In front of about two hundred young single adults gathered for worship service on a Sunday afternoon I suppressed the shyness I experience in front of crowds and shared the thought that “reading the Book of Mormon will bring a light and greater happiness into your life.” I was sharing some of the impressions I had distinctly felt after recently reading the book cover to cover in a short period of time.  The Book of Mormon is a volume of scripture and companion to the Bible for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called The Mormon Church).

About a year ago, I had read The Book of Mormon with greater urgency and focus than I ever had before, and I had noticed a number of significant changes while I read. I picked up the book and just dove in, reading as much as 30 pages a day, and as I read and turned from page to page, I noticed a change within myself. I had been feeling very stagnant in life, at work and in personal relationships things did not seem to be moving forward at all, and I felt very weighed down by this. The burdens I was carrying were being lifted layer by layer, almost as I turned the pages.

At 19, I served a two year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in  Northeastern Brazil. I remember telling people often that the Book of Mormon was special and unique in how it “changes the lives of people.” I knew this was true, as I had read it prior to my mission and had experienced this change in my life from reading it. When I read it at 17 I felt more positive about what I could accomplish with my life and I felt more forgiving towards other people and people noticed this. But I had sort of assumed this was kind of a one-time event, during the first time you read it. Reading it with a renewed sense of urgency, at this very difficult time about 10 years after the first time I read it, opened my understanding to how the book can be useful at any period in life.

How does it change lives?

Some people may wonder why reading the book causes such significant changes. The full title of the book is “The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe the Bible to be a Testament or witness of Jesus Christ and The Book of Mormon to accompany The Bible as an additional or another Testament of Jesus Christ. Through reading the Book of Mormon you come to a better understanding of who Jesus Christ is, why He is all-important and the purpose of His atoning sacrifice. It is through coming to a greater understanding and belief in Jesus Christ whose “burden is light” that problems dissipate and lives are changed.

The core of my belief

Shortly after the publication of Book of Mormon in 1830, early church members were often asked what distinguished them from other churches, and it always boiled down to the unique nature of the Book of Mormon. Similarly, as I think about my faith in God or try to explain my belief to friends and why I choose to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it always returns to The Book of Mormon. This understanding stems mostly from my own quiet study of the book accompanied with prayer, which gives me confidence that other sincere readers can have a similar experience.

Joseph Smith, who translated the Book of Mormon, stated that it is “The most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” I know that statement is true, from reading the book and feeling the improved understanding about God and his love for each person. I cannot understate what this book has meant to me as an individual and member of The Church of Jesus Christ. Reading it has lifted burdens and added valuable dimensions and insights to life, for which I am thankful.

Written by Ashley Bell, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon”), graduate of BYU in Recreation Management, wife and expectant mother residing in Taylorsville, Utah.

Tyler and I are 22 and 23 years old, and we found out this past month that we will be the parents of a future stripling warrior this coming June! Those ultrasound pictures are now treasures for us. On the last still image he was even giving a total thumbs up, as if to say “I’m excited to come, and we’re going to have fun!”

So what is a young couple like us supposed to do with the realization that we are actually going to be parents? We are so excited for it, and it seems like all fun and games, but in reality, the responsibility to parent is great. Luckily, both Tyler and I have had great examples of goodly parents and so we can learn from their good doings; but at the same time our son’s grandparents aren’t going to be raising him… we are!
We Are Never Alone

The beautiful thing about parentage is that we don’t have to do it alone. God gave men and women specific attributes to help in the raising process. Not every family gets the chance to have a mother and father in the home, but in these situations I really do believe that the Lord makes up the rest if the parent rearing the child asks in faith with a believing heart.

Since we don’t have to do it alone, how can we do it together? Well, Tyler and I found comfort from the scriptures by the example of the parents to the young Stripling Warriors; whose story can be found in the Book of Mormon.Their dad’s had repented of their old ways and had covenanted that they would not take up arms again to fight; so what happened was that when a war broke out, they sent their sons to go in the stead!  Their father’s ability keep their covenants shows they put God first and that they diligently presided in their homes. They were fulfilling their role as a good husband and father by keeping their covenants. Now is this all that they did? No. In Alma 56:27 we read that while their sons were off to fight for the liberty of their families, “there was brought unto [them] many provisions from [their] fathers!” This sounds an awful lot like providing and protecting if you ask me. If you are familiar with this story then you know that these young sons also “did not fear death” and they attributed this faith to their mothers by saying, “we do not doubt our mothers knew it” (see Alma 56:47-48). It is obvious here that their mothers were faith-filled women who knew how to nurture, something that these young sons desperately needed throughout their lives in order for them to stand ready when the call arose.

Now what stood out to me here was the fact that the mothers and fathers played different roles in this situation—and yet both were vital! The fathers did preside, provide and protect. And the mothers did indeed nurture. These roles can also be found in The Family: A Proclamation to the World, which was given to us by modern day prophets. Yet again Tyler and I were comforted by the Holy Ghost that even though we are young and inexperienced we can still raise a valiant stripling warrior of the latter days if we but hearken to the scriptures and to the voice of modern day prophets.

Just last night Tyler shared with me a quote from a modern day prophet, Elder Robert D. Hales, that can be applied to parents everywhere throughout the world. The words hold power, “Parents are never failures when they do their best to love, teach, pray, and care for their children” (CR, April 2004). I know we will make mistakes, but the bottom line is, if we do our best to fill our divine roles as parents, we cannot fail.

Additional References: 

Learn more about divine parental roles in The Family: A Proclamation to the World

How the Book of Mormon can help answer life’s questions

Request a free Book of Mormon

Alma 37:6

6Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

Accustomed and acculturated to look for large events, patterns, trends, happenings, we often overlook the prosaic, ordinary or small things that can tip our world, someone’s life experience, our conversion, our demeanor, or even  have multi- generational impact.  Even a faucet dripping consistently for long enough could flood a home. Likewise, our righteous acts, the following of an impression, can at a singular moment, change lives. Mormons, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–Christian disciples of Jesus Christ–recognize the value of making prized daily choices that count. In our imperfection we strive to follow the Holy Ghost more fluidly each day, recognizing that this day counts for eternity. In the words of a Mormon prophet (more accurately, a prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints):

The course of our lives is seldom determined by great, life-altering decisions. Our direction is often set by the samll, day-to-day choices that chart the track on which we run. This is the substance of our lives-making choices (Gordon B. Hinckley, Stand a Little Taller, 13).

Doctrine and Covenants 42:45

45 Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection.

True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one’s companion (Gordan B. Hinckley, Stand a Little Taller, 47).