of the fighting and the great length of the war many of the Nephites became hardened.  Because of this Helaman, a prophet war leader, went about declaring the goodness of the Gospel and converting many back to following Christ.

Scriptures:  "And the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to multiply and to wax exceedingly strong again in the land.  And they began to grow exceedingly rich.

But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him.

Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.

And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land."

Interpretation by Kat:  These scriptures seem to include a formula for a happy life even when bad things have happened.  These people were hardened by the ravages of war but they repented and sought God.  They were blessed with riches for their obedience but they did not become prideful (pride is a great sin that I think we all have issues with at some point regarding some topic) but remained humble.  I think we can do this.  I know we can do it through the Atonement which allows us to repent of our pride and humble ourselves instead of being forced to be humble.  They remembered the great things the Lord had done for them.  Isn't that a great idea?  Let's remember the great things the Lord has done for us in our lives.  The Nephites even made a list of the most important things.  And don't forget to pray continually so that the Lord can continue to bless you and your loved ones.

There are many ways to study the scriptures and I am particularly fond of randomly opening them to see what I might find.  Hopefully this thought has given you some scriptural tips to being able to wax strong and prosper in the land (or how to lead a joyful life despite trials).