I am so excited, last night before I went to bed, i finished reading the Book of Mormon for my 59th time. so i'm every closer to my goal of finishing it for 100 times before I part this mortal coil. It seems only yesterday as a child seeing the book for the first time, I must have been about 7 years old. It seemed strange to me to see a blue book with a golden man and his trumpet on the cover. i opened the book, read some things but never got into it. It wasn't until i was on the placement program in Ogden, Utah that i really opened the book again and started reading it. It took me a few years, but I finished it. It really wasn't until seminary that I found i had a testimony of the Book of Mormon. That I prayed about it, and read it and felt the spirit testify to me that it was true. I have felt that way since I joined the church and I know that I will always feel that way.
now to address some questions:
have i memorized everything in the book? not by a long shot. every time i read it i learn something new. or through life's experiences the meanings of each doctrine become enriched and enlightened. i think if i should get to read this 59 more times, i would still have things to learn from it's pages.
Does this mean i'm more righteous than others for reading so much? yeah right. just means of everyone i know, i need as much help in my pursuit of salvation as i can get. when you're scrubbing stain from your clothes, if you use only a little bit of soap, you aren't going to get all the stains out, you need as much purifying agent as you can to get to the really dirty, grimy stuff. if anything in my reading of the book of mormon, i find out more about myself and how much i am lacking in my goal to become more like my Heavenly father. boy do i need alot of that cleaning stuff.
have i ever seen the three nephites? not yet, but here's hoping one day, just to chat and share stories. that would be cool to hear how much they've gone through. i'm sure they know more about that will happen than they can express.
have i gotten bored of reading the book? no way, never ever. as a descendent of laman and also of Mulek, this book was written for our day, and is a recording of God's dealing directly with our ancestors on this hemisphere. how i read it, and apply it, and share it, will all one day be brought before God and I will be held accountable for how i used the book, how i shared it, and applied it to my life. every gift from God comes with it's measured accountability. no one is an exception to the law of restoration. a man in his life may only have the bible, but how he lives his life according to those principles, will be his accounting, will be his measure of salvation. even more so for members of the LDS church. with both the Book of Mormon and bible as testements of the divinity of Jesus Christ, we will be held accountable for both books and for what we lack in our own knowledge of the Gospel nothing will be left out.
perhaps the most compelling portions of the Book deal with Isaiah. how much more vivid each chapter is and becomes as i read his words and love his details into how God is dealing with his children. they are more meaningful and more powerful as i read and reread the Book of Mormon. i am so thankful that the prophet Mormon included these writings. i look forward to finishing the book again and again and again.
my testimony of the Book is i know it is true. that it is the Word of God. I know that my heritage links me to the wonderful people in this book and i shall always be grateful for the righteous men and women who gave so much that we might have a means of guidance and salvation in our day and age. It shall be ever close to my heart and i hope i can always be faithful its message.
