Small and Simple Things

There’s a chill anxious happiness that crawls up my back as I delve into certain books. The feeling that my thoughts are about to run across a life altering quote which puts perfectly into perspective how I feel at that moment can be so motivating! Such authors like Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis, Alexander Dumas, and books like The Last Lecture have all sent those sorts of feelings pulsing through me. Such feelings, I’ve found, are inspired by the insatiable desire for discovery. Discovery of principles I know to be true but which I have yet to hear articulated.

Maybe thats why the Book of Mormon has so much power. It’s replete with principles, that when unfolded, give the reader new perspective. You feel your paradigm in life shifting as you read the extraordinary experiences which are in the Book of Mormon. Discovering the power God once gave to man, knowing that He is still willing to manifest Himself in the same way today, is an incredibly empowering experience. The feelings I get from reading the Book of Mormon inspire me to act upon the teachings of Christ. That chill, anxious happiness I feel when reading clever or inspiring literature takes on a new dimension. Rather than the feeling of discovery for what comes next in a book, I feel an insatiable desire to know what comes next in my life. And I find myself searching to apply the principles taught unto the discovery of what my life could really become. How much good can I really do? What sort of a difference can I actually make?

As I've started to make these discoveries, my thoughts often reflect upon the counsel of Alma, a prophet found in the Book of Mormon. He says, “…by small and simple things are great things brought to pass… and the Lord God doth work by [these] means to bring about His great and eternal purposes…”

It comforts me knowing our Father in His wisdom, uses us for the blessing of others. Despite being all powerful and all knowing, he allows us, very small and insignificant people, to bring about much good in the lives of those around us. Whether you have or have not already, I invite you to read and feel the Book of Mormon inspire you to go beyond literature and thoughts and into the lives and hearts of others.

What more would He want than that?