Alma 22:18

"O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead."
Alma 22:18


King Lamoni’s father in this verse starts a prayer to God, not knowing for sure that he is there, but wanting to believe, hoping for an answer. I like that willingness to experiment upon the word. We don’t always know for ourselves initially when we learn new things about God or the gospel… but we can go directly to God to find out. Another amazing thing here is that he is willing to give up all his sins to know God. Totally worth it, but not something we usually offer. We often try to hold something back when we go to God… willing to change this or that thing, but not everything. And I think that, to have the kind of relationship that we want to have, with no barriers between us, we really have to be willing to give up all of it… even the tiniest, favorite sins. As C. S. Lewis says... if we want Heaven, we have to give up even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell. Today, let’s work on trying the experiment, and going to God… and if we’re already communicating, then let’s start throwing away anything that doesn’t fit with that relationship. Some souvenirs we get really attached to… the mini-snowscape titled "a cold day in Hell" and the T-shirt that says "Tourist from Hell" … the doubts and beliefs that it is much easier to live with than to overcome. Some of them are very hard to part with. But if we’re serious about wanting what is asked for in this verse, we need to get rid of the clutter that interferes with our commitment to a better place. I can’t imagine what souvenirs they have in the Celestial Kingdom… can only imagine that they are infinitely better. Let’s make sure we’re in a position to find out.