4 Nephi 1:44

"And from this time the disciples began to sorrow for the sins of the world."
4 Nephi 1:44


The three Nephites are so interesting to me.  When we first hear about their unique opportunity to stay on earth until the "second coming" of Christ, the scriptures tell us that they won't have any sorrow, except for the sorrow they feel for the wickedness of the people.  And, until this point in the Book of Mormon, they haven't even had to feel that, because the people have been righteous for three generations.  It must be a horrific thing, to witness the downfall and destruction of your own people, and know that they chose it.  We probably all experience this to some extent or another in our lives... when family or friends walk away from God, or even when we do ourselves.  Some part of us shudders to know how hard the road back will be... how much we lose when we dismiss God from our lives.  How do we stop our own downfall sometimes, and if we have that stabilized (which, you know, would be really nice to be sure of...), then how can we assist in arresting the decline of our modern civilization?  I wonder what the disciples are sorrowing for now.  I hope they aren't sorrowing for me.  And you know, even more, I hope that someday, when the veil is lifted, that I don't end up sorrowing for myself.  I feel so short-sighted sometimes... I think we all are to some degree.  We choose what we can see and taste and touch right now, and we rarely think of the consequences to the future... or even to our immediate souls.  Today, let's try to live so that we, at least, don't have to sorrow for ourselves. :)  Then, if we get that mastered (which, I admit, might take a while), we can start shoring up the defenses for humanity in general. :)