1 Nephi 4:34-35

"And I also spake unto him, saying: Surely the Lord hath commanded us to do this thing; and shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord? Therefore, if thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father thou shalt have place with us.
And it came to pass that Zoram did take courage at the words which I spake. Now Zoram was the name of the servant; and he promised that he would go down into the wilderness unto our father. Yea, and he also made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time forth."
1 Nephi 4:34-35


First of all, did you guys know that the entire church has been challenged to read the Book of Mormon before the end of the year?  They read a letter from the First Presidency over the pulpit yesterday... guess they did it last week too.  (I must have been late; I didn't hear about it last week.)  I think that is amazingly cool... and I imagine that it will create a huge sense of unity, and that we're going to get a huge dose of the Spirit poured out on all of us.  I remember when we were challenged in the MTC to read the Book of Mormon all the way through while we were there (and I was only there 3 weeks). ... I think that was probably my favorite time reading the Book of Mormon.  I remember seeing connections that I never knew were there before... connections between 1 Nephi and 3 Nephi that I never saw because I had never read those two books in anything like close proximity before. :)  So... join in. I just re-started the Book of Mormon and I am going to read it all the way through. It will be great. :)
Anyway, this scripture... Zoram has always intrigued me. His whole life uprooted in one night--and yet, it seems that he gains some measure of freedom that he didn't have before, and basically becomes another member of the family.  I wonder about him... did he know how wicked Laban was prior to this? When he made his oath this night, was he just saving his life, or did he know he was doing the right thing?  Most of our life-changing experiences seem a lot more clear-cut than this one was, seemingly, for Zoram. ... I imagine if the same thing happened to someone today, they'd say that Zoram had Stockholm Syndrome or something. :)  In any case, I have to believe that Zoram felt the spirit, and knew what to do... and, of course, that Zoram was part of the plan. :)  His life wasn't just a footnote to the rest of the lives here... I'm sure that his being there made a difference.  I think that Zoram is a great example of courage as we choose to make huge, permanent changes in our lives.