Because of The Book of Mormon!

Because of the Book of Mormon I.....

My 'rememberer' wasn't working when I first discovered The Book of Mormon. As far as I know, the Book of Mormon has been a part of my life since the womb. After all, my mom is very diligent in her scripture study. In first grade I would walk over to my grandma's after school. She insisted on teaching me how to read from it! (And I did NOT like it for many reasons - She made us read the heading, I struggled with the words, and I was so done with "looking" in 1 Nephi 11... thank goodness for the patient women in our lives who do the hard things with us!) 

Because The Book of Mormon has literally been in my life every day since I can remember, (even the days I days I didn't read it, I thought about reading it :o ) I know I take it for granted, as well as the effects that it has had in my life. I didn't realize the incredible, monumental changes taking place in my life a page or a verse at a time. 

But now I know. 

At least in a small way how the Book of Mormon has altered my life for the better. As I have looked back at my life and realized the REAL power the book has given my life. I may not have understood the words and I KNOW I didn't catch on to a lot of the principles being taught. I still don't. Regardless, it has done more for me than I know. Because simply by reading The Book of Mormon we invite God's spirit to join us in our lives. And that, my friends, is real power. That one simple principle is huge! Life-altering.

To answer the question I have asked myself so many times - Because of the Book of Mormon (drumroll please):

I know who I am. 

I am a daughter of God. So simple - and yet it is everything! There is an infinity of lessons we can learn from this book. This is the one I have narrowed it down to that has been the foundation of everything else. Because of the Book of Mormon I have been given strength every day from the knowledge of knowing of my divine lineage. As I have grown up I have struggled with low self confidence and low self-esteem. Yet I have never questioned my self worth. Somehow, deep down, when the world whispered to me that I am fat, ugly, dumb, that nobody wants me or loves me, or that I don't have friends and I'm a loser - I believed it. Yet - and this is the great conundrum - I still KNEW that I was of infinite worth. Somebody loved me. Somebody cared for me. I did have purpose. I knew that I was beautiful, smart, intelligent and that my real best friend was the only one that really mattered. I only had to care about what He thought of me- that is Jesus Christ. That knowledge has enabled me to push through and reach up at times when all I wanted to do was melt into the ground and be forgotten. That single knowledge that was planted so deeply within me got me through all my darkest days. It is why I've made the good choices I have made throughout my life. It has got me out of bed when I didn't feel there was a purpose or the thought of facing another day seemed too daunting.

I received a blessing years ago, and the words may have become fogged up my somewhat unreliable mind, but I remember being told that as I studied the word of God, my confidence would grow before others. I wanted this blessing because it is something I knew I struggled with. I didn't understand it, but I believed it anyways. It didn't happen magically overnight. Yet, as the days became weeks and the weeks months, and the months years, I slowly gained more confidence as my relationship with Heavenly Father increased. I cared less about what others thought of me, or what I judged them to be judging of me. I began to care more about being worried and embarrassed about what God thought of me and my actions. I realized that if I can stand confident before God, I can stand confident before anybody! 

Life really is all about choices. I'm sure not perfect or even as good as I want to be. Yet I know each and every day we make tiny choices that effect us for the rest of our lives. Going to church. Saying prayers. Reading the scriptures. The day I changed my major to art. The moment I was landscaping with my dad and a thought turned into a decision- It had only been a month since I had last talked to the Bishop and he had sent me away. But for one last time I was going to schedule another appointment with the Bishop, and I WAS going to start mission papers. I was determined. These tiny little choices that completely alter where we are, who we are, what we do and ultimately who we become. 

The Book of Mormon is amazing because it is TRUTH. Knowledge of truth is the key to unlocking our minds to be happy regardless of anything we encounter in this world. We know Christ through this book, and we can overcome anything and everything as we look to Him. The Book of Mormon has changed my life, has changed the life of others, and will continue to change more lives all over the earth because it is TRUTH. And truth sets us free. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32.)

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(Because, who doesn't love FREE?!? ;) ) 

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