I know it is good that the
Nephites were winning this war, but reading about lots of Lamenites being
slaughtered makes me feel sad. It would be interesting to read the history of
this people from the perspective of the Lamenites. They were still complex
human children of God dying. War sucks. It had to be so terrifying for the
Lamenite army to think they were fleeing the battle and then to just be getting
met by Moroni’s army everywhere they tried to turn. Was it hard for the
Moroni’s men to wait while Lehi’s men battled? I know it is often hard for me
to wait and think something is not my fight, or I should wait until the right
time to get involved. I am very impatient and want to make everything happen “right
now” all the time. As a mom, I want to teach and correct my kids and have that
change everything right then. I want to protect them from the consequences of
their mistakes, but sometimes I am sure it is more effective to watch the
battle and come in when it is the right time to help. I know our struggles in
this life teach us and make us stronger, but sometimes it is so hard to allow
other people to struggle. I guess it comes back to the idea of living deliberately,
instead of just reacting. I need to counsel with the Lord and then take action
with direction and purpose instead of just reacting.
Once the Lamenites knew they were
trapped they became even more ferocious. Mormon attributes it to their evil
leaders, and I am sure that is true, but I think it is also human nature. Even
when you try to trap someone with words, just on a position they may not even
care about that much, they become entrenched and fight harder. I wonder if
there was a different way to go that would have caused less fatality among the
Nephites and still been a victory?
And yet, even if they did it
wrong, because they were on God’s side they were still able to prevail. They
were inspired by a better cause. Sometimes I feel like only the perfect plan
will work, or only if nothing goes wrong at all will things turn out as they
should. This leads me to be really fearful and controlling and anxious a lot of
the time. I need to trust that when I am on the Lord’s side, even imperfect
actions can result in the right end.
In the moment that the Nephites
cried to God they were able to stand with power against the Lamenites. That’s
been my experience, as well. His infinite perfection covers our imperfection
and sanctifies our efforts and lives. He changes everything when we turn to
Him.
Moroni was amazing here. He didn’t
get caught up in blood lust, and he didn’t get caught up in the thrill of
competition and winning. The moment he thought there was a chance to be safe
without killing anyone else, he stopped everything. It is hard not to get
caught in the thrill of winning and competition. He must have had so much
humility.
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