Mosiah 2

I have always pictured King Benjamin as a kind, loving grandfather figure. He tells everyone that he’s no better than they are, that is not going to accuse anyone of anything, or condemn them, but in order to fulfill his responsibilities as a prophet, he must teach them certain things so that once the people know, they will be responsible. As a prophet, if he doesn’t teach them, he will be accountable for their sins. That is a heavy and fearful responsibility. He asks the people to open theirs ears so they will hear, their hearts so they will understand, and their minds so the mysteries of God can be seen. I shut these down far too often.

There are many memorable and important verses in this chapter, but what I gather from them is isn’t explicitly said. What impresses me is that God wants us to do two things, one is be true to our best selves, who we really are, to do those things that we know make us a better person. To do that, I have to look deep inside and honestly ask myself on a continual basis if I’m being true to the person that God knows I am, the one I seem to lose track of. The second thing is, I have no conception of how much God blesses me every day. I am totally unaware of the number of times that he has guided me and protected me without my knowing it. If I were aware, I think I would be amazed. King Benjamin tells us that each breath we take is because God gives it to us. I think from that, we can know that he is blessing us every moment of every day, even at times when we don’t deserve it. And if we are true to who we really are, much greater blessings will flow, far beyond what we would have expected. Too often, we sell ourselves far too short.