Remembrance = Gratitude = Generosity = Charity

If ever in our lives we are not feeling the pure love of Christ, which is charity, then I think we can sound the alarms in our minds that perhaps we are falling into the fateful trap of forgetfulness. It’s a trap that so easily and so quickly ensnares us, just as it did for so many in the Book of Mormon.

In chapter 18 of 1 Nephi, the family set sail after just having experienced the miraculous construction of a ship which the “workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine”, one that was not built after the manner of men, and they all knew it was yet another of Lord’s miracles graciously extended for the deliverance of His covenant people. It was so miraculous, in fact, that even the hard-hearted duo, Laman and Lemuel, did “humble themselves again before the Lord” (v. 4).

However, just a few short verses later, they failed to remember their blessings. In I Nephi 18:9, it reads, “…yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.”

There’s a powerful quote by President Eyring that came to my mind when I read this verse. He said, “Remembrance is the seed of gratitude, which is the seed of generosity. Gratitude for the remission of sins is the seed of charity, the pure love of Christ” (“To Draw Closer To God”, 1997).

So when we truly remember the great things God has done for us, we feel grateful; when we feel that gratitude in our hearts—especially gratitude for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice for the remission of our sins, then we are filled with the love of Christ which leads to an overwhelming desire to serve others.

This is a powerful formula that can work for us in reverse to help us identify where we might be struggling so that we can quickly turn that around and get back on course. Sometimes I hear young men say things like, “I’m not sure a mission is right for me”….or “I’d like to go, but the timing’s just not right yet”….or “I have a testimony of the gospel and of Jesus Christ, I just don’t feel the desire to serve a mission”….whenever I hear this I immediately think, “This is a young man who needs help remembering, because once he remembers, there’s not a thing in this world that could hold him back from serving the Lord.”

That’s why we are carrying out this challenge, to help us all remember, and especially, to help Cameron and Treyson to remember. That’s also why Nephi and all the holy prophets wrote what they did in the Book of Mormon….we even saw it again in today’s reading: I Nephi 19:18, “And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer.”

I sure hope Cameron and Treyson are reading the Book of Mormon right now, and I hope they are reading these postings. Last week was Fast Sunday, but I’m going to fast again tomorrow that the Lord will inspire them to carry out this challenge, and that He will soften their hearts and bring them to a remembrance of all the blessings the Lord has given them, that they will have charity and the desire to serve a mission.