Friday, November 30, 2018

Omni 1:12-13 -- On Writing and Making a Difference

"Behold, I am Amaleki, the son of Abinadom. Behold, I will speak unto you somewhat concerning Mosiah, who was made king over the land of Zarahemla; for behold, he being warned of the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the land with him, into the wilderness—
And it came to pass that he did according as the Lord had commanded him. And they departed out of the land into the wilderness, as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord; and they were led by many preachings and prophesyings. And they were admonished continually by the word of God; and they were led by the power of his arm, through the wilderness until they came down into the land which is called the land of Zarahemla."
Omni 1:12-13


I love Amaleki.  He's writing in this book that was passed down through several generations, and the people before him saw that there wasn't much room left in the book and so they said little.  Amaleki is dying and childless and his brother is missing, so he plans to pass the plates on to the king (King Benjamin) instead of through the family line as they were in the past.  But instead of just doing that, and writing a single paragraph as some of the others had done, he takes the opportunity to tell us the story of Mosiah, which if you've read the beginning of the Book of Mormon, sounds remarkably familiar.  A man is warned to flee and go into the wilderness, which happened to both Lehi and Nephi in different circumstances. 

This instance is no less impactful, as Mosiah and his people find another group that was led similarly, who they join with.  And that other group had encountered a man that stayed with them for nine months who was the last of his people (another familiar story if we've read the end of the Book of Mormon), and they obtain the records of that ancient people as well.  Mosiah's journey changes everything up, and I wish we knew more than we do about it.

Another thing that I think Amaleki teaches us is the lesson that we should be hearing a lot from the scriptures: one person CAN make a difference.  Amaleki did, and he did it by being willing to use the space he was given, and being willing to do as he was asked.  All it took was telling us what happened that he found important.  We can make a difference too... by writing down the important things in our lives and passing them on... keeping a journal as we have been asked, or just writing down our spiritual impressions so that we can look back on them as they were rather than through our often-fogged memories.  Just the act of writing helps us solidify things in our minds sometimes.

Today, let's be more like Amaleki.  Let's be in tune with the spirit as we observe the world around us, and then let's share our impressions with others.  Let's make a positive difference in the world, no matter how small it seems at the time.  Every drop counts. :)

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