In my previous post, I discussed how life is difficult, especially with evil influences in the world. Yet, life is also beautiful. I discussed how counting our blessings does two things for us to increase our happiness during difficult times. 1) It allows us to view our blessings not as sporadic and random rain, but as a mighty river that leads us where the Lord wants us to go. 2) It allows us to discover and remember those times when we were able to meaningfully help and serve God’s children; when we were able to be an answer to someone’s prayers; when we were able to participate in God’s work. And this is one of the greatest and most overlooked blessings of all.
In this entry, I will discuss how these same principles were applied by Ammon during a difficult time in Alma 26.
We often read Alma 26 (the recounting of the sons of Mosiah’s missionary efforts) and consider this to be an extremely happy time for Ammon and his brethren. But consider what had just barely occurred. Hundreds of their converts had been slaughtered by the sword because of evil influences within the Lamanite society. This must have been an extremely difficult time of mourning.
In an effort to remain cheerful and see the good in life, Ammon decided to recount his blessings. Here is a rewording of his account, with many phrases remaining the same:
'My brothers and my brethren, how great reason have we to rejoice; for God hath granted unto us great blessings. And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?’
Even the sons of Mosiah—who had been so greatly blessed—needed help in remembering how greatly they had been blessed! Satan tries to dull our sense of wonder and gratitude for the many blessings the gospel brings, and for the wonderful directing influence of God in our lives.
When the pain of difficulties arrive, it is very easy to forget the marvelous blessings we have received at the hand of the Lord. Then is the time we need to pause, reflect, and consider what the Lord has blessed us with, and to find the great reasons we have to rejoice. This is never an easy task, and requires great effort and time, but it is always worth it.
Ammon answers how they have been richly blessed: ’Behold, we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work of conversion among our brethren, delivering them from the darkest abyss into the marvelous light of God!’
Here is the first obvious blessing he notes. He helped bring souls to repentance. And because of this opportunity to participate in God’s work, Ammon states: “my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God… Behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.”
Again the principle is the same; participating in God’s work by blessing His children brings happiness and joy.
And again, at the time these things transpire, they often seem unremarkable and even ordinary. But in retrospect, we are able to see how much they enriched and blessed lives. This is why counting blessings is so important, and so helpful to happiness. These moments of service only become noticed and appreciated once we reflect upon them when we count our blessings.
But is this where Ammon’s blessings started? How did God bring this great work of conversion about? What enabled the sons of Mosiah to bring souls to repentance?
Now Ammon traces his blessings further back, realizing that the source of his later blessings came from earlier blessings. He realizes that he could never have brought people to repentance unless he himself was first converted.
Ammon continues: ’We were asking for destruction. For behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church. Given all of this, who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state? How blessed we are that we were not doomed to eternal despair.’
That blessing alone, in and of itself, was enough to praise God forever. But God desired to bless them even more. So, this initial blessing set them on the course to receive even more blessings.
This is at the heart of this blog post. A blessing from God is not random or sporadic. One blessing leads us to another, to another. We see the hand of God working and moving in our lives, leading and guiding and directing aright. And all of this leads us to being able to participate in God's work, one of the greatest blessings of all.
Ammon next realizes that they had almost turned back from their mission while in the wilderness, but God had blessed them with comfort, at a critical moment, that changed the outcome of their fate and future blessings.
‘We came into the wilderness with the intent that perhaps we might save some few souls. Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us.’
Ammon is now beginning to more clearly see how his blessings interconnect to become a mighty river moving him towards where God wants him to go. He sees that he was blessed with an angelic conversion, which in turn blessed him with a desire to teach the Lamanites, which in turn blessed him with comfort at a critical time, which in turn blessed him with the opportunity to participate in God’s work and convert thousands of souls.
Ammon next traces the river of blessings farther upstream.
‘God blessed our ancestors with the gospel. Were it not for that, we would not have that gospel to share now. My God has been mindful of this people who are lost in a strange land. He gave our progenitors, Lehi and Nephi, the gospel. God is mindful of every people, in whatsoever land they may be in. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.’
Again, the two main points are these: 1) blessing are not random or sporadic; they are a mighty river given by a loving Father that leads us gently along. 2) God answers prayers, and we become part of His work. This brings happiness, to know that we answered prayers and blessed people's lives and did God's work; and to know that God answers our own prayers through others.
Consider one simple blessing you have received. You felt comfort at a moment of difficulty. Now trace that blessing back as far upstream as you can. You might be surprised. It might go something like this. The Lord restored the gospel to the Prophet Joseph Smith, which in turn caused the priesthood to be restored, which in turn caused the ordinances of salvation to be restored, which in turn allowed my father to bless me with the gift of the Holy Ghost, which in turn allowed me to feel a full measure of comfort at a difficult time.
These principles are always accessible and visible whenever we put forth the effort to count our blessings. To take time to truly inventory our lives and look for our blessings is difficult. It requires time and effort. But it is always worth it.
In my next post, I discuss how these same principles were revealed in Alma's life.
In this entry, I will discuss how these same principles were applied by Ammon during a difficult time in Alma 26.
We often read Alma 26 (the recounting of the sons of Mosiah’s missionary efforts) and consider this to be an extremely happy time for Ammon and his brethren. But consider what had just barely occurred. Hundreds of their converts had been slaughtered by the sword because of evil influences within the Lamanite society. This must have been an extremely difficult time of mourning.
In an effort to remain cheerful and see the good in life, Ammon decided to recount his blessings. Here is a rewording of his account, with many phrases remaining the same:
'My brothers and my brethren, how great reason have we to rejoice; for God hath granted unto us great blessings. And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?’
Even the sons of Mosiah—who had been so greatly blessed—needed help in remembering how greatly they had been blessed! Satan tries to dull our sense of wonder and gratitude for the many blessings the gospel brings, and for the wonderful directing influence of God in our lives.
When the pain of difficulties arrive, it is very easy to forget the marvelous blessings we have received at the hand of the Lord. Then is the time we need to pause, reflect, and consider what the Lord has blessed us with, and to find the great reasons we have to rejoice. This is never an easy task, and requires great effort and time, but it is always worth it.
Ammon answers how they have been richly blessed: ’Behold, we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work of conversion among our brethren, delivering them from the darkest abyss into the marvelous light of God!’
Here is the first obvious blessing he notes. He helped bring souls to repentance. And because of this opportunity to participate in God’s work, Ammon states: “my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God… Behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.”
Again the principle is the same; participating in God’s work by blessing His children brings happiness and joy.
And again, at the time these things transpire, they often seem unremarkable and even ordinary. But in retrospect, we are able to see how much they enriched and blessed lives. This is why counting blessings is so important, and so helpful to happiness. These moments of service only become noticed and appreciated once we reflect upon them when we count our blessings.
But is this where Ammon’s blessings started? How did God bring this great work of conversion about? What enabled the sons of Mosiah to bring souls to repentance?
Now Ammon traces his blessings further back, realizing that the source of his later blessings came from earlier blessings. He realizes that he could never have brought people to repentance unless he himself was first converted.
Ammon continues: ’We were asking for destruction. For behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church. Given all of this, who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state? How blessed we are that we were not doomed to eternal despair.’
That blessing alone, in and of itself, was enough to praise God forever. But God desired to bless them even more. So, this initial blessing set them on the course to receive even more blessings.
This is at the heart of this blog post. A blessing from God is not random or sporadic. One blessing leads us to another, to another. We see the hand of God working and moving in our lives, leading and guiding and directing aright. And all of this leads us to being able to participate in God's work, one of the greatest blessings of all.
Ammon next realizes that they had almost turned back from their mission while in the wilderness, but God had blessed them with comfort, at a critical moment, that changed the outcome of their fate and future blessings.
‘We came into the wilderness with the intent that perhaps we might save some few souls. Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us.’
Ammon is now beginning to more clearly see how his blessings interconnect to become a mighty river moving him towards where God wants him to go. He sees that he was blessed with an angelic conversion, which in turn blessed him with a desire to teach the Lamanites, which in turn blessed him with comfort at a critical time, which in turn blessed him with the opportunity to participate in God’s work and convert thousands of souls.
Ammon next traces the river of blessings farther upstream.
‘God blessed our ancestors with the gospel. Were it not for that, we would not have that gospel to share now. My God has been mindful of this people who are lost in a strange land. He gave our progenitors, Lehi and Nephi, the gospel. God is mindful of every people, in whatsoever land they may be in. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.’
Again, the two main points are these: 1) blessing are not random or sporadic; they are a mighty river given by a loving Father that leads us gently along. 2) God answers prayers, and we become part of His work. This brings happiness, to know that we answered prayers and blessed people's lives and did God's work; and to know that God answers our own prayers through others.
Consider one simple blessing you have received. You felt comfort at a moment of difficulty. Now trace that blessing back as far upstream as you can. You might be surprised. It might go something like this. The Lord restored the gospel to the Prophet Joseph Smith, which in turn caused the priesthood to be restored, which in turn caused the ordinances of salvation to be restored, which in turn allowed my father to bless me with the gift of the Holy Ghost, which in turn allowed me to feel a full measure of comfort at a difficult time.
These principles are always accessible and visible whenever we put forth the effort to count our blessings. To take time to truly inventory our lives and look for our blessings is difficult. It requires time and effort. But it is always worth it.
In my next post, I discuss how these same principles were revealed in Alma's life.
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