"And behold, these things which we have desired concerning our brethren, yea, even their restoration to the knowledge of Christ, are according to the prayers of all the saints who have dwelt in the land.
And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith; and may God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
Mormon 9:36-37
These verses, praying for his brethren, even though a bunch of those brethren had just wiped out his whole society, seem amazing to me. Moroni still knows that God will make everything okay, even though all the Nephites were wiped out... and he prays for the families and the descendants of the very murderers who destroyed them. Of course, he was realistic, knowing that his side was evil as well, and all his hope had to be in future promises, but I still love the idea that seems firm in his mind to love and hope and pray rather than hating. It would have been so easy to hate, and so many media messages in our current world tell us that it is okay to hate in circumstances like that... but God asks us to walk in love, no matter our circumstances, and that choice is part of what makes us, over time, more like he is. He can forgive us of the worst sins because he can see through to someone that he loves, and he wants more than anything to help us reach our better, shinier, whole and clean and bright potential.
He can see the hope in the future, and love and shine his light into the darkness to show others the way. Today, let us also try to make the right choices and to show love to all, even our enemies. We might need a lot of prayer and help, but with God, we can do it. :)
