the conversion story of Alma the younger becomes a personal guide for the process of repentance, change, and forgiveness. Just as the relationship with the Book of Mormon, and God by association, begins at a very micro level, the young man Alma connects, individually, to each of our life's stories. Each of us has been endowed with an enormous amount of promise, we all live in this world (together with all of its challenges), and we're all trying to make our way forward into an unsure tomorrow. And, at one time or another, we mess up. So, Alma speaks to us, at least in some degree.
On another micro level, we see the love of a parent, or a dear friend, and the desire to project upon another the understanding of the only course leading to happiness, peace of mind, and fulfillment.
We taught the story today to our kids in Primary, and I learned a new way to look at the account. This time, the lens wasn't so myopic: I saw a little bit of what Alma meant, on a macro level, to the advancement of Heavenly Father's Kingdom on earth. Instead of thinking about the impact that the course change had on Alma, or what that means for me, the HUGE impact that the rest of his life had really hit me. This event was so important for the future of an entire civilization. It affected the salvation of thousands and thousands of souls. Not only did Alma's father worry about his son for his son's sake, I'm sure that he understood the immense potential footprint that could have been lost. Because of the course correction (and probably a million more daily decisions on Alma's part), the stagnant child really became something.
How big will your footprint be?
1 comment:
I've been thinking a lot about footprints lately. Today I was walking Scout and I had this thought about getting married in present day. Creating a new family in an uncertain world is very courageous. It is truly an act of faith- "Faith is things hoped for , but not seen" Acting upon faith is a powerful thing- It binds the Lord, and in this case, He desires nothing more than to bless that newly created family- especially when He knows that there will be many forces that will seek to destroy it, from within and without. The footprint of an eternal family reaches father than we can comprehend. A righteous family filled with love is Satan's greatest nemesis. Go forward with faith, leave that footprint, because there will be many that need to see the way to follow.
Some musings from your Mom-
Happy almost Birthday Jessie!
Laurie
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